That's a cool idea, Thalia. I actually do something a little similar with my hair gel. In the winter, I only wash my hair every other day, so on those "off" days, I mist my hair with a solution of tap water and my hair gel. This works great for my hair type because it bounces the natural curl back into it and makes my hair look freshly washed...<br><br><br><br>
Anyhow, as far as budgeting, the key is to live within your means! Don't overextend yourself financially by committing to unneeded bills. So many people have that gimme-gimme syndrome where they seem unable to practice any sort of fiscal restraint. It's tough to say no to yourself sometimes, but it's tons less stressful than being totally strapped for money.<br><br><br><br>
One of the first things I did was to create a little <b>bill ledger</b> with an entry for each month. Each entry listed my bills and their amounts alongside my income for that month. Keeping organized keeps you on top of how much extra cash you have to spend and prevents you from forgetting to pay something and you having already spent all of your money on something else...<br><br><br><br>
With groceries, buy bulk! Instead of convenience items, take the time to buy whole ingredients, which in the long run can make more dishes for your money as well as make MORE servings-wise of the dish. And buying local seasonal produce (like at your local farmers' market) is much cheaper!<br><br><br><br>
Don't leave your lights on. Make sure to turn off the light when you leave the room.<br><br><br><br>
Re-wear clothing that's not totally soiled. I wear my jeans probably 10-15 times between each washing as long as they're reasonably clean. This saves the extra gallons of water you use in your washing machine, or if you go to a laundromat, saves on the number of loads you have to wash.<br><br><br><br>
Reuse, reuse, reuse everything you reasonably can. We even wash and reuse all of our ziplock baggies. We even have a little rack we bought from Gaiam expressly for drying reused baggies. Instead of buying plastic containers or tupperware, reuse your margerine tub.<br><br><br><br>
Sometimes when I'm shopping, I'll ask myself "Do I <i>need</i> this or do I just <i>want</i> this?" There's a big difference between the two. If I can't decide, I'll put it back and take a walk around the store (grocery or retail or whatever) and if I've gotten preoccupied and have forgotten about it, chances are I didn't need it at all. So many people buy things they only use once or just because they feel like buying them, instead of if they truly need it. You'll notice how quickly you'll pare down your excess spending on silly stuff (though silly stuff every now and then shouldn't be a problem) when you practice a bit of self-restraint.<br><br><br><br>
I've never owned a credit card. If it's possible to avoid getting one, do it. I mean, it definitely has worked for me. Anything I need to order online or make reservations for, I simply use my debit card which has a Visa mechanism on it. I watched one of my friends in college go over $10,000 in credit card debt.<br><br><br><br>
Go to the library instead of buying books and magazines.<br><br><br><br>
Go to matinee movies or rent movies.<br><br><br><br>
Buy used stuff and fix it up instead of brand new stuff. Old stuff has awesome character anyhow, especially furniture.<br><br><br><br>
Go to free plays and free art exhibits in your town.<br><br><br><br>
When you eat out, split a main entree with your guest and maybe get an appetizer. Nick and I do that all the time and it easily knocks $10-$12 off the bill.