Want to be more frugal

I've just commented on the thread that silva linked to, but I think the first step is to know where your money goes now - there is no point trying to determine a realistic budget without doing this. It means you have to track everything (EVERYTHING!) you spend for a few months in various categories. Once you have an idea of what you spend now, you can start thinking about a reasonable budget for each category and whether/where you can cut back if you want to be putting more into savings for instance.

Sometimes, ways to be more frugal will be obvious. You may realise that you spend a fortune each month on 'little' things like gum, magazines, coffees etc that you decide aren't so important. Or you are spending far more on groceries than you realised and decide to try and cut back there so you have more to spend in other areas or put towards savings.

Another thing to think about is why you want to be more frugal. If it is because you are spending more than you earn, then you have to cut out all non-essentials NOW until you have been able to work out a reasonable budget. If it is because you want to put more into savings, cutting back a little here and there will all make a difference so the need is less urgent.

So, start by tracking what you spend. Use that info to determine a reasonable budget, bearing in mind what you earn. If you need ideas on how to cut back in certain areas, ask!

My TOP frugality tips:

-Cash envelope budget system!

-Make a weekly meal plan and stick to it, you will waste less on food your don't use/goes bad

-Shop from a list and don't go to stores/the mall unless you have a specific reason to go

-If you see something you want to impulse buy, put it back (or even have the store hold it) and think about it overnight. Ask yourself, where will you put it, how often will you use it, does the item really ad value to your life? Chances are, you won't be going back for it because you didn't need it in the first place!

-Do all your errands in as few trips as possible. Once a week is ideal, but that may not work for everyone. That saves you on gas and makes it harder to impulse buy when you are in a shopping situation less frequently.

-Invest in cloth over using disposable (it may cost more up front, but will save you big tim in the long run over disposable goods)

-Stop using store bought cleaning and beauty products. They cost a lot, most are outright toxic, and wholly unnecessary when simple and cheap ingredients you already have at home do the same exact thing.

-Learn to cook and make the time investment to make most/all your food at home from scratch

-Look objectively at ALL the services you subscribe to (i.e. cable/internet/phone/netflix ext....) and all the ways you spend money unnecessarily (going to movies/eating out/going to the bar ect....) and REALLY consider if you NEED to be paying for those things. This is one of the hardest for people to do. Try to eliminate at least a few of those unnecessary expenses, and you'll be surprised how much money it frees up and how little you miss it! We haven't owned a TV, gone to the movies or subscribed to any movie services (we just watch what's free on youtube, internet is all we pay for) for nearly 8 years.