Living Lean

She says:

I just finished reading this article from the Chicago”>http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/investing/personalfinance/chi-0605280025may28,1,2213253.story?coll=chi-businessyourmoney-hed”>Chicago Tribune. Basically it lists some really practical things to do if you are drowning in debt. Here are some of the ideas from their article for cutting costs so you can save up some cash.

1. Get rid of all non-essential expenses.
2. Cut those monthly expenses like cable tv.
3. Cook your meals at home.
4. Sell everything you can (as in ebay all the stuff you have).
5. Sell the car.

It is a good list of ideas, especially if you’ve never considered them before.Â We implemented pretty much the above method early on in our marriage when I left my job. The cable tv was the first thing to go along with the eating out. By cutting our costs it enabled us to get a really good handle on our finances and we have been debt free ever since!Â We’ve always believed in managing what we have, and not letting it manage us.Â I think the living debt free has been one of the major factors in the harmony of our marriage.Â After you live lean for a while, it just comes naturally.Â However, it does take quite a bit of time to get to that point.