Time to Trim!

Well, there's nothing left to do now but to get busy. The wreath has been tossed, the last cookie has thankfully been eaten so let's regroup. I'm seeing the belts tightening and it's not necessarily due to the holiday treats! It's a pivotal economic time and while we are going to watch an historical event take place on the 20th, I dare say, it's not going to cause things to balance out over night. There are a few things we can do, in the meantime, to work towards getting things in control at home and in our wallets. The holiday splurges will trickle in and need to be addressed. Better to deal with the credit card balance now then later after excessive interest has accumulated. Some things will naturally be slowing down so use this time to pay down the bills and save what you can. Little things at home that help save ready cash for this purpose is to lower the thermostat when you go to work and at night while sleeping. If you don't mind, keep it a tad lower all day and wear a fuzzy fleece pullover, just for a month. See what you can do to drop the heating bills. Along those lines if you leave a room, turn off any unneeded lighting. Teach this to the kids anyway, it's a good habit to follow. Are you paying for a cable service you don't use? Can you discontinue your monthly trips to the wine shop or buy a bottle or two instead of a case? How about the newspaper subscription? Are you reading it every day? Can you read online? Same with a few of your magazines. Wash your clothes in cold water unless extremely soiled. Grocery stores are sending lots of email deals and coupons, so shop smart! Don't take the kids, if you can help it! They'll tend to add another $25-30 to your final bill with things you don't remember placing in your cart! At least mine always managed to do just this when younger! Plan a night out...in! Dig out some board games, some great DVD's you haven't watched in a while or borrow from a neighbor. Open a cookbook and pick a quick and easy family friendly meal, like Sloppy Joe's or a pot pie and have a family candlelit dinner in the dining room. Let one family member serve each course and imagine you're at a fabulous French restaurant. Retire to the family room for popcorn and movies. Dim the lights and grab a blanket. Far more relaxing than the theater and certainly more cost effective. I challenge you to find some creative and effective ways to save a bit and get expenses back on track sooner than you think. Send me some of your own ideas for trimming down, it's interesting to see what priorities aren't maybe so important, isn't it? Good luck, Miriam