JUST LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS

"I can't wait until my husband gets a better job with a bigger income so we can be less stressed financially," Ashley said this to me as we talked on the phone the other day.  We live in a world today where this phrase is probably said in the majority of households no matter what the income is.
As I was deciding what I wanted to major in in college I would get lots of advice on what NOT to get a degree in.  "You don't want to be a teacher, they don't make that much money." I heard this statement about half of the majors on my mind and all while I was growing up.  The big message sent to me was "When you grow up, you need to make a lot of money."  Since "growing up" I have discovered a more correct phrase to live by: "Live within your means." It can be difficult and you may have to get a little creative, but the point is that you need to not spend more than you make, no matter what the amount is.

I recently read a blog post that relates to this idea of making a lot of money when you "grow up." It is about our generation (the Y generation) and how we differ from our parents and grandparents in our levels of happiness. The author suggests that the Y generation is less happy because our expectations are higher than our reality.  We expect to have a great "dream job" right out of college. The author also discusses our use of social media has also affected our happiness. He says that people tend to boast more on social media and therefore we tend to see our friends and peers as having more or being happier than the reality. Read the full post HERE.

As I asked Ashley a little bit more about the specifics of her finances I said, "Ashley, you just have to live with the money you are making." I encouraged her to check out Dave Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover because I use it and love it. I use encouraged here lightly.  I in fact got online and put the book on hold for her! Ashley will have to tell you her thoughts on the book in a later post (I can't wait!).  But even if you don't read the book, find a way to live with what you make and be happy! There are lots of other resources out there to help you do this. I have seen tons of blogs and books about living frugally. Another book I started to read was America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right On The Money by Steve and Annette Economides.  They have a lot of the same philosophies as Dave Ramsey but do a few things differently. I just search frugal living in Amazon and there were a TON of titles that came up. How about

Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six by Juliet Corson.  Umm, hello YES PLEASE!

Bottom line: Don't buy more than you can afford!!  My hub and I are working on getting out of debt and staying out of debt forever. It feels good to get any amount paid off. I know that we can live within our means and be happy.  A lot of the time, trying to be creative and frugal is like a game.  It's a challenge to try and cut your costs in your bills, groceries and fun money.  What do YOU do to try and save money? Is there a trick or tip that you live by? I would love to hear it so I can use it too.