5 tips for staying on budget

Staying on budget can help, no matter how small the budget. Little things go a long way to help you stay on the good side of your bank balance sheet.

 Menu planning Food prices are high and by creating a menu plan for the month, you'll be surprised at how much you can save. Such a plan doesn't need to be detailed or have every side dish listed. A simple trial run could list a main course for dinner each night. To make this easy choose theme days - Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesday, Pasta Wednesdays… Thrifty Thursdays... (use up leftovers – can be buffet style)  are good examples.  

Coupon clipping You don't need to be an extreme couponer in order to rack up the savings - many grocery stores double or even triple manufacturer coupons. With the right coupon combinations you could end up receiving money back from the cashier instead of paying! Coupons can help stockpile non-perishable items they use often such as toilet paper, toothpaste and canned food items.

Save on gas By keeping tires properly inflated and tuned, less gas is wasted. There's other ways to save gas if you're serious about cutting down your use.  If you've never heard of hypermiling, you might want to check it out - change the way you drive in order to squeeze every bit of mileage out of your gas.

Buy used clothing Yard sales, thrift shops… the trick to saving money on clothing isn't to look for the lowest price, it's finding the best quality, longest lasting clothing for the best price. Thrift shops hide treasures - name brand clothing in near mint condition, sometimes brand new designer clothing with tags, for pennies on the dollar.  It can take time to find the deals, but they're there.

Upcycle There are ways to keep using items or even turn them into new things.  Old windows can be made into a low cost or free greenhouse. Chairs can be re-purposed into a bench with a length of lumber and paint. Cans can be painted and transformed into decorative containers.  The possibilities are endless.

About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on creating a budget, social media, and small business topics.