So I became a tightwad. I shop the cheap stores for glassware, the thrift stores and auction sites for clothing and recycle as much as I can. Quality and high end products can be found used at a fraction of the cost in trader magazines, yard sales and classifieds. Where do you fit into this picture? Do you have debt strangling your wildest dreams? Time to take hold of the reins and give it a great big tug.

Credit card companies want you to spend. Businesses want you to spend. They want your money and often get it because we as a society say that it is ok to be indebted. What they don't tell you is that it will take you years and tons of interest payments to pay for your vanity. Most likely you pay 3 or more times the value of the item by the time you are done. Now, I am not saying credit cards are terrible, horrible things.. but allowing them to take over your finances and running your life is not a good thing. If you cannot pay them off each month, cut them up, pay them off and start using cash! The Bible has good advise in this area. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8

Using cash (such a thing of the past, should have a revival!) gives you a realistic look at what you can afford. After all, you cannot purchase something that is more than what you have in your pocket or bank account. No longer can you look through rose-colored glasses and purchase beyond your means. It also encourages saving so you can splurge on that special item you would like to have.

Evaluate each and every non-essential item that you purchase. Do you really need it or just want it? If you want it, walk away. Wait a week or so.. If you still have that desire, see if you can locate it used or at a discount. If you go through all these things, you may find that you didn't really want it as much as you thought or maybe you can find it at a fraction of the cost. If you are still unsuccessful in locating it used or reduced, save to purchase it with cash.

Recycling is a wonderful way to purchase essentials and non-essential items. Each spring, I sell off all our non-consumable textbooks from homeschool. These help pay for the next year's textbooks. Consumable workbooks are carefully considered. With a plastic report cover and a erasable marker, you can turn your consumable books into non-consumable books. I also try and recycle my growing son's clothing as he outgrows them. Yard sales and auction sites make it possible to sell and purchase other good quality used clothing. It would cost a fortune to purchase all his clothes and jeans at retail prices that are only used for one season. My son destroys shoes. When we purchase shoes, they are often deeply discounted. Why spend a fortune on something that is torn up to that extent? High end, brand name shoes are an investment when his feet stop growing. You can find shoes that fit and provide proper support in inexpensive shoe stores. Take the time to learn how to properly fit shoes to growing feet, a lesson we all should know, but rarely do we see it, even in top quality shoe stores. Recycling also helps reduce clutter in your home, a byproduct of consumerism.

Quality appliances (such as my heavily used bread maker) are worth the cost. They last for years and are worth the effort to shop wisely. That is not to say that I haven't saved by purchasing used appliances. If the item may be considered a novelty and not a necessity, they are often sold at a fraction of the cost on auction sites and yard sales.

Consider the value of your purchases. I don't desire a new car off the lot. Cars are appliances and should be thought of in this way. Consider the fact that you loose thousands of dollars when you drive it off the lot. There are people that sell their new car, with low miles and little wear within a year of purchasing it. What a bargain at thousands of dollars less than brand new. You can also purchase last year's model from the lot at a fraction of the cost. Research those large ticket items and NEVER purchase by impulse. To not make a purchase that you will be upside down in your payments. This means that the price you pay is the same as if you sold it tomorrow. How sad that we could not sell something of such value because no one would pay the price that we paid.