owllover99,

I just saw this thread....you sound like me.....57 & oh well....so what if there's gray in my hair. Makeup I haven't worn for so many years & can't stand to put stuff on my face now because it feels like I'm being suffocated.....that saves so much money. My hair is shoulder length & I just wrap it up & stick a cute barette or something to hold it in place & I get more compliments than I ever did with wearing my hair long.....that saves on having to have it cut also.

I do have one splurge which is my horses & I'm trying to figure out a way to get them here to where I live so my board bills aren't so high. My animals are my children & I believe that when we take them on as a commitment, we follow through.......so my 6 dogs also add to my feeding bill each month. As for me, all I spend the rest of my money on is food, my bills each month & saving for property taxes & other taxes. Seems that emergencies hit & take all the savings that I accomplish away.......so have quite a bit of struggling.

They never say anything about financially induced anorexia.....but there are times when the food is the last thing I have money for. I do shop for easy to make food because otherwise, I probably wouldn't eat....it also has to be good tasting food that I enjoy otherwise, I wouldn't bother to eat either......so food is definitely an issues each month.

I only do my grocery shopping once a month.....when I go into shop food at Walmart, I don't go into the other areas of the store because too many things just call to me as 'I needs'.

I don't do much driving because my truck is a "gas hog" & can only afford to fill it up once a month.

I budget everything & make sure that the money is there for all the bills & make sure to pay them ON TIME so there are no late charges tacked on or overcharge costs at the bank.....that can really eat up your money fast & get absolutely NOTHING FOR IT.

I so splurge once in a while on my hobby which is beading....find some beads & things that I just can't resist for a project....but I have so much project material now that I don't need anything more than things for gifts I end up making which I can't make out of what I have....but most things I can make with what I have by buying only a few extra pieces.

I agree with the don't buy multiples of things you really don't need just because it's on a sale price. It really doesn't cost that much more later on that you won't be better off buying it later.

Cloths, I always buy on sale or at Walmart now, but in reality, I have so many cloths from previous years spending sprees that I don't need to really buy anything. I sometimes get the $10 off coupon on $10 or more at JCPennys & I go there to find whatever I can find that costs as close to $10 as I can find. I actually used that coupon to purchase a pair of pants that I needed for my volunteer work at the World Equestrian Games.....pants only ended up costing me $9.00....now that I can handle some months.

Also, if there have been people who have cheated you.....don't fear about going to small claims to get the money....it doesn't always work, but I just went after the guy who took my money for fencing & did nothing......got the judgment & the court said I could file a criminal charge if he didn't pay.....that was incentive to get him to really pay, so that money will be coming in soon (just in time for property tax due).

Every once in awhile I just need to watch a movie.....I find a $5 movie at Walmart that I know I will enjoy watching more than one time. I only splurge on that once every few months.

Budget the money you know you have to pay & if all else, move it so a safe account that you can't access through check or debit.....then move it over as necessary to pay the bills. Analize where you are & how much is left over after the bills are paid & that is how much you have to work with. If you do go shopping, take a calculator with you & add it up as you go, not at the checkout register. Know your limit & don't go over it. If you don't have the money, don't even tempt yourself by browsing.