Track, track, track your spending!

It sounds so simple AND it really is, but you'll notice where all your nickels and dimes go. And, those are what you need to watch for! You remember the purchases that you spend over $20 or $50 or $100 and probably think twice before whipping out the plastic, but if you're like me, you can rationalize out the Whataburger combo meal at $7 and some change. But, that $7 adds up (in more places than just my wallet)!

Just put together a simple spreadsheet and list your 'fixed' costs like mortgage, electricity, water...and then have a column for all the variable expenses. It might be an eye opener and show you where you can shave off $20 here or there. Remember, the $20 by itself isn't a lot, but six months of $20s...well you get the picture.

I encourage all of you (all 3 of my followers) regardless of your income, to track for a month. An added benefit is that if you're doing this during the month, listing the expenses daily or weekly, you'll know when you're out of money and can scrimp for the last part of the month.

This is especially helpful for those of you that use your credit cards (AND payoff the balance each month) to get points or rewards. Sometimes it's a little more difficult to watch your cash flow when you're not using your cash!

Let me know how your tracking goes! I'm already angry at some of my purchases this month and am tightening the belt for the last half.