The past year or so of my life has found me in some interesting financial pickles. Although these have not been very fun, I’ve taken the opportunities to become more creative with what little I have, and how to stretch it even further than I was before. After many harsh realizations of how little money I really do have, I was shocked into a budget. This was hard, but now I’m realizing that it’s for the best, and I’m way ahead of most people my age financially, even though I’m making way less than them.

I was quite accustomed to splitting the bills with my ex-boyfriend…however, when things went sour, and we broke up, I was the one who ended up keeping the apartment while he left. This doubled my financial burden every month, and this was a major shock to me. I was still spending as though I only had to pay half of what I actually was. Stupid, stupid, stupid me. This was a hard lesson learned in itself – not only about relationships, but with my own personal finances. I am thankful, though, as it’s forced me to be more creative and to take new financial routes and risks.

SAVING

Regardless of how much money you make, start saving now! Whether you make minimum wage or $30/hr, saving is the smartest thing you can do with your money. Try to find a high yield savings account or a money market account with a high APY (annual percentage yield). If you put $5 or $50 in it a month, it’s something. This will accrue interest, and grow over time. Your money is making money for you. I started out with a few hundred dollars less than a year ago, and I have $20 taken out of my account automatically every single month. I don’t even notice. It does it underneath my nose. Now, I’ve gained nearly $200 since then from the bits of $20 and interest. How cool is that? I can raise the amount taken out or make individual deposits. If I ever get money for an occasion, I deposit it in my bank account, and then transfer it to my money market account. This is excess money that I know I’ll do something stupid with, so I’m putting it to good use instead of buying a records or dinner out. I’ll be very glad I have this money set aside in case of an emergency, or possibly later on when I’m looking to retire or something. I don’t plan on touching it. Take my advice on this – you’ll be happy you did. Starting a nest egg as soon as possible is the best thing you can do for yourself later on. I know many of our parents do not have much savings, and it’s sad that people are retiring later and later in life. Do you want to work until you’re 80? I don’t think so.

WHAT ARE YOU SPENDING?

When I realized I was living outside of my means, I started a strict budget. I started this by saving my receipts and realizing what I was spending my money on. My grocery bills were equal to what I was spending on clothes. My ebay bills were even higher. I was spending more on records than food. Yikes! So, to keep myself in check, I started using expensr, an online money management tool that makes keeping track of your spending painless. At the end of each week, I take all my saved receipts and plug them into this to see how much I’m spending each month compared to my paychecks. This has worked quite well to make sure I’m living within my means.

It’s so easy to swipe a card and not think about it. If you want a more extreme budget, stop using your debit card. Set an amount for how much you want to spend for a week or month. Take that out of the ATM in cash, and only spend cash. Forking over cash and seeing how much you have left is a physical reminder to stay within your means.

LIVING SITUATION

When you split utilities, it’s not a huge deal. However, when you live alone, you have to be a bit more conscious, as a $150 electric bill SUCKS. So, I started looking into how I could save on utilities and my living situation.

Be more environmentally friendly. It’s simple, good for the environment, and cheaper for you.

Places like Ikea and some hardware stores have options to lower your utilities. Although they may be a tad more expensive, they’ll save you more than you’re spending. I’m a big fan of Ikea’s light bulbs. Although they’re not as bright as conventional light bulbs, they last years, and really do make a difference on your bill.

