See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Say (Use) No Evil: Things That Break the Budget and How to Avoid Them

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Photo credit: grietgriet from morguefile.com

Okay, so having nice things and/or unnecessary things is not evil, but when it comes to tight budgets they can be.  It’s so easy to get into habits of using lot of paper towels because they are convenient, eating sweets frequently because they are delicious, and buying new clothes for ourselves. There is nothing inherently wrong with those things, but they can all break a budget in a hurry.  Try practicing the “out of sight, out of mind” or the “see not, want not” principles.

If your sweets or expensive foods are placed out of sight/reach at the back of your fridge or cabinets, you’re less likely to consume them.  If you put rags out in the place of paper towels you’ll probably use the rags instead. Simply not shopping and/or watching commercials will keep you from thinking of new items that you “need” for yourself or your home.

Likewise, your spouse and children will probably reach for the products they like best out of the ones they can see.  Put the more expensive toiletries in hard to reach places and put the freebies in easy reach.  The next time they reach for something in a rush they’ll get something that was free and save you money. If you ask your kids or spouse what sounds good for dinner, don’t let them pilfer through the fridge.  Have them think about what they truly want to eat instead of focusing on the best thing they see at the time.

Let’s face it, we live in a consumer driven “I want it now” society. If we don’t see or hear about things that tempt us to spend money (or use consumable things that cost more money than they should), then we’re less likely to buy/use them.  The things that we want will likely be things that will make a difference in our every day lives and that we will truly appreciate.

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