How Far do you make your dollars Stretch?
 

I was Curious ChiefsPlanet..

How far can you Stretch your money?

I know some of you have got well paying jobs, lots of money in savings and investments, etc... but how did you get that way?

I also Know some of you live Check to check, month to month day to day, and just get by but dont really have any savings at all? (cough cough - the boat im in)

If anyone that has good financial know how is willing to share their budget and or stretching stratigies with us that would be great as well

Thanks for you time

Drink half a gallon of whole milk.

Replace the missing half with water and shake it really good.

You've got skim milk...beautiful.

And at $4 a gallon you'll save a whole lot of cash, especially if you have children.

That trick could work with , Juices, and soda's as well ;)

Turn that Pepsi into Diet Pepsi. Half the calories and sugar per 12 ounce serving.

Stop going out to eat as much as possible. You will save gas, $$$, and calories most likely...

I ignore buying the most common big company names that are pretty expensive and go for the cheaper one.

Limiting my eating out, as well as walking more often to grocery stores instead of driving.

I'm jewish. Period. I like my money, and I do any and everything possible to save one single solitary dollar.

I cut coupons, I buy shit in bulk when it's on sale. If I buy something off of some random site on teh intraweb, I google for coupon codes for the site.

Frugal.

I have a good paying job and have had one for years. When I first started making good money I still spent it as faster than I made it.

Lesson #1 Unless you control your spending habits you will always spend everything you make.

Make a budget for everything and live in that budget. Maybe I am a bit anal about it but I can go back and tell you how much I spent on each budgeted item from as far back as 1993. Quit trying to keep up with the Jones's next door.

Lesson #2 Earning intrest on you money is good Paying intrest on your belongings is bad. With the exception of a home. Mortgage money is cheap money and is not a bad form of debt.

Don't get suckered into the cycle of owing on your credit cards. Get 1 or 2 cards and pay them off every month. Also try to get some form of rewards card. Myself I use Capital One for the Air Miles.

Lesson #3 Go get the book the "The Richest Man in Babylon" And follow those principals. Which is basically 10% of everything you make is yours to keep. That 10% should end up working for you making you money. You have to save to get ahead.

You rang?

I'm a single dad with two boys. Money's tight at times, but we get by... because honestly, we don't have a choice.

Some times you have to eat hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. It's not fine dining, but it wont kill ya.

Not quickly, anyway. ;)

That shit is pretty good. We eat it in my house broke or not.

Edit: I will say that it has been over 5 months since I've indulged in this fine delicacy for reasons stated below.

I can recall many a night with the finest All-Save mac-and-cheese, mixed with Fun Dogs... delicious stuff really.

My dad raised my brother and I on that type of stuff, we're still alive..must be something good about it.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, it's not always like that... but there are times.

Oh, I get ya, but kids will really eat anything. You don't have to give a kid steak and shrimp to make them happy.

LMAO Yeah...

If I stocked the freezer with nothing but corn dogs and ice cream, they'd be good for about 8 more years.

Depends on how soon my dealer calls me back.