If so, then this guide is for you! Discover how saving money is as much a product of the mind as well as your financial habits. And speaking of habits, you’ll see how small positive changes, turned into habits, can automatically add up to big savings! 

Consider these ideas: 

1. Track your spending. Record every penny you spend for a month. Divide your spending reports into categories, such as restaurants, groceries, entertainment, clothing, house payment, utilities, and other categories. You might be surprised to learn where all your money went! 

• At the end of a month, analyze your reports. Identify areas where you could cut down. Next month, cut down on those expenses and put the money you saved into your savings. 

2. Clarify wants versus needs. There are certain things in life that you need to survive, such as food, water, clothing, and shelter. There are also the things that you want. Learn to differentiate between the two and you’ll automatically make some choices that will save you money. 

3. Buy only what you can afford. You may think that you have to get every new gadget and gizmo available, but if you cannot afford it, the financial struggles they cause will outweigh the enjoyment that you receive from them. 

• Consider using the cash envelope method of planning for your spending. Divide your expenses into categories and use a different envelope for each category. With each paycheck, divide out your money into the various envelopes. 
• Spend only the money that you’ve planned for each category. Once the cash is gone, it’s gone until more money can be added to that envelope. 
• You may want to save for a few weeks to get enough cash in your envelope for a desired purchase, at which time, you’ll know that you can afford it. 

4. Do you need that expensive car? If you’re struggling each month to repay the high-interest loan that you had to take out to pay for your car, perhaps you’ll want to rethink whether you need such an expensive car. 

• In some situations, you might need an expensive car. For example, if you’re a real estate agent and you take clients to look at high end houses for sale, an expensive, luxury car might help you make sales. 
• On the other hand, in reflection, if you bought the car to impress the neighbors, you might feel that the additional expense and resulting financial struggles aren’t really worth it. If this is the case, a downgrade to an attractive, less expensive car may work better for you. 
• Consider what a car is really for: to get you from one place to another, usually for short jaunts within your city. A less expensive car can get you there as well as a high-end car. Plus, you’ll have the extra money to do with as you please. 

5. Consider downsizing. A smaller home can save tens of thousands of dollars on the purchase price and monthly payment, plus costs for maintenance and repairs are less. Even if you rent, a smaller place will likely cost less. 

• Imagine the amount of money that you could save with a smaller house! All this money can then be used for other things that are important to you, like vacations or to add to your savings for retirement. 
• Downsizing is an important decision that only you can make. Decide what’s more important to you – the larger house or the savings. For example, you might need extra room because you frequently have guests. An office space might be vital to the success of your business. 
• Figure out if downsizing might work for you and, if so, go for it! 

6. Figure out ways in which you can enjoy life while still saving money. Money does not dictate how much you enjoy life. Remember, it’s not the material things in your life that matter most, but rather your friends, family, and the cherished times you have with each other. 

• Research shows that the experiences in our life bring greater happiness than material items. 
• For example, instead of going out to dinner and a movie, invite your friends over for a potluck dinner and movie night at your house. You can still enjoy a rollicking good evening together while saving money. You might even enjoy it more than sitting in the restaurant and theater! 
• There are many other ways to substitute something less expensive and still have fun, like game night, sports (playing volleyball, basketball, baseball, football, soccer, bowling), card games, going camping or to the beach, and more. 
• Create your own list of activities that are fun for you without costing a lot of money. Invite your friends to do the same and then choose those activities whenever you want to get together. You’ll all have fun and save money too! 

• 7. Adopt some small, financially savvy habits, such as:
  
  Save first. Automatically have a small amount of each paycheck deposited into your savings. You won’t miss what you never see! 
• Let your money work for you. Invest regularly so that money will grow by itself into more money! Over the years, this can add up to many thousands, or tens of thousands, more than what you put in. 
• Cook at home most of the time. Saving money by cutting down on fast food and coffee runs will add up. 
• Buy when things are on sale. Try to avoid ever having to pay full price. 
• Use free or streaming services for watching television. You can likely get the entertainment you want for a much smaller price and pocket some substantial savings. 

