Cutting back on expenses and saving a little money here & there doesn't mean sucking all of the enjoyment from your life. 

You can still get ice cream treats with your family.  You can still have the occasional shopping spree. 

On those days when I feel that I will burst if I cannot spend some money, here's what I do...

Your car is a few years old and you are dreaming about a new vehicle... 

If you're considering its trade in value and trying to decide how much the monthly payment on your new car should be, chances are you're moving a bit too fast. 

Why? Because you really should be thinking about hanging onto the car you have -- just long enough to save your money and pay for your next car with cash. 

If you're in the midst of planning your wedding and your wedding budget is falling short, you basically have 2 choices:

Cut back on some of your wedding plans

Do some last-minute saving for your wedding 

Here are some fun and unique things you can do to find more money for your wedding... 

Being frugal has caused a bit of a side effect for me.  I seem to have developed a standard uniform for everyday dress. 

I am sure other frugal people can attest to this. 

For me, the frugal uniform consists of dressing primarily in comfortable black slacks and black or white shirts.  For others, it may mean wearing jeans and t-shirts.  I know a few frugal men who stick to gray and navy slacks with white shirts. 

As I've become more and more frugal, I've also become more prone to collect clutter. 

My family members, however, are not crazy about the idea of holding on to items that they see as garbage.  They throw away glass jars when I'm not looking.  My husband puts furniture on the curb and hopes that I don’t notice.  My son throws away anything with a rip or stain on it (…and he rips and stains a lot of items). 
 
So, to combat my family’s nonchalant attitude about tossing out useful items, I have become a garbage snoop.  Here are just a few of the things my family has forced me to do to save money...

While I find I am truly gifted at squeezing blood from a proverbial stone, I have one major weakness.  I love magazines. 

I have a couple of subscriptions, usually purchased through neighborhood kids at a discount.  I also hear Woman's World and First calling my name whenever I am in the grocery aisle.  I have no self-control over my magazine habit.  That is, until now. 

A brand new website will help you get your money back if it goes on sale after you purchased it.  The site is called PriceProtectr (funny spelling and all).

Here's how it works...

One would think that hand-washing dishes is more economical than using the dishwasher.  That is far from true. 

Now, if you hand wash dishes and then put them in the dishwasher, then you reduce your costs by using the dishwasher.  However, measuring one method of doing dishes against another, dishwashers cost less and get your dishes cleaner. 

Here are some other things you can do to save money while using the dishwasher...

Subtitled: "How To Serve 35 Guests Party Food On A Budget"

I tend to be a bit more generous with my food budget when I am entertaining or serving others.  I go to the best supermarket in the area to make sure I am serving the freshest foods.  I purchase the best cuts of meat, even asking for the butcher’s advice.  I splurge on restaurant-brand condiments instead of store-brand.  Presenting the best foods to friends and family doesn't necessarily mean being wasteful. 

But, one thing I don't do is buy store-bought food platters anymore. Here's why...

No, not influenza... affluenza.

Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. 4. A television program that could change your life. Source

A recent PBS program, Escape from Affluenza gave some interesting solutions to relieve stress, waste, over consumption, and environmental decay. 

The accompanying website gives 100 ways to escape from Affluenza, including a crash course.   Fortunately, these tips on simple living also have a side effect of cutting costs. 

Here are a few of my favorite tips from the website...

Should I buy this?  Do I really need that?  Why can't I purchase anything just for fun? 

For many people, shopping for themselves can bring on feelings of guilt, anxiety, and doubt.  However, the process of deciding what to buy this month, and what can wait until next month does not have to be so hard. 

What follows are some helpful tactics for when times are hard and money is tight. (Bonus: They will also help when money is flowing, as it will allow you to make purchases guilt-free!)

Just because you don't have a lot of money to spend on home decorations doesn't mean your walls have to be plain and boring. 

There are many fun and easy ways to decorate on the cheap. 

Here are some things ideas...

The article I wrote about Freegans who dumpster dive for food, brought to mind my habit of purchasing day old groceries.   

You see, I regularly purchase day old groceries. 

I realize that it might seem strange to put "impulse purchase" and "good" in the same sentence, but this statement is true. 

Just today, an impulse purchase I made about 2 years ago paid off. 

A huge part of being thrifty for me is being natural. 

I find that when I focus on avoiding products that are toxic to either the environment or myself that I save a great deal of money. For example, if you take a visit to The Fun Times Guide to Living Green, you will find many ways to save money.

Here are some of the natural ways I use to save money...

I recently wrote about secondhand clothes becoming the height of fashion sense.

But unless I am looking for particular retro items, or hoping for a discount on high end couture, I find that thrift store clothing isn't necessarily a bargain.

I made this discovery some years ago when searching for Tommy Hilfiger jeans for my son, as I found that this was the brand that fit him best.

As you know, shopping (both online and in brick & mortar stores) is incredibly popular during the months of November and December.

Not only is all of the hoopla surrounding Black Friday sales events getting bigger each year -- to the extent that many shoppers behave like maniacs on the day after Thanksgiving... But now, the retailers themselves are getting more competitive and doing more things to win over the average consumer.

This means YOU... and you can save big money, as a result!

As one example, for the first time ever, many retailers opened their doors at midnight on the night before Black Friday this year.

With more and more retailers fighting for your shopping dollar, there are a handful of ways that you can save big when you're shopping -- both online and in stores.

Interested in saving some money? What about saving time?

Check out these quick tips for saving time & money.

Just about everything under the sun is covered here...

You know you need to save. Retirement, college, and emergencies. Vacations, holidays, or a house. The list is endless.

But at the end of the month, you just never seem to have anything left to save.

One way to bump up what you have left at the end of the month is to control your inner shopaholic, and put an end to impulse spending once and for all.