Frugal Simplicity

You’ve met this absolutely fantastic person that you are crazy about. You want to ask them on a date. The only problem is that money is tight. You wonder two things: What can you do that won’t send you to the poor house but that both you and your date will enjoy, and what will your date think about you if you plan something frugal to do?

Unfortunately there are a lot of people whose idea of a fun and romantic date is to spend money, a lot of money. Some women have the idea that if a man doesn’t spend a great deal of money on her on a date, that he isn’t good enough for her. Leave those women in the dust! They aren’t good enough for you! A fun and romantic date is not about money at all, but about just being with the person you care about.

There are a number of things a couple can do together that costs nothing or very little. Just some ideas that your special someone is sure to enjoy with you are:

Order pizza (or better yet, make your own), rent a movie, and just stay home. Nothing speaks romance as much as two people snuggled on a sofa watching a movie and eating pizza together. And if you are watching by chance a scary movie, so much the better for cuddle time.

Pack a picnic basket and a couple of fishing poles and head for the lake for a few hours. Fishing is fun, as long as you don’t freak out at having to bait the line or taking the fish off. For the ladies, if you are prone to freak out, you have this big strong manly man there to help with things. And how much more romantic can it be than for your date to save you from the fish on the line?

Something that any man is sure to enjoy is a slow massage. A massage helps to relieve stress and tension and it feels good. While he watches a movie, get the massage oil and give his shoulders and back a nice slow rub down. Take your time and give him a lot of attention. He might just enjoy the massage so much that he forgets he’s watching a movie. If he starts to fall asleep, you are doing a great job.

There are a number of other things a couple can do together to have a fun and romantic date on a budget. The main thing to remember is that the date is about the two of you, not about money. The fact is that if a person is only interested in you for the money you can spend on them, they simply are not worth your time. Anyone that truly cares for you is not interested in what you will spend on them now or in the future, they are only interested in being with you.

Shopping for gifts can wreak havoc on the best planned budget. Gift giving can run into an outrageous sum of money. There are ways to save money on the cost of gifts and still give a thoughtful gift that the recipient is sure to love and enjoy.

There is an old saying, “It’s the thought that counts”. This saying still holds true today. The most thoughtful gifts aren’t the ones that cost a lot of money, but rather the gifts that have the most thought and care put into them.

One of the most thoughtful gifts is a gift made especially for one person or family. The time and effort put into designing and making a special gift leaves the recipient a gift to not only enjoy, but to be treasured because it was made especially for them.

Get creative! Making a gift instead of gift shopping gives that extra special touch. Some ideas for handcrafted gifts are: personalized photo albums or scrapbooks, framed collages of favorite photos or events, or gift baskets.

Another thoughtful gift is giving a gift that isn’t about money. A bouquet of fresh handpicked flowers or a framed photo of you and your loved one make wonderful gifts to someone special. If you have a pet name for a friend, a gift that is about the pet name can bring a smile.

Added embellishments on gifts can be things such as colorful ribbons and personalizing a gift with the recipient’s name. A nice special twist in giving a gift could be something as simple as wrapping the gift in a fabric rather than traditional wrapping paper.

One of the greatest joys in giving and receiving a gift is when the gift is truly for the person that receives it. Going to a department store and shopping for a gift just to be getting a gift, any gift, results usually in nothing but money spent and gift often just set back someplace by the recipient. Shopping for or making a gift that truly has the recipient in mind results in a gift that cannot be measured.

To save money shopping for gifts, first make a list of everyone on your gift giving list. Next to their names, write what they enjoy or like, favorite colors, etc. Keep a copy of the list with you. When you are shopping and find a sale or clearance, check your gift giving list to see if there is anything that would appeal to anyone on your list. Don’t buy something on sale or clearance just to be buying it as gift for someone. If it won’t make a thoughtful gift, even if it is on sale, why buy it?

The idea is that gift giving doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, if any money at all. One doesn’t even have to be on a budget to take advantage of these thoughtful gift giving ideas. Gifts that come from the heart are the ones that will be treasured for years to come, no matter how much or little money is spent.

It’s a good idea to have a budget set up for yourself. A budget is simply an outline or plan or what to do with your money. Budgeting allows you to set aside necessary funds for particular purposes, such as rent, food allowance, clothing, savings, car note, monthly bills, etc. Budgeting is basically estimating monthly expenses based on bills and the cost of living from previous months, and allowing for the unexpected.

The main purpose of budgeting your money is to be aside or save money for expected costs as well as unexpected situations, such as new vehicle tires or doctor visits that health insurance might not cover. Maintaining a budget helps you to achieve your financial goals and to make decisions ahead of time of where money is to allocated.

The first step to setting up your budget is to determine your monthly income and outgoing expenses. Then determine bills or expenses that occur throughout the year but not on a monthly basis, such as car insurance that might be paid twice a year rather than monthly. Afterwards, determine situations that you might need to save money for, such as clothing, furniture, new tires, possible future doctor bills that health insurance might not cover, or a new home.

As you begin to set up your budget using the above, you will begin to see where your money is going each month. Some things you can cut back on and do without, and some thing are necessary. Determine what you need to live on verses the extras. Always be sure to have a place to live, food to eat, be warm, and be able to pay your bills, in that order. Prioritize your expenses, on a monthly basis. By keeping receipts and writing down what you spend, where you spend, and what you spend money on, you will be able to make a workable budget and be able to budget better. Knowing where your money is going is a top priority in better budgeting.

