Feel like you’ll never stop living paycheck to paycheck? Learn how to get ahead in life with these 7 ideas you can put to use right away.
The mailbox is full of bills, a kid just had an expensive trip to urgent care, and the car is in need of a repair. Now you are just hoping that there’s enough food in the pantry to get you through to the next paycheck.
But deep down, you know that you’re just going to find yourself running out of money again.
So how can you get ahead in life when you feel like you’re just falling further and further behind?
Let’s talk about some money goals that you can set for yourself to make this mess a little neater. Don’t be discouraged! These are goals that people in nearly any financial situation can take use.
How To Break The Paycheck To Paycheck Living Habit
7. The B Word
You probably don’t like it, but this list wouldn’t be complete without using the word “budget”. If you can’t handle the thought of telling every single dollar what to do, make a mini budget.
What part of your budget would you like to get under control? Do you eat out more than you’d like?
Keep track of how much you spend on dining out all week. Then next week, challenge yourself to save some of that money. Pick an amount that seems doable, but stretches you just enough to keep yourself interested.
If you tend to use your debit card for most of your spending, Personal Capital makes budgeting sooo easy!
It automatically categorizes your spending so you can see where your money is going at a glance. It takes little effort on your part to set up, but the results are worth it.
If you’re more the spreadsheet type, try this bi-weekly budget template!
2. Put “Found Money” to Work
We all have what I call “found money” from time to time. Anything from finding a $5 bill on the sidewalk to receiving a refund check to change from the bottom of your purse.
What do you do with your found money? Maybe you indulge in a splurge or just fold it into our checking account (where it winds up being spent on heaven only knows what).
Click here to print this chart and use found money to save $1,000 this year!
But if you’re intentional about this money, learning what to do with pennies can add up to something great.
To start with, have a designated place for found money. It can be a mason jar, a piggy bank, or a dedicated bank account you open for just that type of stash (we love Capital One 360 for this!). Just don’t fold it into your wallet with your regular spending money.
Now decide how you will put that money to work! What do you want or need now? Some options include:
- create a sinking fund
- learn how to get out of debt (which you should always make a priority!)
- save up for a Christmas/birthday account
- save up for a vacation
- create a rainy day fund
- save until you have enough to invest
- use it to leave random acts of kindness around you
- begin to fund your biggest hopes and dreams
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3. Earn More
While most people can do better with their budget, it doesn’t hurt to cut that budget from a bigger pie. You can bring in more money with a few ideas.
Everyone should have more than one source of income. You might feel like you have a stable job, but many people have been surprised by an unexpected lay off.
Getting more money doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be a lot. You can earn small amounts from various sources. Every bit helps!
There’s a variety of side hustles out there. You can do everything from getting a part time job to babysitting (regularly or just occasionally). The internet offers so many different ways to earn money. In fact, here’s a whole list of full time work from home jobs!
The best advice is that if you’re willing to do a job that many people hate, someone will probably pay you to do it.
4. Unfix Your Fixed Bills
We all have bills that we automatically pay every month without thinking much about them. But those bills could be lowered with a few phone calls.
It literally pays to shop around once every couple of years on big bills such as:
- insurance (car, home, life)
- utility bills (look for another electric suppliers or trash services)
- propane
- phones (cell phones or landlines) (Republic Wireless saved us $60 per month!)
Even if you don’t want to switch companies, knowing the savings another company would give you is sometimes enough to make your current company bargain with you.
5. Learn Something New
Repairs
If your dryer goes on the fritz, you can purchase a new one, hire a handyman, or learn how to fix it yourself. With a wealth of knowledge available on YouTube, it’s a great idea to try your hand at fixing the problem on your own.
If it works, you’ll have learned something new, feel great about yourself, and you can pocket the money you would have otherwise spent.
If it doesn’t work, that’s ok. You’ll still spend the same money with the repair guy.
Reading
One of the biggest habits of the wealthy is a thirst for knowledge. They make time for reading. You should, too. Try this list of personal finance books that will make a big impact.
500 Ways to Save Money: Build a Cash Jackpot for the Best Things In Life is a great read for anyone who needs a reset of their spending. You won’t believe how many ways you can save money!
And it’s broken into reasonable chunks so you can find the best tips for your own situation and save the most money right away.
6. Always Have Two Money Goals
When with a money goal that feels tedious, it’s hard to stay focused on seeing the goal through to the end. But having a second (more fun) goal can be just what you need to stay on track.
For example, let’s say that your tedious goal is to pay off debt. With the average credit card debt around $10,000 (source), it’ll take a while to get that paid off. Knowing that you can take a fun vacation once your debt is paid off will keep you going.
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7. Financial Fast
What is it? A financial fast is a period of time where you try not to do any unnecessary spending. It’s all about knowing the difference between need and want.
You choose the rules that match your situation the best.
- Clearly you’ll still need to pay the bills. If there are bills you struggle to pay, make a point to call that company. Set up a payment plan or ask about forgiveness if you are in a financial bind.
- What about food? Do you already have food hidden in the pantry and freezer that could be used for a period of time (with just a bit of creativity)?
- How long is the right period to challenge you a bit, but not discourage you?
If you have full cabinets, you might try a month. If that sounds too daunting, go for a week. Or even just a couple of days.
At the end of that time, take a break and evaluate how it went.
- Did you learn that you can totally get by without spending? -or-
- Did you feel panicked and ended up binge spending instead?
