Want to spend time with a friend at no cost?

Try going for a walk and having a chat with your friend. Save the cost of food and get your exercise in.

This is a fun thing to do and has many health benefits.

Do you ever want to spend time with friends, but don’t want to spend lots of money on a restaurant? I know that I really want to spend time with people. Consider a potluck dinner.

You can select the house (yours or theirs) and then everyone brings something. To kick it up a notch, try having a menu based on a certain cuisine. I and some friends got together at a friend’s home and the theme was Chinese food. The hostess made moo shoo pork and the rest of us brought the sides.

I know people who get together on a regular basis for dinner clubs, wine tastings, movie nights and more. What appeals to you? Think about which of your friends would find it fun to have an inexpensive dinner party. Make a plan with your friends.

I was brought up with a family that had a backyard garden. Especially now when I am making a great effort to eat more fresh and locally grown food, the garden makes sense. The garden my grandparents had when I was growing up took most of the backyard. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for me. I have to keep mine small so that it’s something that I can manage and is not too overwhelming for me. I start around March with seeds inside (although in some years I buy plants in another month).

You can do this too. You can have a garden in your backyard or a container on your deck – whatever works for your situation. You can grow whatever appeals to you, from herbs to tomatoes. There is nothing better than going out and picking what you want to eat when you are ready to eat it.

You are probably thinking, “What does this have to do with saving money?” Lots! The more you grow the less money you spend at the grocery store.

Lettuce is a very easy vegetable to grow. Put seeds in the soil and within two weeks you have lettuce for your salads. No more buying lettuce at the grocery store, or wanting a salad only to find out that the lettuce in your fridge is bad. You pick the lettuce leaves as you need them.

Think about what you would like to grow today.

Do you shop on the web? Do always go to the same website without comparing the price elsewhere?

You might want to think about price shopping for the lowest price. I know that this can take up your precious time. The website www.Billeo.com offers a way to search, and even notify you, of discount coupons.

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Will you do the paperwork?

Each year I purchase my antivirus software just after Thanksgiving. Not only is it on sale, but I usually get a three-user pack for less than $10 with the rebates.

I make sure to do the paperwork the day of purchase while I still have everything I need. When the rebate comes, it’s like FREE money.

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I never use change when making a purchase. I always get coins back.

At the end of the day, that change goes into a bank in my home. At the end of the month, I bring it to the bank (mine has a free coin counting machine) and deposit it to my savings account.

I average about $20 per month. You might be thinking what’s $20, but for me, $240 a year is a car payment. Learn to think with the bigger number and it will feel worthwhile to you.

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Now comes the day to add up your numbers to see where you stand. Use my budget tracker to make it easier.  Which side is bigger? Is there more money coming in than going out? Or is it the other way around? That is all I am asking you to figure out here.

You need to determine what the next step is for you. If you are like most people, you will need to get your expenses down or generate more income. Don’t panic! In the coming months, I will discuss raising your income and reducing your debt. You may want to pick up my book to read the “Reduce or Eliminate Expenses” chapter in Thrive in Five (where these micro-tips come from).

For the rest of this month, I will talk about ways to save more. Again, these are suggestions that you can chose to do… or not. Only implement ways that seem right to you now. Then go back at a later date and try others.

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This is Day 5 of our month long Financial Literacy Month project. You can continue using my budget or spending plan worksheet for this.

Now for those variable expenses – groceries, eating out, entertainment, gifts, travel etc. I find this the hardest category to come up with a number. The easiest way is to check your bank and credit card statements for the costs to come up with a number. Try looking at three to six months and taking an average to see what you “normally” spend on these kinds of expenses.

Don’t forget to include the things that are paid for in cash – tips, babysitting, coffee, newspapers, lottery (you get the idea).

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This is Day 3 of our month long Financial Literacy Month project. You can continue using my budget or spending plan worksheet for this.

Now, let’s look at your fixed expenses – mortgage or rent, insurance premiums (home, auto, health, disability, long term etc), utilities (if possible, take an average of the last year), and any other fixed recurring payments that apply to your situation

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To take charge of your finances you have to know where you stand. I know that some people will want to shut the book at this point, but don’t. It’s not going to be that hard for you to do this. This is not a one day project, so don’t panic. You have a week to do this for yourself. No one is going to look at this, but you will need this as a starting point. Take the time to do this.

Start with my budget or spending plan worksheet. If you’ve already prepared your taxes, you will have this information readily available. For your income, look at your W-2 forms and divide by 12. This will give you a monthly figure. If you have 1099’s then you can do the same. Or take your pay stub and multiply by the number of pay periods in the year. Remember to add any other income – pensions, rental income, investments etc to get a clear picture.

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