Cutting The Budget When There's Nothing Left To Cut - Part 1

Towards the end of last year,  we saw our family income drop significantly.  I started losing some of my cleaning jobs due to clients selling their homes or not needing me any more.  I always think our budget is tight and well planned but somehow we always find ways to trim the budget.  For the last year we've been saving to get a new kitchen and flooring for our home.  To maintain these savings on our lower income we've juggled a few things around in our budget and cut our spending.  Not everyone has the luxury of monthly savings to play with so I thought I'd give you some ideas to cut your costs.

Please keep in mind that not all these budget cuts will suit your family.  You might already be doing these things.  By reading my tips it might remind you of something similar you can change or do.

*  Revise your mobile,  home phone and internet packages.  Do you really need unlimited everything ?  Are you paying for services you don't need or use ?  Phone providers are always changing their packages but don't necessarily advertise better deals.  Make the call to get the best deal you can.

*  Cut pay tv.  Yes I'm sure it's great to have and some cost as low as $10 a month.  Could you use that extra money to feed your family or pay a few bills?  Save pay tv for when you are debt free and still really, really need it.

*  Start making your own presents.  By doing this you are keeping more of your money within the budget.  See this post about creating your own mini economy..

*  Pay your bills on time to get the discounts and avoid late fees.

*  Ring your utility providers to make sure you are getting the best discount available.

*  Cook a couple of meatless meals a week.  Fried rice,  chunky veggie soup,  pasta and sauce,  toasted sandwiches,  eggs on toast  and  baked / stuffed potatoes are all very tasty and super budget friendly.

*  When the weather gets warm,  use an electric fan to cool down the room you are using instead of turning on the cooling / air conditioning.  If it gets too hot,  turn your cooling on low and keep your electric fan on.  Electric fans cost about 2 cents an hour to run.

*  Grow your own lettuce.  You can grow it in a pot or in the ground all through the year.  By purchasing a packet of seeds for about $3 you'll have enough seeds for the next couple of years. This can save you up to $100 a year based on buying one lettuce per week at $1.99 each. I like to grow the salad mix variety and pick as many leaves as we need per meal.

Stayed tuned for more budget busting posts throughout the year.