Most of us are concerned with the economy. Recession seems to be sitting on a park bench right around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to buy it a hotdog. Economists tell us that the surest way to avoid recession is to spend, spend, spend, spend. That’s right, folks. We, the consumers, have the power to save our country simply by bankrupting ourselves. Gosh. I’m afraid I’m just not that patriotic.

A little background here; without getting into too much detail, my husband and I are clinging to the lowest rung on the middle class ladder and I think it has a crack in it. It’s a good thing that neither of us carries much change in our pockets. The extra weight could be fatal. I’m no expert in finance, but one of the biggest perks I get working at the circulation desk here at the library is that hundreds of books, magazines, and newspapers pass through my hands every day. We have a large selection of materials on how to manage your money or how to manage to keep some of your money. I’ve found that the best way to get practical information you can successfully implement is to take out a lot of different books on the same subject and look up whatever applies to your personal situation. You can usually pick up one or two good tips from each resource.

With about a million children (5 actually) who all went to catholic schools K through 12 and then four of whom went on to four years of college each, we haven’t had a whole lot of money left over to bank. Now in our later years we are enjoying the challenge of paying off multiple, multiple loans while trying to continue to eat and wear clothes. I’ve found a few ways to control our spending which real human beings can live with. I would like to share them with you.

As the old adage goes, a penny saved is a penny earned. Translation, don’t spend it in the first place. Big tip number 1 is before you buy, ask yourself “Do I need it or do I want it”. 99.9% of the time the answer will be “I don’t need it”. This can be very tough which is why tip number 2 is huge: Stay out of places where you’re tempted to buy; such as shoe stores if you love shoes, book stores if you love books, don’t shop on the web, etc. Stop nickel and diming yourself to death. Pack a lunch for work everyday, stay away from vending machines, make your coffee at home, don’t buy magazines from the newsstand (borrow them from the library) keep snacks in your glove compartment, don’t buy bottled water use a refillable sports bottle, don’t go out for dinner every time you turn around. I’m sure you have your own monetary downfalls. Our biggest temptation is going out to dinner. I’ve found that if I mark the kitchen calendar each time we do, we go out a lot less often. Sometimes these things are unavoidable or you just want to have some fun. The trick is to not make a habit of them. It’s very easy to leak money, just pay attention.

At home, control spending where you can. I run around like a crazy woman turning off lights. I think to myself, if there was a power outage, would I need a lantern or a flashlight to do this. Run the washer and drier for the shortest time to accomplish the task. Don’t run the dishwasher (if you have one) unless it’s full. Keep the number of long distance phone calls down. Buy the new energy saving light bulbs. Everyone has their Achilles heel, mine is the heat. I do have to have the heat set at a comfortable temperature, about 68 degrees, because I can’t stand to be cold. When we’re home, we supplement our heat with a woodstove. I also turn the heat down to 60 degrees at night.

This tip is wonderful; a gift from the heart is never a waste of money. I don’t think they were talking about a car though.

I realize that we aren’t saving millions, but we are saving enough to pay down our debt a little faster. Who knows, maybe someday we will retire.

When you have a problem it’s a relief to find a solution that is not only helpful but simple and in this case, FREE. If you’d like to learn more about handling your money, come on down and check out a few books. We’ll leave the light on (if it’s dark enough).

Some titles to consider:

The Everything Get Out of Debt Book by Cheryl Kimball

You Don't Have to be Rich by Jean Chatzky

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson