Help! I Can't Afford to Put Gas in My Car!

I went to fill up my tank the other day and it cost me $50. I
have almost always had a budget to follow and five years ago, I
used to budget $50 for the entire month. Now with gas around $3
per gallon, I have to learn to stretch my dollars further than
ever. So, here is an idea that can help you make it through the
month without going completely broke.

Have you ever heard that recognizing the problem is the first
step? The same hold true with budgeting. Having a budget and
just recognizing what you are spending money on is the first
step toward financial freedom. Most people spend thousands of
dollars without much thought to what they are buying. 

A simple yet surprising technique is to try writing down
everything you spend for a month. You will probably be surprised
at some of the items you buy that you didn't even realize you
spent your money on. We often just go on autopilot and when
someone asks us if we want to go out to lunch (even if you
brought one from home); we jump at the chance and end up
spending $10 or $15.

Of course, $10 doesn't sound like much, but then someone else
asks if you will buy girl scout cookies for their daughter and
you pick up 4 or 5 boxes--after all it is for a good cause and
there goes another $15-$20. There is always the grocery store
checkout line. The stores are not dumb--they place all sorts of
items for you to grab at the last minute, which can really add
up. There is that magazine headline, that new candy bar, maybe
you need some batteries, or car freshener. All of these items
are designed to make you buy them on impulse and take a little
bit more money out of your wallet and put it in theirs. 

Marketers today try to break things down so it sounds very
small. Buy a cup of coffee for only $2. You won't miss $2, but
if you get that cup once a week, suddenly you are spending over
$100 a year on a few cups of coffee.

Subscribe to the newspaper for just pennies a day is another
ploy that seems benign, but can really add up by the end of the
year. The moral of the story is that it is often the cumulative
effect of all the smaller items that can really put you over
your budget. 

See if you can cut back on things you don't need and you may
find that you can then cover the basic necessities. You may even
have a little extra at the end of the month to start saving a
little, or you can use that little extra to reduce your debt
more quickly. 

To get an idea of how you're spending compares to a typical
budget and see where your money is going each month, take a
minute to use the free budgeting tools available at
http://www.trimyourdebt.com/welcome_budget_short.aspx?src=art