Saving money doesn’t have to be a burden. Try these tips and you’ll find that you’ll actually have more money for the things you really want in life! 

The post Saving Money Made Easy appeared first on DuckboardsAndStilts.com.

All of us want to save more money, right? 

You’ve probably tried all the fancy tricks but can’t seem to save more than a couple of bills each week. 

Many of us are taught the traditional methods — things like looking for inexpensive gas or buying clothes that are built to last ‒ but for some reason none of these seem to make a change that is enough for us. 

Have you ever thought about changing your diet to save more money? 

Think about it – besides your home and car, your diet is probably the most expensive item on your monthly bills. 

Even if you were to save an extra 20-30% off your grocery bill every week, you would notice a huge difference in your savings account by the end of the year. 

Here are the most effective ways you can save more money by changing your diet. 

Limiting Meat Consumption

Meat is the most expensive item on your shopping list. The truth is, if you limit your 

meat consumption to one item a day, you could save a bunch of money.
By switching to a vegetarian diet, you could save several thousand dollars each year! 

It might not be your first option when it comes to saving money, but it’s pretty clear that switching your protein intake to vegetarian sources could save you plenty of money in the long run. 

No More Fast Food 

Even if your local pizza joint and your favorite burger palace are just around the corner, you don’t have to spend every other night giving them business. 

Fast food is expensive. Remember, they are there to make money, so it’s not like you’re getting a good deal on the pizza or burger. 

It will be much more inexpensive to shop at the store and cook your own food. Plus, it will be much healthier for you that way too. 

Shop At Discount Stores 

You know the store – big yellow signs – way more inexpensive than your local grocery. 

It’s always nice to support local businesses, and there are many ways you can still support them, but if you’re trying to save money, it might make more sense to purchase most of your groceries at the big discount stores. 

It’s just business and you’ll thank yourself when your savings account is looking much nicer at the end of the year. 

The End Game Is Simple 

Whenever we look at saving money, it’s always important to be as objective as possible. Maybe you love to eat meat, get fast food, and shop local, but a balanced diet that limits these sources can save you plenty of money. 

With that said, a vegetarian diet is not lacking in any nutrients, and in most cases is much richer in vitamins and minerals than the standard American diet. 

When you combine the increased health benefits of eating more nutritious food and the annual savings of switching or limiting your consumption of expensive meat and fast food, the option to eat healthier has never looked better! 

The post Changing Your Diet to Save Money appeared first on DuckboardsAndStilts.com.

Most financial challenges aren’t solely due to unfortunate events. They usually have a foundation of poor financial habits. 

With effective habits, most financial challenges can be handled. With improper financial habits, even a modest unexpected expense can be devastating. 

While there are many negative financial habits one could be guilty of committing, there are a few that are especially damaging. 

Beware of acquiring these poor financial habits: 

1. A failure to consistently save money. People that are consistently free of financial challenges have a consistent saving habit. There’s always money available to handle the inevitable financial emergencies if you save part of your paycheck each time you get paid. 

• Make a promise to yourself that you’ll save a certain percentage of each paycheck. 

2. Excessive spending. The more you spend, the less you have to save. It’s that simple. Spending too much money makes you vulnerable and more likely to have financial challenges. Very excessive spending leads to accumulating debt, which is the ultimate financial curse. 

• Look for other ways to amuse yourself other than spending money you don’t really need to spend. 

• Put a hard limit on how much you can spend each month. 

3. Excessive use of credit cards and other forms of debt. Debt is a significant obstacle to financial health and stability. Debt can be cumbersome to eliminate, and most debt comes with expensive terms that make debt an especially costly way to spend money. 

• Beware of debt. If you have to use debt to purchase something, especially something non-essential, it’s a good bet that you can’t afford it. 

4. Ignoring bills. No one likes to pay bills. Period. However, bills have a way of piling up and eventually have to be paid. During that time, you’re still spending money that should be going toward your bills. This is a huge mistake. 

