Let's face it, we're a nation of overspenders.  Advertisements seduce us into buying stuff that isn't really worthwhile, and credit cards enable us to delay the financial consequences of overspending.  On a more personal level, people often buy material goods because they hope to impress others with a status symbol.  In reality, it is your personal qualities that will impress or turn away other people.  The more money you allow to fly out of your wallet, the more time you'll need to spend working to replace that money.

Getting Motivated: Use Less, Spend Less

Make your money work towards helping you do something you really love doing!  Think about it this way:  A dollar saved is two dollars earned.  For most people, about 50% of spendable income is sucked away by various taxes, so saving a buck is twice as useful as earning one.

To reduce overspending, just do these four simple things:

	Thriftiness: Make Money By Saving Money   Time to complete:   Varies Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Varies Step-by-step instructions:  Think about what is really important to you, what you've enjoyed most in your life.  To what extent was spending money necessary for your enjoyment?  Were there less expensive ways of getting enjoyment out of life? Whenever you buy something, think twice.  Just before you place the order, think about the amount of time and work you need to exchange in order to acquire the purchase.  Was it worth it? Save your receipts.  At the end of each month, look at your spending.  Did you enjoy your purchases as much as you thought you would?  You'll probably be surprised at how expensive some of your spending patterns are.  What were the most costly expenses, and how can you reduce them? Think about how you want your situation to improve.  Try to imagine what it is you really, really want.  Do you need to save more money in order to achieve it?  Do you want to... Take more time off work, to enjoy your life more? Buy something you haven't been able to afford, until now? Apply your savings towards accomplishing your greatest dream? Buy an improved education for yourself or your children? Move to a better neighborhood? Get a job doing what you enjoy most? Start your own business enterprise? Save for retirement or a rainy day? Spend it on a person or worthy cause that you love? For some more ideas on thrifty living, visit the Dollar Stretcher's Voluntary Simplicty articles. Further Reading: The Dollar Stretcher has a large number of articles about all sorts of money-related topics, many of them contributed by the over 100,000 readers of its newsletter. Cheapskate Monthly also has many excellent thrift tips, slanted mainly to homemakers. Consumer Magazines to help you get the most for your dollar, free trials available. Mary Hunt's the Complete Cheapskate, a top-rated book about saving money and getting out of debt, available at Amazon.com. The Complete Tightwad Gazette, a top-rated book about thrifty living, available at Amazon.com.

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(...	2. Cutting luxuries
	3. Entertainment
	4. On the cheap
	5. A spending plan
	6. Holiday savings
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