First Tip of 2009!

I have been trying to decide what tip to list first in 2009. Out of the many things I have done to save money, how do I pick the best one to go first? I have decided that I will post the most important one you will ever get from me. It is the B word........

BUDGET!

My husband hates that word! But if you want to save money, you need to know how much you are spending, and how much you can spend.

So, today I am asking you to sit down with a piece of paper and write out what you have spent monthly on things over the past several months. After you do that, take a bright colored marker and write next to them how much you would like to spend. It can be scary I know...but if you want to seriously save money you have to do it. Even if you only slash your spending by $20 a month it's a start. Take is slow, you don't have to cut your spending drastically right now. Take baby steps and you will accomplish your goal! When you finish your budget post it somewhere so you can see it every day. This will be your reminder to save money.

Here is my monthly budget (family of 3). Keep in mind that my husbands job is 100% commission, so I have food set at the bare minimum:

Food - $200 ( $50 a week is a lot when you are making meals from scratch!)

Dining Out - $50 ( My husband and I go out once a week (date night) and we try to eat at healthy inexpensive places. This isn't every month though . Sometimes we dont have the money to dine out.)

Toiletries - $50 ( This includes toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste, feminine products, makeup, etc)

Clothing - $15 ( I make a lot of my sons PJ's and shorts, as well as dresses and skirts for myself. This covers underclothes, shirts, and shoes)

Entertainment - $20 ( We don't have cable, but we do rent movies, and we have found a lot of free activities in our area to keep us busy)

Christmas - $100 total ( I shop for toys and gifts during the year to save LOTS of money!)

Son's Birthday - $50 total ( I do the same here - they never know the toys were on sale or clearance!)

So....stop blogging and make your 2009 budget!

Happy Saving!