Having trouble sticking to your financial goals? It can be hard to stay on track when temptation is everywhere. One way to make sure you stay on track is make yourself accountable and let people know about them.

My husband and I went on a gluten and dairy free diet for 3 months. I lost 7 pounds and he lost 20 (I know, I know, it’s not fair!). We had to tell everyone we were doing this because we constantly had to say no to things that were offered to us! It was awkward at first, but once folks got used to the idea (and heard about our weight loss progress), they were supportive and didn’t pressure us to eat things we couldn’t.

Hopefully the same thing will happen if you share your financial goals with folks. It can be very awkward to talk about money – whether you’re struggling or in pretty good shape. And you don’t have to come off as preachy or judgmental that others want to spend – you just need to explain that this is what is right for you right now!

I think the biggest thing to have on hand is an explanation. Not just “sorry, can’t go out to lunch today”, but “Actually, I’m really trying to pay off X or save up for X” so I’m going to cut out eating out for the next few months (or weeks..or years!).” This will also help you stick to your ideals!

If you have a financial goal, do you share it with others? How do you respond if someone shares theirs with you? 

The following is a guest post.

According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans spend $151 per week on food alone on average. As a result, trying to live on $100 per week can certainly be a challenge, but it can be accomplished. What are some steps that people can take when they want to accomplish this noble financial goal?

Walk as Much as Possible

Gas prices are still pretty high in many parts of the country, and individuals could easily spend $50-$60 per week on gas or even more. Therefore, when individuals want to save money, it is smart to walk as much as possible. Walking to mass on Sunday or walking the kids to school absolutely saves on the gas needed for these tasks. When people live close to their jobs, it is smart to walk there. Even carpooling with co-workers is a way to at least cut that gas bill in half.

Eat at Home

Simply thinking about how much it costs to eat out is a major indicator as to why budget-savvy folks should start eating at home much more. Making a cup of coffee at home costs pennies, but going out to buy a fancy cup can easily cost $2-$3. When the weekly budget is $100 and people are buying one cup of coffee every day, nearly 20 percent of the weekly budget is being taken up by this habit. In general, foods are going to cost more out than when the person makes the decision to eat at home.

Live with Parents

Living on $100 per week is almost impossible for a person who is renting or who owns a home. Therefore, when individuals are looking to save money, living with their parents or other relatives is a wise idea as long as the relatives are agreeable to the situation. In some areas of the country rent for a small apartment could be $1,000 or more. This amount is particularly true in big cities. That breaks down to $250 per week or so, which is a figure much larger than $100 per week.

Avoid Extreme Entertainment Budgets

You could certainly find individuals out there who spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars per week on going out to bars, heading to the movies, taking lavish weekend trips and other expenditures. These activities are simply not going to fit into the lifestyle of a person who is trying to spend $100 per week. How can such a person still have fun? Well, one of the ways is to save $5 each week to go to the movies and get large popcorn at the end of the month. Not only does this help individuals to save money, but it also gives them something to which to look forward.

Have Backup Funds

One of the reasons why people have so much trouble living on $100 per week is because they are afraid of what will happen if they go over that amount of money. It can certainly be jarring to not know if bills are going to get paid in the event that the limit is exceeded. Therefore, having some backup funds can help to resolve the issue. As a result, if a situation does arise where the $100 is all spent, other money will be available to cover the expenses.

Cutting Down on Bills

In order to live on only $100 per week, some of the monthly bills are going to have to be reduced. Simple changes can make a huge impact on those bills and by turning off the water when people are brushing their teeth and turning off the lights when leaving the house are two methods that can help to cut down on both water and electrical bills. Shopping the sales at the supermarket and being sure to hold on to any coupons that are found are two other methods that are really able to help with this strict budget.

Living on a tight budget is difficult for many people; however, some simply have to do this to get by and to keep on functioning in society. Even individuals who have some extra money might want to challenge themselves from time to time to see if they can live on $100 per week.

Cat’s thoughts: I don’t think I could live on 100 dollars a week! I’m trying to think back to my student days – if I just considered rent and food, I might have been able to live that cheaply – but I’m sure I didn’t!

Daniel is a journalist for the U.K based lender Payday Angels – he regularly writes about other companies; check out his Payday Express Review and other posts on our website.

If you want to keep yourself motivated to save money or change your attitude towards money, you need to be able to identify at least one benefit you’ll gain by making those changes.

For example:

• Do you want to save more money so you don’t end up poor when you’re old?
• Do you want to set up an emergency fund, so when something bad happens, you can deal with it?
• Do you want to get out of consumer debt so you’re not always worrying about a potential disaster?

To quote the Spice Girls  – Tell me what you want, what you really really want.

Or – tell yourself! Everyone is different. For me – being financially solvent means I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to stay in a job I hate because I don’t live paycheck to paycheck. I can buy my husband the odd set of LEGO (on sale, of course!), and treat my nieces or my parents to an outing without worrying I’ll go into overdraft.

If you’re not sure what’s the most important thing to you – you may want to sit down and do some brainstorming.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• What makes you happy?
• What defines who you are?
• Where do you wish you were in your life?

After that, write down the goals you want to achieve over the next year, two years, and five years.  Then rank your goals in order of importance.

Ta-da! Don’t you feel awesome now?

If you’ve never heard this word this word, it’s a combination (or if you wanna get fancy a “portmanteau”) of the words free and vegan. This doesn’t mean that all freegans are vegan – but freegans are definitely into getting things for free!

The basic premise of being a freegan is trying to get things for free – preferably things that would just be going to waste anyways. Freegans will do dumpster diving to “rescue” anything from cast off furniture, clothes, household items, and even food.

So, what are the basics of being a freegan?

• You avoid buying whenever possible. You make the most out of the clothing and other items you already have, and you certainly won’t be rushing out to get the latest Iphone.
• You try to get what you can for free by scavenging it. This doesn’t mean you steal things or get them illegally – you just find what would have been thrown away anyways, or has already been thrown out.
• You aren’t big on consumerism – you think it’s bad for society and for the environment.
• You want to minimize your environmental footprint on the world

Is being a freegan legal?

For the most part, yes. If you live somewhere there are anti-scavenger laws, this may not be true. A lot of stores try to discourage dumpster diving by not leaving out food in them – they’re concerned about being sued if people get sick.

So, is this something I should consider?

Good question. I don’t think I have the right personality to be a freegan. I’m a rather self-conscious person, and just can’t see myself jumping into dumpsters. I live in the same town as my parents, and if anyone I or they knew ever saw me, I’d never hear the end of it! I like to live a life style I’d consider a little less extreme than freeganism, but still environmentally and fiscally friendly (not wasting food, buying some clothes at thrift stores, taking public transit to work,etc.).

How about you? Would you ever consider being a freegan?