• Try going for energy star appliances if you’re in the market.
• Lower the temperature on your fridge & freezer.
• Adjust the temperature on your thermostat, especially when you’re not home (or turn it off completely when you’re not home). In the summer, I keep mine at 79*f at almost all times. If I get warm, I turn on the fan. The A/C sucks up a TON of energy, and I want cool air in the room I’m in, not all over the house.
• Run energy-sucking appliances outside of peak hours. Write down peak hours per season on a sticky note and stick them to these appliances as a reminder. Do your laundry during non-peak hours. Do it back to back. Dryers are more efficient when ran back to back, as they don’t have to heat up to a certain temperature over and over.
• Maintain your electronics and appliances. Clean them out, fix them, get them checked up on. This will save you money down the line, and will keep them more energy efficient.
• Unplug things!! Everything that's plugged into an active outlet is taking up a little bit of electricity. Electronics are huge culprits. Do you really need 50 LED clocks going in your house at once? Think about it - you're paying for that little clock to glow all day. It's not necessary. Even things that aren’t physically showing they’re sucking energy are. Put things in power strips, and have them attached to on/off switches to a room. This will save you tons, and it’s easier to turn everything off when you leave the room.
• Put your computer on sleep mode. This is very easy, and can save you about $30 on your electric bill – and save your computer! All you have to do (if you’re running windows) is go into control panel, click “Display”, and go on the “Screen Saver” tab. There should be a monitor area, click the “power” button. On the “power schemes” tab, there’s a field to put your system on standby. I have mine to go to standby after 15 minutes. You can also manually put your system on standby by clicking “turn off computer” on your start menu and clicking “standby”. This doesn’t affect your computer at all, but it saves a TON of energy and wear on your computer.
• Use fans and space heaters instead of kicking on the A/C or heater. You really don’t need the whole house to be one temperature. Also, if you’re putting them on when you’re sleeping, or you’re on a tight budget, get one with a timer on it.

Also, if you’re in the market of moving, try to find a place that includes extras, such as utilities, internet, cable, whatever. This can cut off a tremendous amount of your utilities. Say you spend $100 on your electric. Get a place that includes utilities, that’s like saving $1200 a year, if not more. If your rent is about $700 a month, that’s nearly two months free rent. See where I’m going? These places are out there, you just have to look hard. It’s really worth it in the long run. Try looking for guest houses in peoples’ back yards (which can be rather nice!) or duplexes on craigslist. Let everyone you know that you’re looking for someplace new. You may come up in conversation and they’ll find a place for you!

BEING SMART

Nothing is more empowering than learning something new each day. I don’t care how long you’ve been in school – learn something new each day. Being smart about living your life and how to get things done is priceless. If you do things correctly the first time, that technically saves you money, as “time is money”.

Lately, I’ve been really getting into blogs that have tidbits of very useful information. A few of my favorites are Lifehacker, The Consumerist, Design*Sponge, Ikea Hacker, Not Martha, and occasionally, Jezebel. There are blogs about EVERYTHING out there if you just look. I’m discovering new ones all the time. I must tell you – I’ve learned a lot about saving money, achieving goals, managing my day job, and just general things to make life easier for me. Give ‘em a try. I have them assigned on days on my firefox’s morning coffee plugin (another great little thing that I learned about from a blog!)

Another piece of advice I have is GO TO SCHOOL. Going to school will earn you more money in the long run, and with the way the job market in the United States is going, you’ll pretty much have to have a degree to get a decent job by the time you’re middle aged. Going to school will open new experiences, new people, and new opportunities (ahem, dream job through your internship?) to you. I was only meaning to take off a year between high school and college, but here it is three years later and I’m in the middle of getting my FAFSA processed. Look for loans, grants, and financial aid. There IS a way out there you can manage it – just look into it and DO IT. It’ll be worth it in the long run. High school graduates – DON’T WAIT!! It’s harder to get back than you think.

Do your research – on everything. With the blessing of sweet lady internet, you can know everything about anything you want. I always do my research on things before jumping into them…Anything I’ll be buying, anywhere I’ll be going, I scour the internet for the best deals on flights, recommendations on jobs, places to go, restaurants to go to, coupons for everything….it’s so easy, it just takes you a little time. Going into any sort of situation with some prior knowledge doesn’t hurt. Going into a store with a ton of coupons certainly never hurt your wallet.

