Embrace your budget
Anthony Umanzor
Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: Lifestyles
How does someone maintain a budget and still manage to live comfortably? Personally I think I've managed pretty well, and have seen how elegant ones life can be the simpler it becomes.
Food we know, has become America's favorite past time and I saw how indefinitely this was the first thing to change when I began spending less. Spending money on fast food everyday, I knew could no longer continue.
The lure is that fast food is cheap and fast. As a transformed and determined non-meat eater, the lure becomes weaker and a bit repulsive. It's no longer cheap food for me, but cheap meat. I challenge anyone to not eat any animal product for a few weeks and deny the savings it makes.
Try the super market instead, you'll find it's surprisingly fun. Why not prepare your own food instead of getting "mystery meat" and obvious grease? Learn to cook, it'll make you a better functional human being; do not be satisfied with the garbage that fast food companies hand feed you.
Secondly, there are the forms of entertainment one chooses to have that affect their finance. Say you do begin to cook and prepare your own food, that's another skill you've developed. You can have making food with your girlfriend or boyfriend an alternative option instead of spending a load of cash at an over-priced restaurant.
I noticed when I was making money most of my day was spent thinking about how to spend it. Try going to Boarders or a Barnes and Noble and picking up a booking you want to read cover to cover.
Find community events going on around you that are free or cheap. Don't do the same thing every weekend but try something different that doesn't involve spending so much money.
Make exercising an everyday simple activity, not a luxury dependant on a gym membership. Walk your dog, if you have one; go to the park, ride a bike to school, or just going to do an errand. You can work out your whole body without a gym. Do some push-ups and do some squats. Go swimming at a pool, a lake or the beach. You'll feel good working out while saving your money.
Food we know, has become America's favorite past time and I saw how indefinitely this was the first thing to change when I began spending less. Spending money on fast food everyday, I knew could no longer continue.
The lure is that fast food is cheap and fast. As a transformed and determined non-meat eater, the lure becomes weaker and a bit repulsive. It's no longer cheap food for me, but cheap meat. I challenge anyone to not eat any animal product for a few weeks and deny the savings it makes.
Try the super market instead, you'll find it's surprisingly fun. Why not prepare your own food instead of getting "mystery meat" and obvious grease? Learn to cook, it'll make you a better functional human being; do not be satisfied with the garbage that fast food companies hand feed you.
Secondly, there are the forms of entertainment one chooses to have that affect their finance. Say you do begin to cook and prepare your own food, that's another skill you've developed. You can have making food with your girlfriend or boyfriend an alternative option instead of spending a load of cash at an over-priced restaurant.
I noticed when I was making money most of my day was spent thinking about how to spend it. Try going to Boarders or a Barnes and Noble and picking up a booking you want to read cover to cover.
Find community events going on around you that are free or cheap. Don't do the same thing every weekend but try something different that doesn't involve spending so much money.
Make exercising an everyday simple activity, not a luxury dependant on a gym membership. Walk your dog, if you have one; go to the park, ride a bike to school, or just going to do an errand. You can work out your whole body without a gym. Do some push-ups and do some squats. Go swimming at a pool, a lake or the beach. You'll feel good working out while saving your money.
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