The Frugal Beagle

There are literally hundreds of ways to relax with your family: some may need money, others could be free. If you’re on a tight budget then it’s better to do a limited amount of activities to save money than indulging yourself with costly pursuits. Having an exciting family entertainment doesn’t necessarily have to be costly, these are five ways to have fun with your family without harming your financial situation:

1. Rather than going to the movie, which can cost you $15 for the whole family, hire a DVD. To make the experience better, make your own hot-dogs and pop corn and turn off the lights.

2. Don’t forget to make the best of the countryside while it is still free. Kids enjoy walking on the woods, it’s a good way to make them familiar with the nature, and good for your health as well.

3. Look out for free shows which are often advertised in local newspapers. These shows often take place in open public places, town halls or churches. Just because a show is free, it doesn’t mean you’ll have a second-class entertainment, many voluntary entertainers are both skilled and dedicated.

4. Dining out is absolutely entertaining. It gives you the chance to let other people trouble themselves with the cooking, and doing the dishes. You also feel like someone special, and the meal may surprise you with its unique texture and taste. In some countries, eating out is a costly luxury, while in other countries, eating out is only slightly more expensive than cooking at home and is therefore enjoyed often. So how to save money while eating out? Go for restaurants that give special deals, fast food chains and pizza restaurants are particularly tempting in this respect. Remember it is often more affordable to order a menu package than ordering à la carte. A menu package is usually designed for a certain number of people, so you can choose the appropriate package size for your group.

5. A good way to save money on entertainment is by buying stand-by tickets. Many concerts and theatres offer discounts on the performance day and in some cases you may get half the price, it is a good way of seeing live shows on the cheap. If you’re attending a popular show, however, there could be a huge demand for seats, and the price gets more expensive on the performance day. It is usually a good idea to buy the ticket as soon as you can, as you might end up buying one from a ticket tout and pay much more than the original price. This is, certainly, something that you shouldn’t be doing if you’re trying to save some money.

Just look at things that you buy on a supermarket, at least a third is likely unplanned and inessentials.
• Impulse items aren’t just candy, magazines, and sodas in the checkout aisles. Supermarket designers are smarter than that. They place complementary items tightly on a shelf; need a huge glass of hot chocolate to go with those marshmallows? A cup of coffee to go with your biscotti? Watch out for other temptations within the aisles as well.

• Bring a limited amount of cash. Bring only the amount you want to spend. People are likely to spend up to twice as much, if they carry a credit card. Try to avoid the dangerous urge to spend more and you should go for the cash-only strategy. It is a good idea for those who always find it hard sticking to a list. Bringing just enough cash with you will help to discern the difference between needs and wants.

• Sort items in your cart. Place all unplanned items into the front part of the cart. When you’re about to pay, check for the items in your cart and consider whether you should return them. If they’re inessential consider putting them back.

• Have them delivered. If impulse purchases are a huge problem, try the delivery and pickup service if available. Do this for two or three times and compare your overall expenses. Make sure the saved money more than compensate the delivery charges.

• Don’t shop on an empty stomach. Everything looks tasty when you’re starved, making impulse purchases difficult to resist. A good time for shopping is right after a full meal. Keep a couple of granola bars in the car to ward off hunger if you haven’t had time to get a proper meal before shopping.

• Don’t use the cart. Opt for a basket, if you only need to buy a few items. Less space means less room to put unnecessary items and to just get what you need. With less weight, you can walk faster and get out of the supermarket quicker.

• Don’t be tempted when waiting in line. It is no accident that many impulse items are positioned close to the checkout lanes, where people tend to wait in line. As the result these things are slightly more expensive. To avoid being tempted, try to focus your attention elsewhere. Use your time to text a friend, work on a to-do list, update your Facebook wallpost, organize your coupons, whatever.

• Find exciting hobbies. For some people, shopping is a pleasurable activity, to the point where it is considered a hobby. They visit supermarkets every three of four days for “just browsing.” If this describes you, direct your love of shopping into something cheaper or even profitable (such as, planting vegetables and fruits).

One of the worst experiences in life is financial bondage. You often feel overwhelmed mentally, emotionally and physically from its effects. This is because debt brings a constant stream of worry, anxiety and fear into your life. How are you going to pay your mortgage? How are you going to provide for your family? How are you going to make ends meet? Everyone asks these questions, but when you are up to your eyeballs in debt they become tougher to answer. Here are five tips to help you overcome debt and live a better life.

Tip One: Determine your total debt load. Debt is a lot like body fat. It develops fast and does not go away. All it takes is a few bad financial decisions to be in debt for years. Most people today are drowning in debt. They owe on their homes, cars and have other expenses they can no longer really afford. How do you start getting yourself into better financial shape? You need to find out how much debt you have accumulated. This is like putting your debt on scale to find out its weight. Either way the scale does not lie. You will have a very clear idea of where you stand financially and what changes you need to make.

Tip Two: Identify discretionary expenses you can cut immediately. Do you really need to go to eat every day? Do you need to get the latest video game system for your kids? Do you need to attend that concert? Do you need to watch the latest movie on cable television? These are fun things to do. They are also discretionary expenses. These are goods are services that do not have to be bought to survive. They are also the first place you should look to cut if you are serious about getting out of debt.

Tip Three: Develop a debt management plan. This is your battle plan for fighting debt. Set your debt reduction goal and then break it down into small action steps that you can take daily. This will require self-control and a strong desire to be debt free.

Tip Four: Establish a short-term savings account. It is important to build up a savings account so you can handle various problems that pop up in life. You will be glad you did the next time your car breaks down or your house requires some work.

Tip Five: Improve your financial literacy. Financial education is the best investment you can make to become debt free. You will need to work on improving your understanding of finances so you are not so quick to sign or charge again.

These five tips can help you work towards getting out of debt and free you from your financial bondage in time.