Most of us have been caught off-guard by an unexpected bill or expense. Unless it breaks the budget, we might not even notice that our budget has a bleed, or that we are spending money on things that don’t make our lives better. Sometimes, we are spending money on things that don’t matter at all.
Plugging up the leaks early can give you more of a cushion to play with. So, what can I do today?
- Turn off lights when you leave the room. Yeah, I know, our folks harped on it but we still forget.
- Unplug anything we can
- Have a few meatless meals
- Stay in for the evening
- Raid the fridge and eat what you have…no take-out!
- Barter
- Turn the lights out and hit the sack early. You know you need the sleep.
- Carpool for a few days.
- Cut the cable for a while. The library rents free movies.
- Give up shopping for a while.
- Cancel subscriptions to magazines and newsletters you don’t read.
- Save water. Hey, it really isn’t free in most places.
- Give up appetizers, or order them as your meal.
- Scale back what you spend on gifts.
- Change your own headlight. Yes, you can! YouTube can teach you almost anything.
- Ditch the gym membership if you don’t use it.
- Take on your own home maintenance.
- Grow and preserve food.
Plugging a $10 bleed each week adds up to $5,200 over a ten year period, before you account for interest. That’s the price of a used car, or a roof, or an HVAC system. Wow!
What other ways do you plug the money bleeds? How much of a difference did it make?