LEISURE

If you’re one to travel, sign up for your favorite airline’s frequent flyer program. It may take a while to get something, but it’s worth it. There’s also all sorts of places online where you can earn free rewards by taking surveys (e-rewards and e-miles). It’s that easy. Also, there actually ARE decent credit cards out there that earn you miles. American Express has a great one. Check it out.

Also, if you're under the age of 25 or a student, check out STA travel. STA travel is awesome - I went in and booked, chatted with the agent, was generally friendly and he gave me a HARDCORE hookup and saved me over $120!!!!

If you patronize any mom & pop shop or any sort of artisan (like a tattoo artist), spread the word about them. Take their business cards. Let them know you support them and love what they do, and you’ll be a faithful patron of theirs. I let record shops, little clothing stores, and tattoo artists know that I fully support them. I do take their business cards and hand them out to people all the time. They notice this – trust me. I get discounts like mad from some places. My tattoo artist appreciated me recommending people, so he gave me great prices on my work. Record stores appreciate me sending people their way. I get a little discount here and there (and some stuff set aside). Little clothing stores let me know they’re putting in an order, and ask if I’d like anything in particular (at wholesale price). Be nice. Be supportive. Be their own personal sales rep. You’ll reap the benefits, and be promoting small business owners, which is great, especially if you like to “stick it to the man”.

If you have a pet – I only suggest taking them to the vet for their annual and if health issues arise. For shots and everything, there are clinics at petco and petsmart where you can get shots for less than half the price than at the vet. I wish I had known this when I got Bella – I was paying nearly $100 a month when she was a puppy taking her for her shots at the vet every month!

Also, with your pets – do preventative maintenance. Get heartguard and frontline. These will protect your pet and keep from unneeded heartache and vet bills. Also, I suggest taking a look at your pet food. What are the main ingredients? Most foods have lots of carbohydrates as their main ingredient. Most animals cannot be healthy off of that. I HIGHLY recommend trying out Nutro and Dick Patten’s pet foods. They may be more expensive, but you’ll definitely see a happier, healthier pet who loves mealtime. Take care of your animals!

SHOPPING

This is going to sound crazy…but this is my new favorite thing:

CVS takes returns on EVERYTHING. I love it. I no longer shop in fear that foundation won’t match, that face wash will sting, that deodorant will smell funky and I’ll lose my hard earned dollar. Their policy is that if you’re not happy, you can return it. Have your receipt, (you’re saving your receipts, no?) and it’ll go faster. There are a few other stores out there that do this as well – such as Ulta. Shop at these stores, and don’t add to your massively growing collection of shampoos under your sink.

Speaking of shampoos…and lotions and other girly stuff. How much do you really have? Probably way more than you need. Use all of what you have before you buy more. Wasting is like throwing away money. Would you throw away a $5 bill? Of course not! Use what you have, and then buy some. I’m still chipping away at my Bath & Body works collection that I accumulated from their last giant sale when lotions were $1. I regret buying all that. It’ll take me ages to use that much lotion.

Don’t get more than you need. It may be a better deal to buy a gallon of Listerine…but seriously…be honest with yourself! Yeah, you’ll use it…but it’ll take you three years. Giant bottles may be a great deal, but buy within your means.

Staying within your means applies to many things with shopping. Some things may seem like a better deal, but please, ask yourself – “Do I really need this much/many?”. Get singles on photos. Buy singular or 3 packs of undies. Buy only a 10 pack of pens. Buy a 500 sheet pack of paper (instead of the giant boxes). You may use all of it, but how long will it take? If it’s food or beauty supplies (as in, buy one get one free), it may go bad. Keep that in mind.

BEAUTY

I think the secret to living on the cheap with beauty (aside from the returning tip above) is keeping low maintenance. Try Veet (at your own risk, only get sensitive formulas) so you only have to shave once every ten days. Get long lasting lipstick. If you use tanner, get the gradual lotion (basically streak free and moisturizes!). Just keep it simple. I’m sure you don’t want to be wasting time getting ready or shaving or anything when you could be doing better things. Plus, I guess guys find chicks who spend three hours getting ready to be high maintenance kinda annoying and unattractive.

