A Penny For Your Thoughts? (Part 1)

This week, I would like to address the plethora of money-making ideas out there, please feel free to share your tips and go-to's in the comments below! I would love to brainstorm before we dive in!

Now that we have our budget in place, most of us will see that we just don’t have enough. Remember, THIS IS A MATH PROBLEM, AND DOES NOT REFLECT YOUR EFFORTS!! My mama taught me this concept; she is just full of refreshing wisdom and you can share in it by visiting her blog: mamacookscottage@blogspot.com (two heads are better than one when it comes to money saving tips!) I recall when I was little, she would sit down to budget out the month, and things were tight, but in big letters across the front of her bill file always read “It’s a MATH problem!” All too often we blame ourselves for the situation we are in, and sometimes true self-inspection can solve money issues, but other times, the ends really don’t meet. It’s at those times when you are not doing yourself or your family any good by fretting, and frankly stressing over it is actually detrimental to all involved.

How do we remedy this problem? The answer is simple; earn more money. I know, duh. But I’m not talking another job, rather a whole bunch of ways to scrounge up little bits of cash. Some of your options don’t even require leaving your home, but not in the same way you find “work from home” gimmicks. Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?!

Until tomorrow, are there any questions or dilemmas with your budget layout?

These are those categories I was talking about in the $1 expandable files!

In this file you will see "Food" and for my 4 person family, that looks like $300 a month, but just a year ago that figure was $200 a month! Figure out what you can live on, then adjust the extras to where you deem they are important! We personally enjoy food and friends more than clothes...

I carry the both of these around in my purse, and pay out of the categories as needed. I do not feel it is necessary to write down where I spend all of the cash in them, as Dave Ramsey has you do, because I do not need to locate money spending problems. You know yourself, and if you need to keep track, DO IT!

Cheers to Fancy and Frugal!