The biggest push back I get when I talk about cutting costs and saving money is that it’s difficult. People fear the word ‘budget’ because they associate it with negative implications. As a writer of intentional living, I can tell you that is not true. The point of budgeting is not to deprive yourself of things that make you happy. Rather, it is a curation of activities that you choose to engage with in order to prioritize that which makes you happiest. Because of this, budgeting is a personal task. There are some things that may be easier for you and your family to cut out than others. I recommend you start there! Today, I want to share my top 10 easiest things to cut out of my budget.
But first, have you tried YNAB? YNAB stands for You Need a Budget. It is our favorite budgeting tool from day one! I recommend YNAB to all budgeters, and we still use it to save thousands of dollars each month! You can try YNAB for free using my affiliate link. We are so grateful to have an easy, user-friendly app that is convenient and always accessible! Now I’ll share the top ten easiest things I’ve cut out of my budget.
Top 10 Easiest Things I’ve Cut Out of My Budget
- Alcohol
- Shopping for clothes
- Beauty Products
- Personal Maintenance (manis, pedis, haircuts, etc.)
- Certain groceries like snacks, bars, soft drinks
- Paper towels (went fully green in 2018 and never looking back)
- Fancy restaurants
- Entertainment (Bowling, Movie Theatres, Theme Parks, etc.)
- Cable TV
- Buying books (yay for libraries!)
As you can see from my list, I can easily give up food, activities, and goods for myself. I wrote an ever-growing list a long time ago, but these ten were the easiest to let go by far. It’s been a while so I do have a caveat that some of my thoughts on the items on the ever-growing list have changed. But in exchange are other things current me won’t spend money on. Of course, everyone is different. There are things I would not sacrifice, such as good coffee and quality goods. That is totally okay! The point is not to deprive, but to thrive.
With current inflation at a high, I think we all need to practice what I’ve been preaching for the last five years. Which is, to flex our frugal muscles as best we can. We may be in it for the long-haul, but the better we are at managing spending, the more we can shoulder the weight of rising prices. If you’re new to the space, do check out my course, Mastering a Budget. It’s helped a lot of people get started!
Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash
