To have more money you either need to work more or spend less. And let's face it, no one wants to work more in order to buy things that they don't have time to enjoy.



Spending less is easy because it simply means less time spent shopping so you save time and money.

So when you go shopping, whether it's for groceries, clothes or anything else, stop and ask yourself if you really, really need to buy what it is you're buying. And if the answer is no, then put the item back where you picked it up from.

Why buy a new outfit when you already have a full closet of clothes? Why buy expensive, packaged food when it's cheaper and healthier to buy fresh? And why buy another tool for the already over-filled garage or a new gadget for the kitchen you never get time to cook in?

Just remember that over-spending is a loser's game.

And as well as cutting down on consumerism, you can also look at the best ways to save money in other areas of your life. Everything you do to cut back on spending benefits you, your family and the environment. And it only needs small steps and small accomplishments to get started.

At home you can try frugal living. This doesn't mean doing without things, but rather, being smarter at saving money and saving the planet.

You can start by cutting back on energy consumption by not leaving TVs on standby and turning off unnecessary lights.

If you want to save water, start taking a bucket with you when you have a shower and tip the saved water onto the garden when you've finished.

And also in the garden you can learn how to compost all your kitchen and garden waste and use the compost to grow beautiful flowers or to grow your own vegetables.

One of the areas where most parents waste a lot of money is on extras for their children. Learn to say “no” when the kids ask for treats or expensive electronic items.

I once had a neighbour who bought her 2 kids an ice-cream every day from the ice-cream van that came up our street 7 days a week. I figured it out one day that at around $3.50 per ice-cream (she never bought the cheap ones) she must have been spending over $2,500 a year just on ice-cream! And that money could have been used for a family holiday, which is worth thinking about, isn't it?

So now is the time to challenge yourself to save as much money as you can.

Try it for one month and see how much you can save. For the next month buy only necessary items. Walk instead of driving where possible, don't have any take-away meals and use up the food in your fridge and pantry before you buy any more.

And by this time next month, you'll feel a lot richer.