Simplify for Savingsby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 11 Oct 2009 04:18 PM Making simple changes can go a long way in reducing both your stress and your budget. When you simplify, you can't help but save. Don't worry, you won't need to draw you own water from a well or kill your own chickens for food (although those things may save you money), but instead you can simply some basic areas in your life to reap great benefits. Reduce the credit cards Reducing your credit cards will naturally reduce your ability to acquire debt. It will also help you to stay organized with your bill paying. Having only one credit card, for example, will allow you to better track your finances, avoid late feels and extra interest. Simplify the activities When I count up all of the extracurricular activities that take place in some families, I am amazed. In some cases it seems that it would require the equivalent of a full-time chauffeur in order to take everyone where they want to go. All of those activities not only cost time and stress, but they cost money. There are program fees, equipment fees, lab fees, uniform fees, etc. Pick just a few activities that your family absolutely enjoys and stick with those. Simplify cooking Favor hearty home cooking instead of fancy gourmet meals. You can stretch your food budget by sticking with basic, plentiful ingredients. Pasta, beans, chicken, eggs and simple produce should make up the bulk of your meals. Utilize a crockpot and a freezer to make meal prep easier. Reduce the clutter The more stuff we have, it seems, the more we seem to get used to acquiring even more. Instead of looking for the latest new thing, go through the things you have and get rid of items that give you no joy or serve no purpose. A smaller amount of clutter can save you on storage fees and the cost of living space. Plus, you'll get into a habit of not purchasing so much (who wants to clutter up a nice clutter-free home?) and you'll save that way as well. You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here! Related Articles: How to Find Motivation to Remove Clutter 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. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Discuss this article
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