You May Be Ready For Some Drastic Changes In Your Life

Have you ever noticed that the people with the least amount of money often have happier family lives, and more free time? Why?

It's no coincidence that those with enough money to meet the necessities, but not enough to indulge in excess frivolity in life are often the less stressed, more content people around. Because they' ve learned an important lesson: happiness isn' t about acquiring things. The more we have, the more stress we add to our lives and the more time we take away from our families. Many newlyweds don' t find financial success for years down the road, yet they never seem as content once they' ve" made it" to the better neighborhood and the bigger house, as they did during those initial years of struggle. Houses take upkeep. Big yards need to be mowed. Pools need to be cleaned.

Private schools need to be paid for, and every car you own needs to be maintained. This all takes time, energy and money. Even the clothes spilling from your closet need to be washed, hung and put away. Many are finding that the cost of ownership is becoming too high, both financially and emotionally, causing a backlash to today's overindulgent way of life. Becoming debt free isn' t as hard as it may seem. Simplicity is making a comeback, allowing overindulgence and debt to take a ride, for an easier and less stressful way of life. It just requires taking a good hard look at your life, setting new priorities and cutting out all the stuff that only manages to add stress and chaos to your life, for a more stable financial future.

If you marvel at that statistic, wondering if it could ever be possible to live on half of what you do now, consider how and what your family spends their money on. Some experts say that the average middle class American could cut their annual expenses in half by simply cutting out the excess waste in their budgets. Now, consider these cost- cutting moves for a more cost- effective way of life: Cut Out The Excess: Movies, lattes, dinners, vending machine snacks, top, designer clothes- flight golf clubs. Free yourself from the baggage of excess debt and worry. These are frivolous( yet enjoyable) things that the average middle- class American considers necessities. Add up all the non- essential things and activities that your family spends money on throughout the year.

Now, we' re not saying that you shouldn' t have any fun, or enjoy special activities. The number may amaze you! The key here is to choose carefully, and trim the excess. Yet, we indulge in that sort of overindulgence on a regular basis for dozens of items. No one needs 20 pairs of jeans in their closet. Our children do not need to be in basketball, gymnastics and voice lessons all at the same time. Choose the ONE activity or club per season that means the most, and let the rest go.

It's exhausting and expensive. It isn' t just the cost of the excess activities that you' ll save, but the gas money it costs to run your children from place to place. The fundraisers you won' t be participating in anymore. The fast food you buy on busy nights. The cost of snacks during the event. Begin simplifying your life and budget by first trimming the excess. Among others.

Make Substitutions: From buying generic products at the supermarket, to camping at the beach instead of staying at a luxury hotel, substituting cheaper ways to buy and do things can all aid your quest for a simpler life and less financial distress. Here are a few places to start: -Rent new DVD's instead of buying them. For many, the change may be drastic, while others will find it an enjoyable challenge to discover new ways to keep the same activities on less money. Better yet, borrow them from friends, family or the library. Early bird entrees can be as much as half the price, just by being seated at your favorite restaurant at 5 pm instead of 6 pm. -Go on vacation during the off- season. So you won' t see new releases the first week they come out, but does that really matter? -Take the family out to dinner a little earlier. Peak vacation times are more crowded and expensive.

The weather is still great. Instead of heading to the shore during the fourth of July, opt for the first week of June, or mid- September instead. The hotels and restaurants are running killer specials. The only things you may be missing out on are some of those expensive touristy attractions and trendy boardwalk stores. And the crowds are gone. Go into town and purchase your souvenirs from a local shopkeeper instead. -Use Coupons.

Many stores, restaurants and attractions offer wonderful coupon deals on services and products. They' re not just for groceries anymore. Get the rugs in three rooms of your house shampooed for the price of 1 on Tuesdays. These are all great coupon deals that can help you save money with very little effort or change. -Buy Gifts Throughout The Year. Get your dry- cleaning done for half price on Thursdays. Whether it's for Christmas, or anniversary, a birthday, watch the clearance racks for great gifts all year through.

Take advantage of these deep discounts to save hundreds on this year's gift giving. Almost every store, no matter how expensive- - has end of season clearance sales where they discount everything from toys and games to fine jewelry and house wares anywhere from 50- 80% in order to make room for new merchandise. Never Pay Full Price: Eventually, everything goes on sale- maybe even clearance! Never pay full price, and if you do out of necessity, keep your receipts. From food, shoes and luggage to clothes, sporting goods and candy, every store finds it necessary to move goods out to make room for new merchandise eventually, and offers the items on discount to do it. Many stores will pay you the difference if an item goes on sale within 30 days of your purchase with a sales receipt.

High- end consignment shops are an excellent place to find good quality( and often brand new) merchandise at a fraction of the cost. Buying used items is also another way to save big. Everyone buys things they never wear or use, and often try to get rid of them by consigning them at a local store. You may be ready for some drastic changes in your life. Consider Some Drastic Changes: Want to save the big bucks? Here are a few ways to save thousands every year: -Downsize Your Home.

Is 3- acres of land too much to care for? Have you realized that 3, 000 square feet of house is more than a family of 4 really needs? It may be a good time to sell your home and buy a smaller one. Do you really need two or three cars? Downsizing from a larger home to a more reasonable one can save you thousands on mortgage costs, upkeep, utilities, and more. -Sell Your Car. Once you begin to rid your family life of those excess activities and such, you may find it possible to either get rid of your second car, or sell it and pay cash for a used one instead. -Get Rid of Anything That Costs You Money To Upkeep. Anything that costs money to maintain and/ or upkeep can go. -Ditch the Vacation.

Ditch the pool, the vacation home, the hot tub, boat, even your perfectly, trailer manicured lawn. Stay home instead. As you can see, less expensive life, living a simpler doesn' t have to mean giving up all the fun stuff. Or take a few day trips in your area to save big bucks. It does mean setting new priorities and finding new ways to achieve your goals without all the added expense.