10 Tips to help you during furlough

10 Tips to help you during furlough, that you can start today, courtesy of Fort Bliss:

1. Live with 20% less NOW. Subtract 20% of your pay, and put it in savings for the emergency you will have during furlough.

2. NO large purchases during this time.

3. Contact your creditors and request a lower payment or lower interest during this time. (You can download a sample of the hardship letter here).

4. Pack your lunches. (FACT: 40% of discretionary incomes goes to eating out.)

5. Adjust your allotments.

6. Cut out premium channels.

7. Decrease expensive drinks, i.e. Starbucks, energy drinks, sodas.

8. Now is the time to start Smoking Cessation.

9. Track your expenses. Print your bank statement for one month and see where your money went.

10. Tell your kids “NO,” And don’t feel guilty.

Virginia Reza, who works at the Garrison Public Affairs office and also received a furlough notice, wrote a column for the Fort Bliss Monitor. Click here to read it.