Today has been day four of our Spending Freeze and here are a few things we have been doing to stay on track and do things right from the beginning.

1.  Write down each expenditure daily and log it on a calendar in a place where you will see it daily.  We printed this one from The Twinery and taped it to the front of my refrigerator.  This makes it easy to see days where no spending occurs.

...bubbles...

...and more bubbles...

2.  We have decided to run errands on Sunday this week which has resulted in inventive uses of things we would normally not go without...like putting dishwashing soap in the dish washer.  Yes,  there lots and lots and lots of bubbles.



3.  Print out a budgeting spreadsheet(s) that will help you see what you project to spend, what you actually spend, and the difference.  This is also a good way to see your bills and your financial goals.  Here are a few different guides to help:

Build a Budget Worksheet

Spending Worksheet

Financial Goals Sheet

Debt Load Worksheet

Dave Ramsey Budget Sheets

I hope these tips will help you realize that you can make your spending dreams (or lack thereof) possible.  Believe in what you are doing and know that while things may be difficult they will always be worth it.