Top 10 ways to live on a budget without eating ramen every night

Living on a budget is typically associated with pain and sacrifice. Have you heard the term “Ramen Budget”?

(Do you really want to be eating Ramen every night? Me neither… there has to be a better way!)

Here are ten simple rules to make living on a budget a bit more manageable and avoid the Ramen diet.

1. Buy things because you actually want them, not because the act of purchasing something helps you chill out.
2. Make small, monthly payments to your “Future Self” through a savings account.
3. Don’t spend more money than you have.
4. Identify your income vs. expenses.
5. Make adjustments, like planning to cook dinner instead of going out to several nights a week.
6. Use the library instead of buying and renting DVDs.
7. Make and take your own lunch.
8. Look for “Buy One Get One Free” coupons for items you were already going to buy.
9. Cut out expensive cable packages you don’t need.
10. Know Your Money by activating your free Salt account today. Visit saltmoney.org/kymd to sign up!

The path to college and financial success starts with knowing your money—and the sooner the better. That’s why we’re providing Salt to all of our students and alums for free! Salt gives you money management advice, personalized student loan help, straightforward budgeting tools, and more.