Fiscal Cliff Survival Guide: Get A Map / Have A Plan

I am going to give you a lot of options, because we are all different, in different situations and have different needs.

The goal is to find an extra $200 a month to make up for what is being taken out of your checks. Choose a few of the options/ideas that will work for your family.

We are NOT extreme couponing here. There is only a small # of people who this will work for long term. Many people have tried and get frustrated and quit completely that is not the goal. We don’t need 100 tubes of toothpaste to find that $200.

Spending Freeze – One week a month DONT SPEND ANYTHING. Seriously. Don’t spend any money. Live off what you have already. This means, going to the grocery store, eating out, make your own entertainment. You know what I mean. Yes, obviously if you need milk, go get it, or toilet paper. BUT try not to, plan ahead the week before. I PROMISE you will SAVE a lot of money thinking and planning this way. Try to schedule this for weeks where you don’t have a child’s birthday or some of event like that. It doesn’t have to be the same week each month.

Set a budget – We hear this all the time. But have you ever done it? Try it. TODAY. Sit down with the husband and kids and spell it all out. Tell them, WE ARE CUTTING BACK. Make each person accountable to everyone else in the family. Keep track and have you family help you.

• FREE Resources: 
• Manila – Manilla.com is the free service that allows you to manage everything in your life in a single place. Manilla.com and the 4+ star Manilla mobile apps organize and simplify your life by providing one secure access point and a single password to access all of your household accounts including financial, utilities, subscriptions, daily deals and travel rewards.
• Household budget template
• Personal Budget monthly spreadsheet
• Family Budget planner
• Debt Reduction spreadsheet
• Personal Budget Worksheet
• Super Basic Budgeting Sheet

Create a “Gift Closet” – Don’t do this overnight, that will not save you any money.  But if you can spend $5 on a $15 gift that you know you will be able to give for a gift later on, grab one. Add this into your budget though and don’t get crazy.

Get the Paper – Get 1-2 Sunday news papers a week. Many of you already do this, but I am going to specifically tell you what to stock up on each week. You don’t have to get crazy like me ( I get 5 papers a week) but you will need to get 1-2 to make getting some things discounted each week.

Get Organized – Each week I am going to focus on one part of your home to get organized. The less clutter, the earier to find stuff. How many times have you bought something because you couldn’t find the one you had, only to find it AFTER you bought the new one. Frustrating! Being unorganized COSTS YOU MONEY!

STOP EATING OUT – Sorry, I hate yelling, and this was really directed at me. Eating out is not only not good for you, but it costs a LOT of money. If you are going to eat out, commit to only eating out if you have a coupon or are in some way getting a discount. Like with a kids eat free night. Otherwise eat at home. I have a TON of recipes, PLUS I do a Monday meal plan AND I am redoing my “nav bar” at the top of my page so that you can find recipes easier.

Cancel Services – Can you get rid of cable? How many of you have Amazon Prime AND Netflix AND Cable AND…. many of these overlap and provide a lot of the same services, or enough of the same that you can delete one or the other. Personally, I wont get rid of Amazon Prime as this is essential to me saving money with free shipping on my toiletries and some groceries. I get free streaming movies and TV with it as well, I really don’t need Netflix.

What about your cell service? Can you change your monthly program and pay less. Car insurance? When was the last time you called and asked for a discount? Did you know you can do that?!

Make sure to follow me on MyLitter Deals Facebook Page. That is a Facebook page more like a forum. You can ask questions on other readers and they don’t get lost and buried. Just ask to be a member and I will approve you.