So, with all that said, these have been some of the lessons I’ve learned on trying to live a low maintenance, cheaper life. I hope these tips have helped you!

Living on The Cheap

By Joanna Wallace

I have never been one to live frivolously. I grew up in a single parent household where we ate 25c potpies every day for dinner. No, I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for me; I actually wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Growing up poor forced me to be creative and make do with what I had. Even though I'm financially better off now (slightly!), I still don't think that you should have to spend a lot of money to live well. So I'm gonna share with you a few tips on how to look like you live well, even though you've only got $7 in your pocket.

BEAUTY:

I honestly don't see how people could slap down $30 on a counter for a tube of lipstick. To me, that's a one-way ticket to the nut house. You do not have to spend a lot of money to look like a million bucks. One of my favorite things to do is to actually go to those department stores and mess with that expensive make up. Yes, it pisses off the snobby cosmetic sales ladies in their stupid aprons, but what'll they do except talk smack about how your shoes are sooooo last season? Well, all that aside, try to dress kind of nice. Usually, if you dress nice, and they're bored, they'll sometimes give you a free makeover. It’s happened to me a few times. It’s awesome. Most of these stands have all their products to try out in the open, too. So, if the samplin's free, you might as well take advantage of it, right? So go willy-nilly! Try on stuff you think that looks good on you, and write it down! Then later, check out ebay. I know you're thinking, "SICK! I'm not going to buy cosmetics on ebay!" BUT! There's tons of stores that close down every day with tons of excess stock or products that aren't 100% perfect (which aren't sellable). These people sell those high-end cosmetics on ebay for pennies. No joke! I've got tons of high-end cosmetics that I've spent so little on, it’s ridiculous. Just make sure that the products you buy on ebay aren't used! This move can save you TONS and get you some of those really nice brands as well.

If you're not willing to go to all the trouble of snooping around and trying crap at high-end stores, try drugstores. I've found that chain drug stores like Walgreen’s and Osco usually have the cheapest prices, but it’s all in the ads they have sitting out. That's the trick. Usually, those ads that are at the front of the store, sitting there, have coupons with up to $3 off an item. It just takes a flipping through to find them. These places are also more likely having buy-one-get-one-free deals all the time.

Those whitening strips are all the rage right now, and yes, they work wonders. They're also super pricey, too. And very uncomfortable. If you're not into this, and would rather do something at home, try this: Mix baking soda with hydrogen peroxide into a paste. Brush your teeth with this for about five minutes a day. It tastes gross, but that's pretty much what those white strips are. You get the same effect for less!

This won't save you a lot more money, but it will save you time (and "time is money", according to all fathers and bosses). SHOWER AT NIGHT! If you shower at night, it usually means you're using water in an off-peak time (saves you a bit, eh?) and it definitely saves you time in the morning, so you can sleep in a bit more! If you shower at night, that also means that after your hair dries a bit more, you can use foam curlers, so when you wake up, your hair is done, too! During high school, I depended on this gimmick. It cut down my morning ritual to cereal and make up, and plus I always had cute hair.

While we're talking about hair, this is one rule I live by: cut your own hair!! Going to get your hair cut sucks. You always have to wait...and it smells like perm (who gets those anymore, anyways??), and the person usually screws up your hair, cause they don't know your hair like you do. I've been cutting my own hair for about 5 years now. It does take practice, but it saves you a ton of money, time, and heartbreak. If you're not that ballsy, I would suggest going to a beauty school, where you can usually get your hair cut for about half the price of a normal salon. These beauty schools are also great for styling and dying your hair, getting manicures and pedicures, as well as cheap makeovers! Just make sure you get a senior...

