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What I mean by this: Look at the big picture first before trying to save money on the small stuff.

Go through your budget and put your expenses into categories. Then examine expenditures within those categories from there.

An example from my life: The largest expenses in my budget are my mortgage, food, purchases for the home(pets, household items like toilet paper, etc.) and then gas.

When I am trying to save more money, I look at food, home purchases, and gas first.

I made a separate post quite some time ago about how adopting a frugal mindset should make your life better- aside from saving money. Less stress, more time, removing a dreaded task from your list of things to do. It should not be "one more thing to do" or yet another stressor to endure. Think about the full picture of your lifestyle and how thinking frugally can help.

An example of something I have done recently, tying these thoughts together:

I drive about 45 minutes(~26 miles) to and from work 5 days a week. Beginning last summer, I started teleworking 1 day per week, without realizing that the policy at my workplace is that I would be eligible to telework up to 3 days per week. My job is public-facing, so I was hesitant not to be at my office any more than that. However, I worked with my colleagues and supervisor to figure out a way that I could telework an additional day each week, rearranging my tasks so I could do more at home with my schedule.

I love working at home, so there are many benefits for me for doing this besides not having to drive 50+ more miles a day and spending an hour and a half in the car. I don't have to wake up so early, rush around to get out the door, or keep up with as much laundry due to wearing my work uniform more. I can spend more time with my pets and husband. It's mentally much better for me.

But also, there's many hidden financial savings. I'd estimate that 50 miles is about $8 of gas. So on top of the other benefits, I'm saving $32 +additional maintenance on my car each month. That's enough to pay for 2 of my streaming services.

I'd highly recommend this top-down approach. The small expenditures might be easier to see day to day, but I think it can be more stressful too, if you're spending a lot of time and energy if you're not looking at the big picture first.



January 26, 2022 at 10:24PM

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