Budgeting has become more important than ever.  We all want nice things and to be stable financially, but sometimes it seems near impossible.  The greatest thing I have done to conquer my bills and start catching up was creating a monthly budget for all my expenses.  As time consuming and scary it can be to lay out the bills and figure out how much is spent each month on fixed expenses, it was definitely worth the stress.  Besides creating a spending budget for the non-necessities, my fiance and I started following these easy strategies and trust me they work!

10.  GROCERY EXPENSES: Buying Groceries takes up a huge part of the monthly budget, but here are some easy tips to save- Buy your groceries in bulk, it cost less! – Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, when you are hungry everything looks good - Buy generic canned goods, green beans are green beans – Check the expirations when you buy perishables, obviously you want the freshest – Make a list and use your coupons, these are designed to save you money!

9.   START MAKING YOUR OWN COFFEE AT HOME: Check your bank account and see how much was spent at the coffee shop or gas station on your “Cup of Joe.”  Although coffee is cheap, this adds up very fast and takes quite a dent out of the budget.

8.  REGULATE YOUR ELECTRIC USE:  Turn off your lights, unplugged the power strips and turn off the TV’s!  You may not know it but every time you head to work your power is running and racking up the bill.  This is not a huge increase in the bill but every little bit helps!

7.  PACK A BAG LUNCH 3 TIMES A WEEK:  This can save you up to $50 per week if you play it right.  In most cases you will not only save money, but you will be eating healthier! Click here for healthy lunch ideas

6.  STAY AWAY FROM LAVISH FREINDS:  As silly as this sounds, it can save you a fortune.  Not everyone has the same budget as you and if your friends like to go out and spend money, you will probably too!

5.  DISCONNECT YOUR LAND LINES:  If you have a cell phone why would you ever want to use your land line.  In all reality the only people who call those are telemarketers anyway!

4.  AVOID ATM FEE’S:  If you are the type to take out cash on a regular basis, start taking out more at a time to prevent spending too much on ATM fee’s.  Why would you ever want to spend money to take out your own money???

3.  PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME:  Avoid late fee’s!!!  It is not a bad idea to set up an automatic withdrawal to make sure you are making on-time payments.  Be careful with this strategy, you do not want to overdraft your account on a bill that was forgotten!

2.  ALWAYS PRICE CHECK:  Whether you are buying a car or a new vacuum you should always spend the 5 minutes to price check.  Odds are you will find a better deal than your first choice!

1.  CUT TRANSIT SPENDING:  Everyone’s struggles with this one.  Driving to work can really be a baron on the budget and the best way to cut these bills down are by; Biking to work, Set up a Carpool, Get a Bus Pass, Work from home and Avoid Traffic!  All of these tips can start saving you immediately when it comes to transportation.

This message is brought to you by the property manager of Village Park of Minnetonka