Aerosol hairspray (particularly aquanet) is one of the best inventions ever. This is probably one of the best things you can buy. This has so many other uses than helping you achieve big hair. Spray it on your stockings when you first buy them (this does help prevent runs!). Spray a bit on your finger to help shape your eyebrows. It works as a great bug spray (I don't know whether that is bad or good...) Spray a bit into the air and let it fall on your face to help keep make up in place (not too much, you don't want to break out!). And also, flick up your lighter and spray for some cheap white trash fun. God bless Aquanet.

COOKING & FOOD

Don't be lazy. Everyone needs to cook for themselves sometime. Cooking at home is soooooo much cheaper and better for you than going out to eat. It’s also a lot more rewarding and fun, especially if you have a significant other or a child helping you out. Fast foods have an ungodly amount of fat and preservatives in them, and usually cost a lot of money. I also find it funny that a lot of fast food chains are trying to go "healthy" these days. What a joke. My best suggestions for saving money on cooking is to plan what you're going to have and make more than you need, so you use all of your ingredients (especially fresh fruit and veggies). So, when you make extra, you can have leftovers, which can be used later as snacks or meals. Also, FREEZING these foods is great. Most foods can last up to six months in your freezer, which saves you a lot of money from throwing away your leftovers. These frozen pre-cooked meals are great because you can just defrost them or do minimal cooking and you have a fast meal. If you chop an onion and don't use all of it, freeze it. You can throw it in an omelet or a dip or something. You can slice up fruit and freeze it in a container and bring it to work with you. There are very few things that you can't freeze that won't hold well. Just get in the habit of pushing the defrost button on your microwave!

BUY STORE BRANDS! Did you know that most food that are packaged under the store brand are actually name brand food that certain chain stores buy from that brand and repackage themselves? They are also TONS cheaper. Certain things like dry bulk foods, dairy products (which are usually more fresh, too), and spices and dips are no different from their name brand counterpart. Some things though (especially soda) don't do things like this, because their recipes for their products are so top secret, they don't want them released elsewhere. Usually, the store's own brand is more likely to go on sale more often, too.

New cookbooks are expensive. Most of the time, though, if you go to a bookstore like Borders or Waldenbooks, they have TONS in clearance. Cookbooks aren't rare, so they feel no mercy throwing them into the clearance section. I got this gorgeous large book on Indian cooking for $5 when it was originally $30. Thrift stores are also a great place to check for old cookbooks. A great thing to look for is one of those old betty crocker cookbooks from the 50's or 60's. Every woman in my family has one. I cannot live without mine. It has EVERYTHING you ever need to know about cooking. I love it. Plus the pictures are beautiful (think "bright pink cakes"). If you really can't afford a cookbook, try looking online for recipes. I mentioned recipezaar above, and also food network's site has some amazing stuff on there, too (especially from the show 'everyday Italian!')

MUSIC

Buying music can sometimes rampage your wallet empty. I know, this happens to me all the time. It just takes having a little will (and not buying something immediately) and shopping around. Buying an album directly from a band at their show is usually the cheapest and fastest way to get something new. Also, if you make yourself known and let them know how much you appreciate them making music, and taking their own time to perform in your town, they might give you a little something for free (this doesn't happen all the time, but you should say those things anyway, its only proper!). Another way to find cheap music is to buy used. Local mom and pop record shops have a ton of used stuff, and if you also make it known that you shop there often, you could get on good terms with them, and they could keep an eye out for you. Just don't be pushy with them. Always let it be known that you are incredibly thankful (and don't shop at chain stores!! these people need support!). If you are going to shop online, try using ebay or Deep Discount. Deep discount has tons and tons of stuff, and free shipping!

