10 Ways We Cut Corners to Manage Our Monthly Budget

When my husband and I were engaged, we decided to go through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It's a 13-week course that teaches how to get out of debt and become financially independent. It was a great addition to our marriage counseling as we both learned a lot and have been able to steer clear of some really stupid decisions which typically tempt the average newlywed couple, causing all kinds of money fights and discontentment. Instead, we have stayed (pretty much) on the same page about our finances and have been able to cut corners and make this work. The following is a list of ten things we did to help us accomplish living on a budget.

Re-think your entertainment options
When we moved in together, we immediately cut the cable bill out completely. We did, however, keep the Netflix and invested in the proper cords to hook up our laptop to the television. Now, we have access to tons of entertainment that WE choose without the liability of wasted time flipping through channels. Granted, not much of what we watch is "cutting edge" and you run the risk of spoiler alerts, but isn't that worth $60-$100 saved each month?!

Coupon it Up!
Okay, so I am NOT a coupon queen, but I have saved so much money by doing a quick search online at retailmenot.com before purchasing online orders. I've also tried to couple sales with additional coupons whenever necessary. This was especially helpful for Christmas shopping and wedding planning. There are other sites like cellfire that allow you to use automatic digital coupons any time you swipe your customer loyalty card at your local grocery store.

Making Decisions based on Financial Reasons
Emotions about what we want or think we deserve can cloud our vision when it comes to finances. I know a lot of people who got married and jumped right into a mortgage payment. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, but, as Dave Ramsey says "broke people shouldn't buy houses". We haven't been exactly broke, but we have not been in a position to even consider purchasing a house as it comes with so much responsibility attached to it. So, we've been staying in a two-bedroom apartment that has adequately met our needs with water, trash, and internet included. But purchasing a house too soon is just one example of how our emotions can put our financial foot into a proverbial puddle (or dung-hole as the case may be)... to avoid this, we discuss all major financial decisions together and we do not make any decisions about a lot of money on the spur of the moment. I'm not saying this is a fool-proof plan 100% of the time, but it's a good start.

Choose Water
It may sound simple, but to us choosing water was a huge deal. First of all, it meant choosing to drink water at home instead of purchasing sodas. But the most difficult part was choosing to drink water even when we were on the go, and opting for tap water instead of bottled. There are still times that we hold hands as the waiter takes our order to support each other in this decision, but it's a simple way to skimp a few dollars off a meal that truly isn't healthy for us anyways.

Home Brew
As we considered ways to save money long before the wedding, we registered for a Keurig coffee maker, which allows you to make a gourmet cup of coffee for $0.50 instead of $5.00 at Starbucks. We also received some starter packs of coffee and have included it on our Christmas list. As a result, we have NEVER paid for coffee at home. That's quite impressive since we've been married over 8 months now! (It also helps that my husband's work provides the professional Keurig machine, so he brews his coffee at work instead of using our stash!)

Saying No to Credit
All of our purchases are put on our debit card and drafted out of our account. Therefore, if we don't have the money, we can't make the purchase. That being said, in order to take the full advantage of the SECURITY that comes from using credit, we always swipe our debit cards as credit. It is still drafted out of our account automatically, but it often takes a couple of days to be processed. This has worked very well for us and helped to keep our spending to a minimum as we know that there is only so much in our account. Plus, as the amount is automatically drafted out, you have the security of using credit without the added risk of forgetting a payment and getting stuck with fees, etc.

Exploring New Brands
Before we got married, both of us had ideas about the best brand of orange juice to buy, the best brand of toothpaste, etc. but on a budget like ours, the best brand is the cheapest one that does what it is intended to do. By choosing off-brand items, we have significantly reduced our spending and allowed us to overcome the brain-washing effects of advertisement. Along this same line, we have branched out and shopped in places we never would have considered before. Now instead of hitting up the local Target for essential toiletry items, I often go to Kmart, where the lines are shorter, the variety is often wider and the prices are much lower on their off-brand items.

Know When to Buy in Bulk
For us as a two-person household with a small pantry, it's not smart for us to invest in a membership to Sam's or Costco, however you can be sure that we are aware when they are having their "open house" promotional weekends as some of their items are perfect for us in bulk. Our best snag ever was a triple pack of Macaroni Grill boxed dinner for less than $2.50. That's less than 85 cents a dinner and is a great dinner for 2! It's all about knowing what you will legitimately use and if it is worth the space it will take up in your pantry and if the price is truly a deal over purchasing at your regular grocery store. However, for larger families with a much larger pantry and/or freezer space, the membership fee may even be worth it to shop in bulk regularly!

Always say yes to overtime
Okay, this one didn't exactly "cut corners", but it offered us a way to increase the budget we had to work with which gave us the same effect. Granted, many employers are not willing in this economy to pay for overtime, but there are several other ways to increase the income. For example, you could pick up a second job, do odd jobs for friends/family/neighbors, or investigating a way to make money online. It's all about learning your strengths and figuring out how to monetize them.

Practice Discipline
There are tons of other ways to save money and be frugal, but the key to all of them is your behavior. If you can make a plan and stick to it, you are on your way to saving money and becoming financially independent. If you are constantly making plans but never following through, the problem is likely not with the plan, but with you. I suggest always having someone to be accountable to. This can be your spouse, a friend, a family member, etc., but it needs to be someone who loves you enough to point out when you're falling off the wagon and be supportive as you try to make improvements. There are several tools that can assist with this from automated savings to services like mint.com where you can visualize your budget and plan accordingly. We have begun using Dave Ramsey's My Total Money Makeover website and have found it to be perfect for our needs.

While not all of these suggestions will fit every person's situation, I offer them for consideration of how to minimize your costs without sacrificing your entire lifestyle. We may not be living as lavishly as we desire, but we really haven't felt poor as a result of making these lifestyle decisions. Instead, they have freed us up to focus on what is truly important- the people we love and the work we enjoy. It's allowed us to feel in control of our finances instead of enslaved by them, and that is what financial freedom is all about!