• Spend a few minutes each week paying your bills. Make it a ritual you perform one day a week. 

5. Regularly paying penalties, fees, and excess interest. Did you know that credit card companies earn more money from late fees than they do from interest? ATM penalties are steep. Those interest-free loans have huge interest penalties if you don’t pay them off on time. 

• Pay your bills on time. Use ATMs that don’t require a fee. 

6. Raiding your savings, investment, and retirement accounts. There may be times that dipping into your savings or other accounts might be justified, just be sure it’s for a good reason. 

• Cashing out part of your 401(k) for a trip to Disney World doesn’t qualify as a good reason. Wiping out your savings for a classic car probably isn’t a great idea either. 
• Savings accounts are for saving. Investment and retirement accounts are for saving and building wealth. They don’t work well when you take money out of them. 

7. No budget. Everyone needs a budget. Even a billionaire should have a budget. Budgets set financial limits, and financial limits help to prevent financial challenges. 

8. Eating out excessively. Eating out is expensive. Even fast food is more expensive than a decent meal at home. Meals at home tend to be healthier, too. 

Are you guilty of any of these habits? 

Think about someone you know that has a decent job but seems to struggle financially. Count how many of the above negative habits that person is guilty of committing. Now, consider someone you know that never seems to struggle financially. How many of these poor habits do they have? 

The results won’t be surprising! 

Positive habits lead to positive results. Ensure that your financial habits are leading you to a place you want to be in. 

The post Common Habits of People With Persistent Financial Challenges appeared first on DuckboardsAndStilts.com.

Household chores and expenses aren’t a lot of fun. However, they add up to a lot of time and money over the years. With a little work, it’s possible to save a lot of time and money in your household. We never seem to have as much time and money as we’d like. Every little bit helps! 

Save time and money in your household with these strategies: 

1. Buy items in the off-season. Buy next season’s bathing suit at the end of summer. Buy a gas grill in the fall. Buy a motorcycle in the winter. Wait for the big sales and take full advantage of them. There is a season for many items, as well as a sale at the end. 

2. Use a timer. A simple digital timer is one of the most important devices you can own if you want to save time. If you think it should take you 15 minutes to vacuum a large room, give yourself 10 minutes and notice how well you focus on the task. Everything gets done quicker when you use a timer. 

3. Clean your barbecue grill in the oven. Instead of scrubbing your outdoor grill with a wire brush and harsh chemicals, take the cooking surface and put it in your oven at 500 degrees. Everything will cook off in short order. Nothing could be simpler, and you’ll save a lot of time. 

4. Buy a Sunday paper. The news doesn’t change that much that you need to get the paper every day. So much news is available online for free that newspapers are nearly obsolete. However, the Sunday paper is loaded with coupons and sales notices. The Sunday paper can pay for itself many times over. 

5. Visit the dollar store. For simple items like paper towels, soap, tape, pencils, and cleaning supplies, the local dollar store is hard to beat. Plan a trip and take note of the available items and how much you’ll save. 

6. Grow your own herbs. Herbs are expensive, and dried herbs never seem to taste as good as fresh. Herbs are also one of those things you only notice you need when a recipe calls for them. This often results in a trip to the store for just that single item. Most herbs are easy and inexpensive to grow. 

7. Use energy efficient light bulbs. This type of bulb is becoming less expensive all the time. They still aren’t cheap, but the cost is small compared to the longevity. They use much less electricity than incandescent bulbs. You’ll save a lot of time and money over time. 

8. Buy your own coffee supplies. Starbucks and similar stores are expensive for what you get. A little espresso and 2 cups of hot milk aren’t worth $5+. For a small investment, you can buy your own equipment and make your own fancy coffee for a fraction of the cost. 

Your household is costing you more time and money than it should. With a few tweaks, you could save more of both and spend them somewhere more enjoyable. Spend some time looking at your expenses, with regards to both money and time. Look for ways to cut back on both. We could all use more time and money. 

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