By ERIN TURNER
The resolutions have been written and we’re already a week into the New Year. (Click here to set up frugal resolutions.)
So, now it is time put those resolutions into action! Here’s what I’m doing right now to accomplish my frugal yearly goals:
- Revisiting our household budget. It’s time to shake out the cobwebs and clean-up our operating budget. We’ve had this budget established for a number of years and it doesn’t fit our needs anymore, so we will be looking at each category (e.g. grocery, utilities, clothing, etc.) and readjusting what and where we spend. Our hope is to consolidate things and move to an even more cash-based budget which ultimately allows us to save more money. (Want to know more about setting up a budget? Click here.)
- Cleaning and re-organizing my coupon book. I have outgrown my current binder. It won’t close anymore and barely holds what I need it to, so I’m upgrading to a larger size! While I make this transition, I will also clean out any expired coupons and tightened up the organization of the coupons. (Check out how to set up a coupon book here!)
- Taking an inventory of all gift cards. I have a super great place to store all the gift cards we get for gifts but they seem to stay there because we forget we have them. I’m going to take an inventory of the cards and keep this information in my coupon binder so we can utilize these great gifts!
- Get back into menu planning. The holidays threw us out of our routine of menu planning and healthy eating! I’m so happy to get back into a practice of planning out healthy, whole food meals. Menu planning saves us lots of money and saves me lots of time and energy. Stay tuned because we will be entering our yearly Pantry Challenge in the next month!
- Decluttering and re-organizing. I live for this time of year when the house gets a good cleaning out. Doing this makes us money! How, you ask? Because we are gathering items for our annual garage sale this spring. Any unwanted items that aren’t donated first make their way to the garage for our sale. The boys and I just “gutted” their playroom to make room for their new Christmas toys. By purging their old toys, they not only made room and will make lots of cash this spring too! (Read here about our annual clean-out.) Also, by organizing our house we keep better track of our belongings thus avoiding the dreaded, “I thought we had one those? Hmm, guess we better pick one up at the store since we need it right now!”
These five actions will help me get going and accomplish those New Years’ resolutions!
Sometimes when we make general resolutions like, “get organized” or “save money,” we get overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. It is easier to make an action plan to accomplish the overall goal. (Think: WHAT action can I take to be successful in this resolution?)
So, get a plan, start some action, and 2013 will be your stellar year of successful resolutions!
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Erin’s got tons of tips for saving money, couponing, sticking to a budget, and living sustainably in her blog archive. And be sure to check out the Missoula Save it Club.
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Erin Eisenman-Turner is proud to be a native Missoulian. Along with her husband and three sons, they raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, and vegetables at Turner Family Farms in the Orchard Homes area. When the farm chores are done, the coupons clipped, and the blog written, you can find Erin exploring Montana, collecting antiques, and trying to maintain a well-run, happy, and organized home for her family.
