Say No to Credit Cards!
One way I make sure not to spend too much is by not using Credit Cards. I have one, for those really extreme emergencies, but I do not make a habit out of using it. In fact, most of the time, my Credit Card is locked in a file cabinet instead of being in my purse so I'm not tempted! What does this have to do with being Frugal you ask? Well, if you simply don't use Credit Cards, you save yourself lots of money in monthly interest fees (unless you are disciplined enough to pay off the total amount every month it comes in). Also with a credit card, one typically spends more than they normally would. When something goes onto a Credit Card, it's easy to put the next thing on there too and before they know it, they're thousands of dollars in debt!
The moral of this story, is simple....if you don't have the cash to pay for it, don't buy it. Whether it's something for yourself, a gift for someone else or something you just don't want to wait to buy - don't buy it if you don't have the money already on hand.
Need some extra cash for something?
-Have a yard sale or try selling an item on Craigslist or ebay (save money by saying it's pick-up only instead of mailing it). I've known people that go to yard sales and buy things very cheap and then clean them up and re-sell them on ebay for more! And seriously - people will buy anything!!
-Get a part-time job (I worked at my church for one night a week for about 6 months cleaning and doing odds and ends and earned an extra $100-$150 a month). My church also frequently needs score-keepers for softball and basketball - a very easy way to make some extra dough!
-Sell your plasma - seriously, people make extra cash this way!
-Decide which luxuries you might not need: If you don't ever use that gym membership, stop paying for it; Make your own coffee at home instead of that expensive run to Starbucks; You don't watch all 1,500 cable channels? Downgrade your cable or cancel it altogether. Think of simple ways you can cut-back to have extra money each month....it really adds up!
-Sell your talents. Is there something you are good at that you could teach and/or do for others? Make some money off it!
Saying no to using Credit Cards isn't always easy. It makes you live differently, but you can have a great outcome! Good luck and happy saving!
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