Live on Less a Month: Pt 1

With many people being tossed out of a job, foreclosures on houses, people are feeling like they are going to be out on the streets pretty soon. Learning how to live differently can be a bit over-whelming. This series is assuming that you've had a good job with some money saved back, but see no prospects for another job anytime soon. My family is at present going through this ourselves, so this is written from my own experience.

Therefore, you've had that high-tech job, that cozy factory job and now it's going over-sea's or somewhere else. Your wondering what to do now. It's time to swallow your pride and think survival and living on less....maybe a lot less. When your living on a limited income or less than what your used to, you can't afford those credit cards anymore. Pay off what you can comfortably live without from your savings, then cut them up! Leave ONLY ONE for emergency only! You might need what is left in the savings to adjust to your new lifestyle.

Then go looking for that paper-route, or that next hamburger you may have to flip. Now is not the time to think what is beneath you is too good for you, you need to survive now, anyway you can.

Most paper-route's and hamburger joint's do pay enough to etch out some kind of living until you find something better....it'll do for awhile.

Learn to live without

There is a lot you can live without if you think about it. You just need two lists'....a have-to-have listand a want-to-havelist. Utility bills, phone and house payment are on the first list. In today's age, phone is a must-have. You never know when you will need those three life-saving numbers: 911. Do you really need all the features that can come with a phone? All you really need is a cheap basic plan with caller I.D. If you need long distance, use a phone card instead of the phone companies' long distance plan. If your family must have cell phones, limit them to just one cell. Take turns with it, whoever is leaving the house get's the cell. That is not a must-have in my family.

If you do not need the three hundred to six hundred TV channels, or find it nearly impossible to watch that many in a week, get rid of the cable tv or the satellite dish. We get enough TV from just the antenna. My family can watch network TV, local and national news and still keep up on current events. If something really big happens in the news, it will no doubt be all over TV, all day anyways. There goes another bill.

If you run both natural gas and electricity in the house, see what can be converted over to electricity. You need lights; the fridge/freezer on electricity anyways, why not put everything else on it too. No need for the gas bill. If you live where winters are cold, invest in a wood-burning stove for heat in the winter. (also check with your home-owners insurance company if you can have it, and make sure the chimney is good.) In addition, some wood-burning stove are made so if you want, you can reasonable cook on it too. Also, invest in fishing lanterns. They might come in handy when the power goes out. This way you will have heat and light of some kind. Normally depending on the size of the rooms, no more than three to a room, you have one or two..but not more than three. We want you to live as close to how you were before, but within your monetary limits of now. And if you haven't already got a B-B-Q grill, get one! Who say's you can't cook outside everyday during nice weather!