RECESSION PROOFING YOUR FAMILY POST 3/6: START CUTTING BACK

Dave Ramsey says “Your greatest wealth building tool is your income.” The more of your income you keep, the better off you’ll be. Keeping more of your income requires looking at your outgo. 
As you are making your plans for defending your Four Walls, take a look at your spending and pinpoint where you can cutback the outgo.
Start with looking at these areas:
Eating out - do you really need to eat out as much as you do, or could you start cooking at home more? Cooking at home can take more time, but can save you a lot. 
Extras at the grocery store - Do you go to the store with a plan and a list and stick to that list and limit trips to the store? The less time spent in stores the less tempted you are to add to your list. Maybe consider using the grocery pick up services to keep yourself (and children) out of the store.
Your premium cable package - those cable bills are killers! Cut the cord! How many of those channels do you really watch? 
That drink/treat you like to grab on the way home - do you catch yourself stopping to pick up a little something? Cutting these out can be good for your wallet and your waistline. 
Streaming services - these can really add up. Do you really use all the ones you are paying for?
Your subscriptions - this is an area a lot of people don’t think about. Are you paying for things you don’t really use? Could you access that magazine’s information online for free? Do you use that digital storage plan as much as you thought? Could you use the free version of your music streaming app?
Phone services - perhaps there’s a cheaper plan. Try looking at bundling with a family member and sharing some of the cost. Maybe switching providers will give you a better deal. And while we are at it, do you really need the latest and greatest phone, or does the one you have function just fine? 
You might find yourself surprised by how much is spent here and there thinking it’s only $5 here or $10 there. It can really add up each month. 
As you make the cuts, don’t spend it on wants, put it towards your emergency fund or your debt elimination plan. We’ll talk more about these areas coming up... Stay tuned!