BellaOnline Forums Money Abundance & Wealth How to approach budgeting

I have some new savings goals and I'm feeling daunted. Looking for inspiration to keep positive and not get angry at things like high utility bills from the gas hikes this past winter. ...

Where do you all go for help keeping your spirits up?
And for practical advice, I think I am pretty saavy but there is always more to learn. For instance, learned recently about an alternative to landline phones called VoIP- can really save a lot that way, I priced a company called SunRocket and it was very impressive.

Budgeting seems to be less depressing if I feel like I am not totally depriving myself. I have a monthly budget which includes savings. In addition to my regular savings, I try to always be saving for a special treat in the not-too-distant future (i.e. a trip, a special night out, a new outfit, etc.). This seems to keep my spirits up which makes it easier to stick to my budget.

I think the key is to not feel so deprived. Treat yourself to something small....a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store, a new shirt, a new lip gloss, a new plant, etc.

Hi Rhonda,

Yes, I like the idea of saving for a treat- makes it feel less like deviation from the budget objective. I should totally try that. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

So how do you go about being principled on cost cutting? What's a good way to keep up with new ideas, not just recycled concepts of save more than you spend. I stumbled onto the whole SunRocket thing- looking to get away from bad service with Verizon and then learned that this would save me money. And are you, or anyone else, familiar with SunRocket and VoIP??

i always had a hard time with budgeting. i tend to overspend and have no savings at all.

i tried the technique of treating myself every end of the week.small treats that would not make me feel deprived. that way i was able to avoid splurging money on things i don't really need. and it worked for me.

Hi Fashion Fiend,

I like to think that I was just born frugal but in reality that's not true. When times were lean, I learned to be extremely frugal out of necessity. After awhile it just became second nature to me. Some people get a high from going on spending sprees, but I get a high from saving money.

I guess the best way to keep up with new ideas is to read a lot and to participate and share ideas in forums (such as Bellaonline) <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

Sorry, I didn't answer all of your questions. I have heard of VoIP and I have perused SunRocket's website but I have never used them and I do not know anyone that has used them so I cannot really comment on it. Anyone else?

Yeah, it is cool to learn from others in a forum, nice to learn what people do in their lives, not that Suze Orman and her peers aren't great.

So, here's some info on SunRocket they charge $17 a month for unlimited local and long distance calls! There's also an allowance for international calling.

They're running a deal right now for first three months free too, looks like the last day of it.

<a href="SunRocket deal" target="_blank"BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

So, did anyone have a chance to jump in on the SunRocket promo I mentioned? If so would love to hear about your experience with it.