It’s Frugal Friday! The time when we take a few moments to focus on tips and hints for frugal living. As we head into spring, it’s as good a time as any to take a look at how your budget is working for you. A budget isn’t a once-and-done kind of thing. It’s something you need to revisit an reevaluate every few months to make sure you know where your money’s going and be sure you’re making the most of things.
A few questions to consider as you do a Budget Check-Up:
- Am I being faithful with sticking to the budget amounts?
- If not, why not? Are the budgeted amounts unreasonable for my living situation, or could I be more disciplined with those areas?
- Am I keeping up with budget categories where I set aside a little each month for future expenses? (Vacation, Gifts, Auto maintenance, Clothing, etc.)
- Are there any adjustments that need to be made based on factors out of my control? (Gas prices for vehicles, changes in heating/cooling bills due to the season, etc.)
- Do I need to cut back anywhere in order to make progress on another goal?
- Are there any goals that have been reached, where I can re-direct that money toward another goal?
- Have I had an influx of “extra” income (tax refund, bonus from work) that I can use to pay down debt or save toward a goal?
- What are my biggest successes with the budget over the past few months? Celebrate those successes, take pride in them, and let them motivate you to have even more success!
If you’re just getting started with a written budget, check out the first three posts in the Frugal Friday series (listed below) for some great tips to get the ball rolling. Having and implementing a budget is a great way to gain control over your finances and make your money work for you, rather than the other way around.
Any budget challenges you’d like some advice or support with from our fantastic Sister and Mister community? Any successes you’d like to celebrate with us? Please share in the comments or on Facebook!
If you’re just joining the Frugal Friday series, check out these other posts:
- Tracking Your Spending
- Creating a Budget
- Making Frugal Choices
- Fighting Spending Envy
- Could You Cut the Cable?
- Saving on Food Expenses
- Schedule to Save (keeping track of due dates to avoid fees & penalties)
- Staying Organized with Holiday Shopping & Rebates
- Frugal Lovin’ (Love & money, plus date night on a Shoestring Budget)
- Waste Not, Want Not (buying what you’ll use, and using what you buy)
- Frugal Fashion
- Frugal Beauty
- Frugal Cooking tip: Prep Once, Eat Twice!
- Plan ahead for Christmas
- Creating an Emergency Fund
- Getting by on a Single Income
- Reducing Fixed Expenses
- Free Printable Frugal Living Resources (meal planners, expense trackers, and more!)
- Saving on Gasoline
- Tips for Tax Time
- Healthy Eating on a Budget
- Frugal Living with Kids
- Frugal Fitness
- Contentment
- Save with Second-Hand
Megan has been frugal most of her life, but has been really honing her frugal skills as the chief home economist for her family of six, surviving and thriving on a single (teacher’s!) income. If she can do it, you can too!
