A Beginners Guide To Being Frugal

With so many Americans losing their jobs, houses, and fighting the rising costs, frugality is rapidly rising back into popularity. Not surprisingly, many families are searching for ways to combat the growing challenges of our sagging economy. Whether you are unemployed, or simply looking to make your dollars stretch to replace a battered investment account, many Americans are looking to save a few dollars.
A lot of families may not know where to start, when trying to live a trimmer lifestyle. It can be confusing to sift thru your finances, and know where to begin. The simplest place to begin is by making an accurate picture of what expenses you currently have. This includes everything from housing, to stopping by the corner store for coffee.
Many people find it helpful to track their expenses for a month or longer, as this gives them an accurate picture of exactly where their money is going and what can be most easily trimmed off the budget. If you opt for this, be sure to track every dime you spend, not forgetting those quick trips to the store, or lunchtime vending machines. Track each type of expense in a column, to total up at the end of the month. You can either purchase a columned ledger at your office supply store, or if you have accounting software of any kind you can use that. Break down your categories fairly small, you don’t want to put that coffee, eating out or even that bag of chips in your general shopping category. That should be reserved for essential foods for feeding your family. At the end of the month, you will be able to visually see exactly the cost of your vending machine habit, or drive thru detour.
If you are not that organized, I recommend at least taking the next step;  make a budget if you do not have one, and reviewing your existing one if you already have one in place.  There are few families that do not have areas where they can cut their budget. The trick is to get a handle on the difference between needs and wants. And before anybody thinks you or I are the frugal police, the goal here is not to eliminate all wants, but to prioritize them, and have a good understanding of what can be trimmed depending on your situation and needs.
Areas to look at:

There are many ways to save money, and most simply take a bit of research and effort. Simply taking lunch from home could save you hundreds of dollars each month.  A budget can help you get your spending under control, and help you identify the areas you can make improvements in.  I have given you a place to start and a few ideas to work with, but there is far more to learn, and places you can go for information.

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