So I spend way to much money per month on my cell phone and I’m not even a phone person. I’ll send some texts and make a few calls, but I really can’t justify an $80 a month cell phone bill. However, in this day we use our cell phone as our main mode of communication. No matter where we are we can be reached. Gone our the days of checking the answering machine when we get home wondering what we missed. I’ve gotten used to my cell phone and the on the go lifestyle that it allows. However, it would be nice if I didn’t have to pay so much for this lifestyle.

Right now I have an iPhone. It’s an older one, but it’s still a nice phone. I like having an iPhone, but I realize I only use a few features on it. I use talk, text, maps and the mp3 player. Those are the features that have got me out of a pinch and saved me a lot of trouble. A few years ago the iPhone was the only phone with maps and and music beautifully integrated into the ultimate user experience. But, now other phones are catching up and almost any new phone you buy will have maps and music. So now it comes down to needs vs wants. I don’t really need an iPhone anymore. A cheaper phone will have everything I need from a smart phone. Once I realized that it opened the door for many new possibilities.

I found a company called Virgin Mobile that I really liked. They had reasonably priced plans and no 2 year commitment required.  The phones the offered weren’t the latest and greatest, but they were still nice phones and could get the job done. Remember all I was looking for was talk, text, maps and music. Not to mention the latest versions of Android are quite nice. For $45 I could get a better plan on Virgin Mobile then what I was getting with ATT. It’s a savings of $300 for a better plan! So before you purchase you next cell phone look at plans from Virgin Mobile. They won’t give you a free phone, but they will save you money month over month which is what counts. Not to mention you wont have to deal with the awful customer service of ATT.

It’s hard to resist a good deal. If something is 50% off I almost feel obligated to buy it, because I would be a fool for passing up such a great bargain.  However, these impulses pass quickly and if we can ignore them we will end up saving a lot of money in the long run. Not to mention we won’t have tons of worthless stuff lying around the house taking up space.

Many of the deal of the day sites such as Groupon, Woot and Living Social rely on impulse purchases and use deep discounts to pull people into purchasing an item. However, if you  can resist the urge to buy impulsively then these sites can save you a lot of money on items that you actually wanted to purchase.

The way to save the most amount of money is to not be in a hurry. With time on your side you can wait for the best deals to appear before you buy. Another way to save money is to know what you want before you go shopping. Make a list of items you needs, then go visit your favorite coupon or daily deal website to see if there are deals on those items.  If you’re not in a rush to purchase these items, there is a good chance they will appear on a daily deal site within the near future.

It’s been really helpful creating shopping lists. It’s saved me a lot of time and money over the last few months. Plus, it forces you to think if you really need something vs a timely want.  So make a list and be patient, that is my advice to you.

Going out to eat is expensive and can eat away at your budget really fast. In fact, when I did a budget a long time ago the biggest shocker was how much money I spent on eating out at restaurants.  This was usually because I didn’t have food at home to make a lunch or  go home and prepare one. Then I was reading a fitness blog and it offered up some really useful advice.  It said to always know where your next meal would come from.  This forces you into action and also allows for better control of your diet.

For example, I know that I will need to eat lunch tomorrow at work. What food will I eat? Where will that food come from? Let’s say I want to eat lunch at home. Then I’ll ask myself what food do I have at home that I can eat for lunch. If I don’t have any good lunch food then I know I need to stop by the store on my way home.  Making food at home or bringing it with you is a lot cheaper and healthier then eating out at a restaurant. So make sure to plan ahead and know what and where you will be eating your next meal. Then take action to make sure it happens.

Gardens are a lot of work. Well at least the way traditional gardens are setup and maintained. We till the soil and in a week a vast array of weeds sprout up and dominate the garden unless we pull those weeds on a regular basis. The work of maintaining a garden often times prevents us from even starting a garden in the first place.If gardening were easier then more of us would do it. We would be able to produce our own high qualify, nutrient dense, better tasting fruits and vegetables.

The new method of gardening with wood chips and mulch that this video teaches is eye opening. It will make you want to start a garden of your own immediately.  I wanted to share this video in hopes that someone would decide to plant their own garden and gain access to a higher quality of fruits and vegetables. Not only that, a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction will strike you as you consume your own produce.

Visit the Back To Eden website to watch the video