No doubt, life on a budget can be hard. After spending 5 years in college and 1 year as an AmeriCorps volunteer, a tight budget become a bit of the norm for me. I have developed a few tips and tricks that and helped me stay disciplined along the way and may help you stay on track as well.

1)  Eating out? Consider only buying the main item- combo meals adds up quickly. Do you want the drink or dinky coleslaw sides anyway? While you can buy the meal for $4.95 with a side and drink that same menu item is one $2.50 alone and cost you half the price. Plus cutting the extra fatty sides saves unnecessary regret.

2)  Decide before you arrive how hungry you are- it can be tough not to eat with your eyes when you see the ridiculously juicy picture of the jumbo platter- don’t let it fool you! If you decide beforehand how hungry you are and what is realistic to satisfying that hunger it can be easier to resist the over the top meal for something more reasonable.

3)  Consider packing a lunch- packing a lunch my seem like extra effort and extra time but buying Lunch every day at 6.50 ends up costing $130 a month! While you can buy a jar of jelly, peanut butter, bread and 5 bananas for $6.50 and feed yourself for a week! It may take 15 more minutes of planning, but your wallet won’t regret it.

4)  Avoid manipulation from advertisers- Fast food restaurants’ walls are painted red strategically because it subconsciously increases your appetite. Conveniently placed munches at the checkout line is not a coincidence. 10 for $10 doesn’t always mean you have to buy 10 items to receive the $1 dollar per item price. To them another dollar spent by you is a dollar earned by them.

5)  Check your account regularly- How can you be in control of your money if you are not keeping track of it? Check your bank accounts often to be sure you are not being hit with late fees, unexpected credits or fraudulent activity. Errors like these are avoidable and will have a less serious blow on your account if you catch the disputes early!

6)  Don’t fall for the deal!- I know buy 2 get 1 free sounds like a deal, but if you had no need for 3 items anyway- don’t letting them trick you into spending more money than you would have otherwise.

Just because it’s on sale does not mean you should buy it!-it doesn’t matter what the deal is, if it’s not something you need or have always wanted you are wasting your time!

7) Lets be clear, 15% off is not a good deal- if you are going to go for the sales go for the serious sales, a 100 dollar jacket marked down to 85 is still a heck of a lot of money. With a little persistence and strategic after-season shopping you can get the same jacket for $5 dollars (Trust me, I’ve seen it done.)

8)  Cheap isn’t always best– a good pair of boots can last several years compared to a Black Friday special that can barely make it through a season. Consider the math equation

“how often will I use it over how much it cost”

A question like this can put things into perspective- a $60 dress warn 2 times isn’t worth the $30 per wear, while a bargain pair of jeans for $10 you wear on average once a week for a year is clearly worth the $.19 per wear.

9)  Vintage is in- Why buy new? Isn’t the “like new” just as sufficient of a textbook as the “new”? When every penny counts, consider the pros and cons of buying used. Clothes, furniture, and household goods from the thrift shop can be a serious way of saving on some of the higher priced items.

10)  Struggling putting together a budget? Consider a budget helper– There are dozens of apps and websites out there, like Toshl and Mint.com, that can help you calculate all your expenses and plan a budget. These tools can help you get a better perspective of your entire monthly spending habits, see where you are slipping and make corrections, and help you plan for the future. Of course, you should always be careful when using such tools, to be sure you are working with a trustworthy and protected site, but if you choose to use one of these you will find helpful resources and planning tools that can help kick start your own budget and give you goals to keep you on task!