How I Changed My Habits To Save Money

So I was thinking today about the other changes that I have made in the last 6 months to help my family budget.

1. I changed my phone plan. I wasn't using all my minutes so I switched to a cheaper plan. Total savings so far = $240

2. I gave up my gym membership. It was costing $55 a month and it was only for myself not the family. That was a hard one because at one time I did go regularly to the gym. But I had not been going to gym so I decided that it wasn't worth the money if I didn't go. I have been trying exercise at home. Total savings so far = $330 .

3. I have a thing about bugs. I hate bugs. They really bother me. So I had a pest control service that came every month to spray for bugs. I stopped the pest control service and now I do it myself. The cost of materials is about $10 a month. I was paying the pest control service $45 month. Total savings so far = $210

4. I called and checked veterinarian prices for my dog. I found a cheaper veterinarian who was just a few miles away from our regular veterinarian. Total savings = $33

5. My family has stopped going out to eat. OK, we have not stopped completely but we really think before we decide to go to a restaurant. I realized how much money we were wasting on eating out. Planning my meals has really helped us quit the restaurant habit. We go to a restaurant now for more special occasions. Total savings so far = about $960

6. We did not take a 2 week vacation. Ouch that hurt! I love traveling so I think that this was hardest change for me. Also, this is not a permanent change but hopefully a one time savings. Approximate savings = $1500

So that adds up to a grand total of $3273 in 6 months!! That total just includes items that we decided to change or not do. It does not include the extra money that I am saving by keeping up on the good deals and using my coupons.

So think about items in your budget that you could change or do without. Try to figure out how much you could save. It really adds up!