If your monthly take home income is $4,000 you would want to subtract all of your monthly bills and expenses from that amount. Then you would want to subtract money for situations that you are saving for, such as birthdays or holidays, a vacation, etc. Remember to always allow for the unexpected!

Some tips for better budgeting:

1. Plan for your lifestyle and situation. What works for another person might not be for you or work for you. Plan for your needs and the way you live.

2. Pay attention to your spending habits. When you first make your budget, you might have to adjust it and tweak it. Once you get it set, stick to it. There’s no point in having a budget if you don’t use it.

3. Remember that some things are necessities but some things are luxuries. Know the difference! Always spend on what you need or must have ahead of what you want. Wants can wait!

4. Be frugal. Frugal means living within your means. Don’t spend money that you don’t have. There are many ways to have fun and not go broke doing it.

Managing your money better will give you greater control of your finances. Budgeting is something that just about anyone can do and stick with. Setting up a budget is one of the best money saving things you can do. Saving money by budgeting better and implementing a budget into your daily life is something that will greatly benefit your finances.

Just drag and drop photos into amazing edesigns! Email them free! Awesome and cool and FREE!

Visit Smilebox.com and create amazing greetings with your photos, videos, and music.

5 cups pasta, cooked
29 ounces spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground turkey, cooked and drained
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

Mix sauce, meat, parmesan, mushrooms and pasta in a greased or sprayed 9×13 pan. Top with mozzarella and bake at 375 F for 30 minutes.

The cost of living is steadily climbing. It gets harder and harder just to make ends meet. Rather than get stressed out over finances, there are some things the average person or family can do to save money and live on less, yet not do without.

At the end of each day, put your change into a jar or other container. At the end of the month, you can either continue to save in this manner, roll it and use it, or deposit it into your checking or savings account. Saving lose change can add up and is a great way to save for those little extra things. It also helps to ensure that you will always have a little backup money if you need it.

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Companies give away free samples of their products on an ongoing basis , from sample trial sizes to full size product samples. Using a search engine such as Google and typing in keywords like free stuff, freebies, free samples, and free product samples will bring up a host of sites offering freebies just for the asking. These sample sizes make great gift basket items, they are the perfect travel size. Free samples allow you to not only save money because you get them free but you can try the product before you buy.

If you are an avid book reader, you don’t have to pay for a book to get the latest best sellers. One of the best ways to get free books is to become a book reviewer. Publishing houses send reviewers books to read and write a book review. Some publishers also pay on top of offering the free books. Some send books that you request and others send what they want to.

Another idea to save money on the cost of books is to consider joining or starting a book sharing club with fellow book lovers. This works the same way for DVDs and videos.

Do you love the idea of having guests over for dinner but hate the cost involved? Throw a potluck. Have guests bring a dish with them. Make it a regular event. Everyone gets a delicious meal and saves money while visiting with friends.

Don’t subscribe to magazines that you don’t have time to read. Cancel subscriptions to magazines that just pile up or end up in the trash unread. If you don’t have time for it on an ongoing basis, don’t spend money on it.

Insulate your house. Save money on utility bills by having doors and windows insulated. Keep windows covered in the hot summer months to keep the cool inside.

Look for a cell phone plan that matches your needs and usage. Don’t pay for a plan that you don’t use. If you send a lot of text messages, consider opting for an unlimited plan. If you travel often, make sure that you have a plan that doesn’t have roaming charges.

When eating out, you don’t have to always pay full price for a meal. Seniors can get senior citizen discounts for meals, which can add up to a nice savings.Eating buffet offers not only a wider variety of dishes, but it’s usually much less than purchasing the same dish off the buffet table. Some restaurants offer an all you can eat buffet which works great for the hungry members of your party.

When traveling and vacationing, save money by traveling in off seasons. Motels usually have much lower rates in off seasons, when there isn’t a major holiday or event going on. Airfare is also much lower on off peak travel times.

Shop for gifts immediately after a major holiday like Christmas. Stores mark down unsold merchandise at huge discounts. Stock up and use the gifts for the next Christmas holiday or birthdays. Instead of paying full price for the same thing, buying after a holiday can save you a lot of money. This is also the time to buy Christmas wrapping paper and other holiday items at a substantial savings.

Don’t throw away perfectly good items that you no longer want or need. Instead, sell them on an auction site such as eBay or hold a garage sale. Items such as books, clothing, baby items, toys, computers, software, DVDs, home decorating items, jewelry, and the like can be sold.

Going out to see a movie can be costly when taking the family at peak show times. Instead of going at the peak hours to see a movie, go during the day when the price is usually much less.

There are many others ways to help save money on the cost of everyday living. Rebate programs and using coupons can help save money on groceries. Keeping your automobile in good running order helps save money on gas. Waiting for sales and bargains instead of paying regular price is a good idea.

1 can of fruit (your choice of fruit)
1 can of frozen lemonade (or fruit punch)

Puree or mash the fruit in a bowel, using the juice too. Mix the lemonade (or other fruit juice choice) with two cans of water instead of the usual three that the can call for. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into popsicle molds. Freeze.

Popsicle molds can be found at your local Walmart or Dollar Store.

Deluxe Frozen Ice Pop Maker-Deluxe Frozen Ice Pop Maker