well that was 5 years ago...
chances are minimum wage has gone up
If you said 1 to 2 years id be shocked but 5 years? im not remotely shocked,
you need to learn to learn to cut your spending,
to get back into a comfortable bank account setting.
- use coupons, depending where you live you may not be able to use a million coupons at once but i generally use coupons for random expensive things.
Coffee is usually my main one i think coffee is stupid pricey i dunno maybe its just me, anywho 3$ off coupon makes coffee 3$ woot
-Budget groceries on whats on sale . never buy anything off sale (unless seriously needed )
look at your local flyers and go through, plan your meals accordingly
so say you found 20 chicken breasts for 7.99$ , and oyu found a family pack of steaks for 5.99$
take those than add, a bag of potatoes which is like 2$, and some fresh vegetables (cheaper than you think) you could also buy a frozen vegetable medly.
get home take all chicken out of the package and reput it into ziplock bags according to your family size so if its just the two of you only put 2 chickens or 2 steaksinto ziplock bag and freeze to ensure they are sealed.
Buy BULK GRAINS, Quinoa, couscous,pasta , bulgar, these things stretch fucking far.
quinoa i highly suggest as its amazing in nutritional content. buy a shit ton 1 cup dry is like 4 cups cooked.
add some tomato cucumber salt pepper and lemon juice and you got yourself a quick lunch idea that is so packed in protein you will stay full
-reduce your footprint you dont need lysol wipes, paper towles, ect ect. - buy one or the other.
-make your own laundry detergent- you can find really eco friendly awesome recipes online a huge bucket costs maybe 5$ and lasts a very long time, and still cleans just as well as regular laundry detergents
-buy REAL shampoo and conditioner, i know this sounds odd but go to a real beauty supply place and buy real shampoo and conditioner not walmart brand, i know the inital investment seems steep , but 1l bottles will cost about 10$ , however you only need like 1 pump of shampoo and a dime size of conditioner out of real professional products rather than giant handfuls of the other stuff.
-garden in the summer, create your own veggie patch, much cheaper cuts your food bill on fresh fruit and veg
keep 1 envolope for "entertainment" if you and your fiance have date night , every payday put a little aside for date night or entertainment like going to a bar with friends, (depending on your age whatever) each pay put away 20 bucks or so eventually youll have money to do things or activities together and be creative do a movie night do dinner night whatever but only spend whatever is in that little entertainment fund
and last
dont buy frugal things. you dont need that 2$ coffee at dunkin donuts you dont need the sandwhich at mcdonalds pack your meals carry your coffee ina travel mug ect
keep any change in a change bin and
thats my helpful tips
