Budgetting and Balancing

I keep our budget on a spreadsheet but the month never seems to go as expected. I hate having to increase my gas budget just about every month but we live in the real world so that's what I do. The only thing I've been able to do to help is to cut out all unnecessary driving and that's really taking it's toll on me since I like going to the flea markets and yard sales on Saturdays and we've stopped doing that. I try to shop better and to cut out wasted energy in the house. I read somewhere that many appliances draw electricity even while not in use so just about everything in my kitchen gets unplugged when not in use...which really frustrates my husband who has to plug things back in again and again.

Our family is working hard to try to become totally debt-free so that we can start making our money work for us instead of watching it fly out the window on interest. We have found the book Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey to be invaluable. Blessings!

I shop at thrift stores where I can find everything second hand. I just bought a sofa bed for $20 which would cost about $900.00 at a furniture store. When I go to the grocery store I buy the store's brand which is cheaper. Shoes I buy at Payless which has less expensive shoes; and I buy my clothes at WalMart.

Better budgeting is to keep in mind how much you earn should not less than what you spend for. If you spend more than what you earning capacity it's will sank you to crediting and alternative loans.

right now with the high cost of living, i tried to identify which are important and those which i can set aside, by doing this, i can budget my money, and be able to prioritize what are really needed