I have so many ways I eliminate excess spending in my day to day life I thought I would share the best ones.

1. Limit shopping time. The more trips to the store the more unneeded items you purchase. My husband will be the first to admit a trip to get milk and eggs for me on his part is an opportunity to cruise the sweets or snack aisle.

2. Do not buy single serving items. That soda at the check out is usually over a dollar while a six pack of the same sodas can be less than $4.00.

3. Do your research before heading to the store. Never head into a store without knowledge of their sales ad and a list of their best deals.

4. If you know you are going to buy something extra for yourself put a limit on it, say $2.00 for a treat. That is enough to get a bag of chips or cereal box you might enjoy. Allowing a little wiggle room prevents big splurges.

5. Use what you have! This is a big one. So many people but an item for one meal. The excess usually sits in the pantry or deep freezer. To get creative you can head to allrecipes.com and enter the ingredients you want to use. A list of recipes will pop up.

6. Try to eliminate as much processed food as possible. I am currently in the process of doing this. Making our own baby food being the first step. By cooking from scratch potatoes, biscuits, treats, even baby food you eliminate a large chunk of spending. A jar of baby food can cost $.49-.72 cents while broccoli fresh is $.89 cents a pound this week. I bought two pounds and will be able to make enough cubes (see baby food making posts) to last at least 15 meals.

What if you are a great grocery budgeter? What if your excess spending is outside the grocery store?

One rule for anything you purchase- ask yourself- “What will life be like with this item?” “How much will I really use it?”
I have to admit I have bought enough clothes in the past to know that funky shirt that you hope will spice up your wardrobe ends up in the back of the closet because it isn’t the right look for any event. Or those cool new dishes that you are too scared to use for fear the kids might break them that are realistically never going to be used.

So much excess spending can be eliminated by living practically and viewing your day to day life realistically.
You do not have to live completely bare bones essentials only. Life was meant to be enjoyed! But if you want to work your way to being debt free these are some ways without increasing your earnings to do so with the money you already have.

What are some of your save money tips? I’d love to hear them!