How To Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

Stop Living Paycheck To Paycheck

Do you struggle with money? Are there times when your paycheck just doesn’t cover all the expenses? Or are there days where you just wished it was way easier than it is? You are not alone.

More Month Than Money

Over half the country is living paycheck to paycheck trying to make it all work. Lots of people are finding more month than money left after all the bills are paid.

Spending Your Money

Do you know where all your hard earned money is going? Gather up all your bills and receipts from the last few weeks or months.

Budgeting Your Money

Take those receipts and enter your spending into a budget worksheet like this one. While your adding everything up keep track of your spending. What your buying. What you need. What you can go without.

Overspending

You will notice that there are somethings you can cut back on to save more cash. And don’t stress about it. Everyone over buys at one time or another we are all human.

Things We Stopped Buying

You can checkout all the stuff we cut back on to save over $1000 in one month. It took a really hard, honest look at where we were spending our money to get that savings but it was well worth it.

Where are you spending your money?

Is a majority of it going to your rent or your mortgage? Or is it the grocery bill? Are the costs of groceries driving you into debt? School and children’s activities are they eating up your money?

Or is it eating out and entertainment? This was ours! Eating out was wrecking our budget and basically eating up our money.

Decreasing Household Expenses

Are you paying to much for your rent or mortgage? Are you able to downsize and spend less to maintain your home? Or what about talking to your lender about better rates?

Grocery Expenses

Does the cost of food and groceries have you living check to check? Honestly, this one has been getting me lately. Where we live the cost of produce and goods in general is on the rise. So in order to keep our budget in check we have had to choose a few brand alternatives and opt to not buy a few things.

Saving Money On Food

You can learn more ways to save money at the grocery store with the grocery budget workshop or checkout these amazing ways to decrease your grocery costs.

Simple changes like opting for new brands or cooking home cooked meals can save you money on food.

Fees Add Up

Are school or extra curricular activities hurting your pocket book? Have you looked at cheaper more cost effective after school activities? Library and community centers offer great budget friendly activities.

Childcare Costs

Or is it childcare that is hurting the budget? An easy option for saving on childcare is babysitting time exchange with friends.

We do this. I will watch a friends kids and they watch ours, no money changes hands just time.

Dining Out

Is eating out or hitting the drive thru after a long day wrecking your budget? It was hurting ours until we found meal planning that we really liked. The problem I was experiencing was after a long hard busy day I didn’t have anything prepared for dinner or was too tired. So we ordered out.

Meal Planning

Once we discovered meal planning. It made a world of difference in our food budget and saving money. Plus with freezer meals, slow cooker meals and great BBQ dinner time was easy. And I saved a ton of money.

Entertainment Costs

Entertainment doesn’t have to break the bank. Stop the paycheck to paycheck cycle by making small changes. Try a no spend weekend full of fun activities or host a family potluck dinner instead of dinner out. Enjoy a cheap date night.