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2010 Frugal Living Guide
Examining debt
smart spending
7 steps to living on one family income

Give it a trial run
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Give it a trial run

Practice what it's like to live on a single-family income for a while, especially if you don't have a sound budget to begin with, Gilbert says.

"The best way to do this is to pretend you don't have the money," he says.

Gilbert advises setting up an automatic transfer from the bank and withdrawing the entire second paycheck so you don't even see that money for a year. Then put the cash toward a secondary goal such as savings or a vacation.

"In this day of instant gratification and unbelievable media pressure to spend, this ability to save and to make lifestyle adjustments is more powerful than anyone really realizes," Lawrence says.


 

 

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