When my husband and I wrote our Debt Freedom Plan, we made a commitment to scrutinize our monthly expenses to find money to put towards our plan.
But one thing we didn’t want to do was feel like we were living a life of “lack” or sacrifice. We want to have our cake and eat it too. We want to achieve our financial goals, but still enjoy life.
With some action and planning, my husband and I were able cut $300 out of our monthly budget without feeling too much pain or like we were making a significant sacrifice.
How We Cut $300 from our Monthly Expenses
1. Gym Membership
My husband and I have been members of a fitness facility for most of our marriage. We use the gym, so we’ve never felt like it was a waste of money. Last summer my husband started volunteering at the Y in exchange for a free family membership and now we have all of the benefits of the gym, but not the monthly fee. And his hours at the Y fit into his and our family’s schedule well. To read more about our experience, read How to Get a FREE Gym Membership.
Our Savings: $67 a month or almost $800 a year.
2. Cable TV & Land Line
Last year we decided that it was time to cut the cable cord when our bill increased dramatically. My family was watching way too much addictive cable TV anyway and my husband and I were not happy with the new price, so the decision was very easy. We decided to cut the land line cord too since we both have cell phones. At the time we kept the internet service with that provider, but were recently offered a better price with their competitor, so we are taking advantage of the two year offer.
Cutting cable is definitely a big step, but it you’re ready to take the leap, find out How We Watch Great TV Without Cable.
Our savings: $55 a month or $660 a year.
3. Groceries
In 2013, our average monthly grocery spending was $635. I knew I could do better, so in January 2014, I made a commitment to reduce our grocery spending, but not sacrifice the quality of food and meals that I fed my family.
Since January, our average grocery spending has been $450 a month just by being more disciplined and diligent with my planning. For a glimpse at what I buy and what we eat, read How I Spent $425 in March.
For my system, read my 11 Simple Meal Planning Tips.
Our savings: $184 a month.
I’m always looking for new ideas on how to cut back on spending without feeling a major sacrifice to our lifestyle. What have you done? Let us know in the comments.
Photo Credit: Dollars
We exercise at home so we don’t have to pay for a gym membership. We haven’t had cable TV or land lines for many years. We rent a lot of DVDs from our local library for free so we don’t miss TV at all. I try to cut our grocery spending by continually learning how to make more and more items from scratch. It’s incredible how much these savings add up, isn’t it? Thanks for the post.
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup recently posted…I Am Not A Gentile
Recently I saved some by curing down on our cell phone data plans. We had more than we needed and with it being cut everyone seems to be just as happy.
That’s a great tip. Everyone should check their phone plans periodically to make sure it still fits their needs.
Cutting cable is such a huge money saver! And planning ahead can save us in so many areas of our budget…especially with groceries. Love this post! Hope you’ll stop by finsavsat!
Femme @ femmefrugality recently posted…Financially Savvy Saturdays: Forty-Seventh Edition
Great tips! I’ve been trying to sit down and figure out which expenses we can cut. These are definitely among them!
Chelsey recently posted…How I Monetized My Blog
Thanks, Chelsey. I’m glad this gave you some ideas.
I definitely agree with all of your points! Gym memberships and cable bills are pretty unnecessary these days, and you can save so much money by planning your shopping trips! We’ve seen a 40% decrease in our grocery bill by shopping with coupons and diligently waiting for sales, even as we’ve eaten more natural, healthy food. It can be done! Thanks for this post; saving money can be a lot easier than people sometimes think!
Alex Guglielmo recently posted…How Priceblink saves you money
You’re welcome, Alex. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
We have done many of the same things! We cut the gym membership 4 years ago (would have taken 20 minutes to get there when we moved). Then, we cut Direct TV because they were constantly increasing our bill. Once you are past the two year agreement, they don’t care what you pay. They aren’t for helping established customers. The good deals are only given to new customers to keep them coming in. I’ve started tracking our groceries and when items go on sale. One big change that’s going to occur this year is that I am going to be planting a garden with the veggies our family eats. I will be working this summer and fall to grow, harvest, and blanch for freezer storage. I’m hoping to cut most vegetables out of my budget.
Brittani – it’s so rewarding to eat food that you’ve grown. Good luck with your garden. Cutting out vegetables from your grocery budget will definitely free up extra cash. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.