Can I do without?

I love the saying "Eat it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." I have several examples of people in my life that know how to live this principle. I do have to say that it has taken me awhile to learn how to implement it into my own life and I'm not sure I can still do it very well, but when I do use this principle, it is amazing how many money saving benefits I receive. I have learned that if I can do without something, I feel like I have accomplished something great. It is kind of a fun challenge. I have adopted some personal questions I ask myself when I am thinking about buying something. The first one is " Do I really need it?" The second one is "Do I love it?" The third is "Where will I use it and where will I store it if I am not using it?" The fourth one is "Can I use something that I already have?" An example of using this last question for a real life situation is at Christmas time I was having a party at my home. I wanted to make things nice but didn't want to have to spend a lot of money. I was trying to think of something inexpensive to decorate with. I went over several options, all included going to the store. I didn't want to go to the store and spend more money. I racked by brain and remembered I had a bag of whole cranberries in the fridge I didn't completely use from Thanksgiving. I pulled them out and they were still good. I decided pull out some of my clear glass bowls and vases to use with the cranberries. I filled them with water, added the cranberries and added candles that I already had at home. It looked beautiful and was very easy and I had used what I had. I felt very triumphant that I could pull something together without having to go to the store and buy something.

These simple questions have saved me a lot of money over the years. Try them out or come up with some of your own personal questions that might help you make a better decision when thinking about buying something. How easy is that?