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Well I haven’t written in a few days, and I thought I would write about being broke. It’s not something that we like, but it is a fact of life. The question is can we take something positive away from it once we get money?

Here is what I would like to propose to all of you that have debt, and are broke right now. Take this as a learning lesson. Lets break this down for a moment. When you have money in your pocket, you can easily spend it on things you think you need. When you all the sudden are broke you are able to somehow get by. It really comes down to having options.

Here is what I want you to do. When you get your next pay check or get money from somewhere, I want you to continue in the mindset you had when you had no money in the bank or in your pocket. Pay all your bills first, then buy groceries, then whatever you have left, put it in a jar, or put it all in a savings account. Make sure you have just enough for gas to get around for the next week or 2, and live broke!

This is going to accomplish several things. It is going to prepare you for when you really are broke, and it is going to teach you to live within your means. living within our means is probably the thing that gets so many of us in trouble and in debt. But enough on that. That for another day.

My budgeting talk may not be as snazzy as J over at BudgetsAreSexy.com, but I can tell you one thing. I did bring lunch today and yesterday. The new article he wrote on bringing lunch or buying lunch reassured me I was doing the right thing when today all my co-workers asked me if I was going to eat Quiznos  (chicken carbonara fan), and I replied with a…”I think I am going to eat my bowl of soup I brought.” Yes it sucks sometimes but you gotta do it. I can’t even begin to tell you folks how much loot I was spending on eating out before I came to my senses.

Lets just say on the low end I was spending 6 bucks a day on food. Multiply that times 30 days a month. Thats $180 bucks just on lunch. Wowsers!

But lets just talk about the type of food you eat at work if you BYOL (bring your own lunch). I ate soup today that consisted of lentils, celery, ham pieces, spices and garlic. This meal in all cost about $6 bucks to make and will last me at least 6 meals. Now I don’t know about you but I can’t stomach PB&J all week like J can.

What I can tell you is that you can still have a tasty meal despite the fact that you aren’t going to eat with your co-workers during the week. Another great meal that I am going to eat tomorrow is pasta with italian sausage. The total cost of that meal was 8 bucks and will feed me about 5 times.

Enough about what I am eating, the point is that unless you want to throw away money that you will never see again eating lunch then “BYOL”. Here is how I try to look at things. Lunch is cheap, but Dinner time can be nicer. If you are already blowing money eating out for those 2 meals, at least cut back on one. In the process you should be able to save yourself a cool $150-250 a month.  Good thing I don’t drink Starbucks or I would really be screwed

I have always wondered why people want to go look at things they want  when they don’t have the money to buy it. Lets look at why staying away from the shops and for you ladies, the mall can be important.

There are those that buy on impulse, and there are those that buy because they feel they need something. The impulsive buyer can always justify needing everything, and the person that buys based on  need will purchase something they have been wanting for a long time whether they need it or not, because they feel they need it.

Here is what I am saying. If you think you need something, are you getting along without it now? If you want something, are you getting along in life without having it now? If the brutal answer is yes, then stay the heck away from going to places you know you have no business at. I’m not saying to never treat or buy yourself anything. I’m merely stating that when you avoid something that is tempting all together you make things a lot easier on yourself. You also help yourself to stop dwelling on what you don’t have.

Personal Example

Let me give you an example. I have been wanting a new dining table for a while. Whats wrong with the dining table I have now? Absolutely nothing. So then we could all agree this is a want rather than a need. Now I can easily justify that the table we have now is too small and just is not conducive for us to have more than a couple guests to our home for a meal, but then that would be justifying me buying a table today. Whats the solution to making sure I don’t go out and blow the money we don’t have on a new one? Don’t go to Ikea! Simple as that. I also am not going to browse the web looking at new tables either.

What’s the Solution

So you still have something specific that you really want, and you don’t have the money for it. The solution is simple. Start a separate fund to purchase that item. Be patient and budget out how much you can afford to save each week for that specific thing you want. If you already know what the general price for it is, then save up to that amount, and then begin searching for a better deal online, or checking on weekend specials. Once you find it at a lower price, then pocket the difference you saved and start a new fund. Congratulations… you just got a jump start on a new savings fund. Remember that being frugal is not about buying what you want even when you have the money the money to do so. It’s about saving money even when you don’t need too.

There is a pretty witty method that people have been using to make money as affiliates for several products which tell you they will teach you how to make money by placing links on Google. It appears to be legit when you look at the referring site, and here is why.

You may actually be on a legitimate site such as CNN or even NYTimes.com who recently also had an article on this method. What you might see is sponsored ads somewhere on the page. Since you know that you are already on a trusted site, you might click on that ad which might be entitled “Make Money From Home” or “How I Make $5000 A Month With Google”. Once you click on this ad link, you will be taken to a site that appears to be a news site reporting about someone who has gotten paid to put links on Google. Just to make things even look more believable you will even find comments on the same page of other people who say they have tried it, and also made money. Obviously this is just to lure you in to signing up.

The real enticing call to action from these scammers is that it will only cost you a couple bucks for shipping to receive the free program. But in reality you will be signing up to be billed on your credit card for $40 or $50 per month.

Below is a simple illustration of how it works.

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