SHOPPING

99c stores are a gift from the gods. These are one of my favorite stops for simple necessities. Spices, household cleaners, creepy toys, neat Asian decorations (I have a huge collection of buddhas), tools..You name it. All for 99c. Sure, these items may not be the best of quality, but who really needs a quality roll of paper towels when they're going to end up in your trash can? Usually, these 99c stores carry overstock and dead stock items that won't be sold anymore. Make sure to check for expiration dates! That's the number one rule for 99c stores. Anything outside of food is all right though. In most cities, there are tons of these places, so make sure to shop at different ones to see which are your favorites. The new chains of the 99c ONLY stores are pretty decent, too. They have groceries, toys, house appliances, home decor, everything! Just make sure that you don't get 99c store condoms, cause those are usually placed next to the 99c store pregnancy tests...That's kind of an omen, don't you think?

Every time my sister and I go shopping, we subconsciously head to the clearance section. One time, she said to me, "You know what makes us Wallace girls?" I said, "No, what?" and she replied, "Cause we automatically know where the clearance section is in every store!" How true that is! And neither of us is ashamed of it, either! Why would you want to spend full price on something when you know you can get it cheaper? Usually, the clearance section is tucked away in the back corners of each store, but hitting that section up first can save you a lot of time. Whether it’s shopping for everyday things or for clothing, you can always find something there. Stores like Target always have huge clearance sections because they have to move in new merchandise by certain dates, therefore moving all old stock items into clearance. If there's a lot of an item, wait. It'll usually get obscenely cheap.

Thrift stores have always been one of my favorite things. I'm just now getting back into them, because that phase of when thrifting was "cool" is now dying down (thank god). I love these stores because you can buy a lot for a little and not feel bad about it. You can buy clothes to experiment with (tailoring and whatnot) and screw up and it’s not a big loss. Their pattern sections are usually goldmines for vintage patterns (which you can either use, or rip up the envelope art to frame or modpodge to something.) And the home decor sections are awesome. Most of my favorite things around my home are from thrift stores whether it be my vintage shot glasses or my strange 50s furniture. It just takes patience in looking, but once you find something, its well worth it.

Here's another sneaky trick that's similar to the high-end cosmetic trick: I like to go to department stores and try on nice brands for things like jeans, jackets, and tops. So I try on these clothes, and write down which items fit me well and in what size (and if it has it) which item number it has. Then I hit up ebay. I've done this tons of times. I don't see why I should have to pay $60 for a pair of jeans when I can buy them off of some chick that bought them two sizes too small on ebay for $10. I have never paid more than $7 for a Ben Sherman button up. You gotta be crafty, I tell ya.

Shop out of season. Yes. I said it. Buy bathing suits when it starts getting cold. Buy coats when you have to turn your air conditioner on. Usually, when these seasonal items turn out of season, stores want them GONE. They cut the price insanely low just to get them out of there. I got a sherpa lined denim jacket that was originally $88 for $15. Sure, I may not have been able to wear it right away, but I would that coming season. Thing is, you just gotta make sure that you won't gain or lose weight!

This is one of the smartest shopping moves you can pull.

When it comes to grocery shopping, don't throw away the store ads that are sent to you in the mail every week. These are great. I use these as a shopping guide to see what I'm going to eat that week. These also force creativity in trying new recipes. I see what foods are on sale and look for recipes that have things on sale in them (look on recipezaar, this site is the best!). Clipping coupons also helps A LOT! Sure, call me an old lady all you want. I helped my mother clip coupons when I was a kid, and now I do it on my own. On average, with those frequent shopper store cards, plus things on sale, plus coupons added to the mix, I save up to $30-$40 on my grocery bill (on average). I am not kidding with this. It may take a little extra time, but money is money.

Last but not least, the best piece of advice I have to give to you about shopping is so simple...ASK! Ask at every store how long they've had a certain item you like. Usually, stores keep items full price from 4-8 weeks, and then they kick them on clearance rack. This mainly works with clothing, since stores try to keep things on trend. Usually, sales people are more than happy to tell you how long they've had an item out on the shelves, and sometimes they'll tell you when its going to go on clearance. Simple, isn't it?

Living on the cheap is an art. You always have something to brag about, and eventually, your friends come to you for shopping and living advice. It just takes having no shame and realizing how far your dollar can go.