Embrace your budget

How does someone maintain a budget and still manage to live comfortably? Personally I think I've managed pretty well, and have seen how elegant ones life can be the simpler it becomes.Food we know, has become America's favorite past time and I saw how indefinitely this was the first thing to change when I began spending less. Spending money on fast food everyday, I knew could no longer continue.

The lure is that fast food is cheap and fast. As a transformed and determined non-meat eater, the lure becomes weaker and a bit repulsive. It's no longer cheap food for me, but cheap meat. I challenge anyone to not eat any animal product for a few weeks and deny the savings it makes.

Try the super market instead, you'll find it's surprisingly fun. Why not prepare your own food instead of getting "mystery meat" and obvious grease? Learn to cook, it'll make you a better functional human being; do not be satisfied with the garbage that fast food companies hand feed you.

Secondly, there are the forms of entertainment one chooses to have that affect their finance. Say you do begin to cook and prepare your own food, that's another skill you've developed. You can have making food with your girlfriend or boyfriend an alternative option instead of spending a load of cash at an over-priced restaurant.

I noticed when I was making money most of my day was spent thinking about how to spend it. Try going to Boarders or a Barnes and Noble and picking up a booking you want to read cover to cover.

Find community events going on around you that are free or cheap. Don't do the same thing every weekend but try something different that doesn't involve spending so much money.

Make exercising an everyday simple activity, not a luxury dependant on a gym membership. Walk your dog, if you have one; go to the park, ride a bike to school, or just going to do an errand. You can work out your whole body without a gym. Do some push-ups and do some squats. Go swimming at a pool, a lake or the beach. You'll feel good working out while saving your money.

Also, take it easy on spending money on clothes; keeping up with the latest fashion is the surest route to a never-ending circle. Be aware of your shopping habits, don't be a huge consumer like companies so strongly want you to be.

Finally of course, there are relationships. I have to admit I become a little irritated when I see couples who have to spend money on their partner to keep them interested. It's like they have a girlfriend or boyfriend just to have another excuse to spend money. I know someone who recently bought his girlfriend a $400 Coach bag just because she spent around the same amount on his gift.

A girlfriend or boyfriend shouldn't be an expense but a relief from always spending. How beautiful would it be if your special somebody was just like a friend who just loved spending time with you, regardless of what you're doing or where you are. After all I thought that's what a relationship was supposed to be. Being single is not so bad either.

So embrace your budget, learn from it, and try new things with it. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, I think it's a blessing for anyone willing to embrace it. I hope you're able to open your eyes to what you already have.