One of the greatest wastes of money is food. Yep, you heard me. I know we needed it, but all too often this is the greatest source of budgetary problems. Especially if you are a young and social single. Eating out is a way of life. It is how you mingle. It is also how you hunt down your future significant other. Yet, it is often the biggest obstacle to getting yourself on a workable budget.

I will use myself as an example. Being a 35 year old bachelor, much of my social interaction is at lunch time and evenings out with friends. I will stick to lunch for this example. If I go to a non-fast food restaurant, on average I will spend roughly 12 dollars including tip. If I do this 3 times a week, that is 36 dollars. Multiply that times four weeks and  is just under $150.00. This is really a conservative number too.

You can see from the previous example how eating can really blow a whole in your bottom line. Discipline is key, but if I cut eating out to lunch to just one day a week I am saving an extra $100. a month. That could go towards savings, or paying down debt. This is just another example of how you can save money.