Living on a shoestring budget

There are two lines taken from a popular sitcom that best described how we view money.  One character said 'I never saw money as an issue.' then the other character tersely replied 'That's because you have it!'

How often do we just spend money without thinking - money on unnecessary pursuits and on stuff we don't need.  We often think we need this and that until we don't have any money.  When we don't have the money, our mettle to survive is put to the test.  Honestly, friends take an inventory of the things you currently buy and do.  There, you would see stuff you do not need. 'I need that ... and that ... and that'  I could hear you say, but really - do you really need that.

Here, I'll use myself as the guinea pig because I was like you, needing everything until there was no money.  The following is a list of things I did and brought that I thought I needed until the money-well dried up.

Hair and Manicures & Pedicures - These activities were a monthly ritual for me.  I loved being pampered but the choice was a foregone conclusion, there was no money so I could no longer do this.  Now, it is the low-grade do-it-yourself at home.

Cable - During the lean period, I analyzed my cable bill and I was paying for premium movie channels I only watch less than twice a month.  Most of the same movies were being shown on the basic channels anyway, so do you know what I did?  You guessed I had them removed.

Telephone - I noticed that my telephone rang, the most was 3 times a week and I had made just about the same amount of calls a week also.  Call waiting, and a few other components were services I wasn't using, so I had them removed.

Cell phone - I didn't use the cell phone enough to warrant post-paid, so I switched to pre-paid and get more bang for my buck.  The cost of the service for 1 month (let's say $40) lasted 9 months on pre-paid (I saved $320 in 8 months)

There were other areas I also cut back on that I thought were necessary. You can do it to!  Living on a shoestring budget isn't hard at all.  I am not asking you to be a miser, just to cut out the junk!