If it’s that last one, this probably isn’t the method for you. And that’s ok! There are other options for you.
The main point of the financial fast is not to postpone spending until the magical date you allow yourself to spend again. There’s no point in buying the DVD player on the 26th instead of the 12th. Instead, the financial fast should teach you that you can probably do without the DVD player.
Choose your money goals and watch your savings grow!
Small change can become big change over time if you have a great attitude and the drive to succeed.
For even more money saving tips (plus a TON of resources for kicking off your savings with a bang!) join the money saving newsletter! You’ll get a quick, actionable tip to use just once per week.
What money goals do you set for yourself?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
We are kind of in the middle of this right now. We are able to afford everything each month…technically. Except, right before pay day, the Mister says there’s x-amount of money left until Friday, and it’s always less than 100$ any more. At the same time, we tend to get fast food or pizza at least once a week, because cooking is hard and pain is real and I cannot cook every night. But, I really just, you know, should cook – we have the food in the house, and pizza costs 20$! Something that I’m struggling with. At the same time, the finances are, really, out of my hands. He holds the paycheck, he holds the bills, I just go get groceries, so it’s hard to say “hey, we need to take a look at your money” when, well, it’s *his* money. I’m hoping, though, that not asking for takeout will help things along so far as not eating out less (because I know I contribute to that problem quite a bit!).
Well you know that eating fast food and pizza is my weakness, too! I try to focus on feeling powerful by saying no to their great marketing and temptations. 🙂 Good luck, you can do it!
I use to think pizza was twenty dollars then I discovered little Cesar,s 5.00 pizza also if you buy fast food sale sandwiches like Burger King 2 for 5.00 and just drink water or take home pull out a jar of applesauce and drinks for 2.50 you each get a sandwich if you only get one pizza and that is not enough for the family try a side of pasta with sauce easier than doing all meals at home but cheaper than eating out all of the time
Thanks for your tips! When you’re feeding a larger family, pizza is $20 minimum (even at just $5 or $6 per pizza). I can make homemade pizza for the whole family for a fraction of that price! And even if I am running errands alone, if I buy a meal each time I go out, the costs would add up quickly.
I definitely agree that spaghetti with sauce is an easy meal that’s pretty frugal, and we use that here sometimes when we need something quick and easy.
Thanks so much for visiting!
But..it’s NOT his money. It’s both of your money! If you’re staying home, you are doing a ton of work, and his paycheck is yours too. You deserve to be able to see the budget and have input!
This post is AWESOME. I feel I have a terrible relationship with money. I’m not sure if it is because my family didn’t have much money when I was growing up – so now, I feel the need to treat myself to all the things I wanted but couldn’t afford before, or some other underlying psychological issue. All I know is that “impulse buy” is my middle name.
I don’t have much debt, but I would like to feel more secure. When I put my mind to it, I can really save well, but I rarely put my mind to it!!
I’m going to print this off and refer to it frequently. Then, I’m going to bank that $10 bill I found on the ground. Baby steps!
Have a wonderful New Year!
Dominique
Thanks so much! I feel like reading about money goals can sometimes be intimidating, but hopefully everyone can find a goal here that they can really put to use.
I always use January as a month that we eat from our freezer and pantry. I try really hard not to buy groceries that month so we can catch up from the extra spending in December.
That’s such a great idea. I’ve been considering doing something similar in February. Which would be great timing, as we are buying more pork to fill the freezer around that time.
This is a must for every family
I’m a huge fan of financially fasting – I call them No-Spend Weeks. Since I’m on my own, I think that makes them much easier than managing with a family, but other than something like making a rent or utilities payment, I don’t spend on anything. If I actually completely ran out of food, I would buy some, but it hasn’t happened yet. I think most of us have way more in our pantries and freezers than we realize.
These are some great tips! I especially love how you’re encouraging people to be creative – look around the house and re-use something, or think about alternatives. It’s a great mindset to have when trying to save money/live within a budget. (just pinned this to my Pinterest account!)
Awesome, thanks for sharing! I think that’s the best first line of defense…to try to use what you already have if you can.
My favorite is the “found money” one — because so often we just want to fritter that away on something we want. If we put it to work, we’ll achieve our other goals that much faster! Thanks for linking up at Frugal Friday!
Yes! I used to think of it as a treat and would splurge on something with it. But now I like the idea of making that money work for me much better. Thanks for hosting the link up!
I think one of the best tips you share it to re-negotiate those big annual bills – we’ve seen a HUGE difference with switching cell phone companies over the last couple years! Thanks for linking up at Friday Frivolity and I hope you join us again next week!
We switched car insurance companies and saved a big bundle, too. Thanks for hosting the link up!
“where you tell every single dollar what to do” thought that was a great line:)
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Awesome article! Especially the tip about having two money goals. As we were getting out of debt, watching the numbers go down was great, but often tedious and boring. Our “light at the end of the tunnel” was having kids once we got out of debt, a huge motivator! We didn’t set that goal intentionally, it was more of an agreement that that was what was best. I guess that’s not another financial goal, but it sure worked!
Great post. I really like the idea of having 2 money goals, 1 tedious one and 1 fun one. We can all use a little incentive to help us along the way. And your learn to repair advice is timely….our microwave’s turntable motor has died and we ordered a replacement part. Now we just need to follow the video to swap it in.
Same with the 2 goals! Keeps you motivated and responsible!