Four Simple Ways to Stay on Budget
By Michelle P. Sharrow, MBA

We are three months into 2010 and I have already had to remind myself on more than one occasion of the resolutions I made for the New Year and my financial goals. Luckily, in addition to temptation, I have stumbled upon four excellent ideas to help me refocus.

Create a Vision Board

Through a listserve that I subscribe to, I learned about a vision board. After a little online research, I learned that a vision board is a collage of positive things (magazine and newspaper clippings, affirmations, etc.) that you would like to see come to pass in your life. While most people seem to create them using poster boards, I decided to create one using a manila file folder. That way I can take it everywhere I go so that I am constantly reminded of the vision that I have for my life which includes getting out of and staying out of debt. While I have not filled in every inch of space, from what I have placed on my vision board, I can tell you that it is already helping me to stay on track. I look at it every single day of the work week.

Removal for Sales Updates for a while

As a blogger and just a lover of deals, I am subscribed to more than my fair share of e-sales advertisements. In fact of the 20 e-mails that I receive daily, about 15 of them are for upcoming sales and deals. While it is great to get good deals on things you need, knowing about every single 50% off sale or clearance offer is very tempting and a budget killer. So I have decided to unsubscribe from several of these mailing lists. It is just as easy to unsubscribe as it is to subscribe and changes to your subscriptions take effect almost immediately.

Toss Sales Brochures & Catalogs Immediately

Not only do I get a ton of electronic notices of deals, but I also get a gazillion catalogs, flyers and brochures. And I absolutely love to thumb through these glossy treats and dog ear things that I like and can squeeze into my household budget. In addition to the visual chaos that these items create around my home, they are also budget killers. Most of these glossy treats come to me via our post office box and rather than bring them home, I have started to toss them before I walk out of the post office.

Just Say No

Okay so with the vision board in tow and the confirmation of removal from several electronic mailing lists, I asked myself what else? And before I can even form another thought, that small voice, the one that I always try to quiet, says to me just walk away. Everyone has it! We just need to stop over powering it with our strong sense of desire. That's right will power! We can reach our financial goals if we learn how to say no and wait until we can actually afford things before we get them. Delayed gratification! TRY IT.

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Michelle is a freelance writer based in Waldorf, Maryland. Her areas of expertise include finances and parenting. .

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