I did a lot to save money just to get by: Lived in the cheapest home I could afford, Walk or bike to work 6 months out of the year, buy foods in bulk, try to fire up my stove only twice a week and each time, fill every inch of space in that stove with different yummie dishes so that I had as much nutritous variety as possible with minimal expenditure of energy, kept the heat off until the pipes were just about to freeze, but not quite. Phew! But I won’t lie—it was hard. Very hard.

At the end of the month, I had $20 that did not have to go somewhere. That was my savings fund.
Ultimately, that got used for doctor visits, repairs when the car broke down, cat vaccinations, and (when I could swing it), donations to the church, or (occassionally) go to a movie. It would have been more fun to spend it on fun—but at least that strict living gave me a cushion when I needed it.

Now, I have a good solid budget. It isn’t quite so strict, however. I give myself a full $50.00 a month to spend on anything I want—-dinner out with my husband, a new sweater, a good used book, a few extra plants for the garden. I still track my pennies–and am true to my Dave Ramsey baby steps.