You may not believe this but it is very easy to find an additional $50 - $100 from your spending to go into repaying your debts. Perhaps you are being very thrifty already by your standard but there is always a way that you've not tried before. What do I mean by 'by your standard'? If you are reading this, I can assume that you are a city dweller.
As someone living in the city, there are too many made up needs. These are not needs, but rather wants disguished as needs. Let's look at the simpler life of a country dweller. What comes to your mind? Wholesome home-cooked food, less entertainment, less retail temptation...well now you get the idea. I'm not suggesting that you start growing vegetables behind your house, although that could work.
Don't take it as a downgrade too, because it isn't. Let's take home-cooked food for example.It is healthier, you can cook whatever you want to eat without having to compromise with what's on the menu and it's cheap. Remember how you used to do it when you were in college? Food is more expensive than ever. Bringing home cook food to the office and not eating out often can save you thousands of dollars a year.
Why do you need to calculate it in a year? Good question. Sometimes we willingly spend on magazines and dvds and small little things thinking they cost next to nothing anyway. If you spend $20 a week on knick knacks like this, be it an earring or a book, in one year, you would have spent $1040. Now you see some dosh, don't you? Small purchases do add up. You see, when this becomes a habit, it takes virtually no effort on your part to do.
Speaking of living like a broke college student, it is really easy since you have done it before. Living it poor lets you have a better perspective on what you actually need, and what you want. Say, buying off season clothes from factory outlet instead of going to posh retail outlets. The only main difference is probably the (forgettable) experience. If you want labels, you can get labels. Plus, who's going to know?
While you are out shopping, try out some retailer house brands for the common must-have items in your house, such as baby wipes, detergent, tissue and facial cotton. They're usually 30 to 50 off its newstand price. After all, if
you like reading on cars and documentary, you don't really need current magazines,
do you? If books are your interest, borrow free ones at the library.
If you are currently spending money on dvds and music, more room of savings to you. The internet is a good avenue to get free music and watch free movies and tv series, not to mention the latest gossips, fashion and more. If you need to get busy, there's always youtube and social networking sites to keep you occupied. So, why pay when you
can get it for free?
Perhaps the most money is spent over the weekends on movies and outings. A great way to offset this without imprisoning yourself at home is to go embrace mother nature for some healthy exercise. A walk in the park, cycling, swimming and exploring nature is beneficial to your health and your wallet.
Start by writing down your expenses and see where your money goes. Then make your way to a country-side way of spending. When out shopping for groceries, be sure to stick to your shopping list and not be pursuaded to buy more. Large retailers have specially designed product placement to gently lure you to buy more than you need. Notice how the bread and and snack counter is placed near the checkout? Using the tips here, saving an additional $100 is achievable. You'll see how much more money can be recovered and
chanelled into repaying your debts this way.
Debt is the new name for modern 'slavery'. The average American family has at least a five-figure debt, a large percentage of it being credit card debt. Visit www.DebtConsolidationInformationTips.net for more information.
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