How a Piece of Paper Can Save You Thousands of Dollars

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

28 Feb 2009 05:01 PM

There are many uses and reuses for an ordinary piece of paper. From using junk mail as scrap paper to using both sides of a piece of paper before recycling it, you can reduce the amount of paper that you waste. But this blog post isn't about conserving paper. No. Actually it is about using paper to save money.

Research shows that when you physically write down goals, you are 30 percent more successful at actually reaching them. It seems like such as simple trick to help us do almost anything we need to do.

So why not use a piece of paper to create a resolution list for your frugal living practices? Write down specific goals and practices. Don't simple write down "save money." Instead, try one of these goals:

Only eat out once a month

Make two meatless meals a week

Walk to work/school/store once a week

Hang two loads of wash a week

Save for a trip to Disney by bringing your lunch every day for a year.

Choose a new goal once a week or once a month, depending on how committed you are to frugal living. Although some of these practices may each only save a few hundred dollars a year, when you add them together, you may find that you have actually saved thousands.

Another way that a piece of paper can help you save money is when you use it to write down a budget. Many times during this process, you will find places where you can reduce your expenses. Could you combine your auto and home insurance to save, refinance your house, cut out the gym membership, reduce your cable package? A budget forces you to see exactly how much money you have and where it all goes.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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