50% Project Update

I haven't had a lot of time to update here lately. I've been cooking a lot, but my camera is in storage so I won't have pictures to accompany many of my posts. I've been working full-time, going to school full-time (I graduate June 14th!!), spending time with my family, and trying to get into an apartment (which is seemingly impossible in this little town).

On the other hand, I've been doing a lot that I wanted to tell you about. I have $1,800 in savings now, which is over 50% of what I've made since January 1st. December had failed miserably, but I rallied myself and put myself to work.

Here's what I did to save money:

1. Minimized what I thought I "needed".
2. Set a reasonably budget for fun things, because it is important to enjoy life. This cut back on impulsive purchases.
3. Cooked more food from scratch and ate more whole foods, which minimized my food budget completely on accident. Making my own bread, bagels and hamburger buns has saved me about $25 a month. Eating salads instead of chips has saved me even more ($1 for spinach, or $3 for chips... hm?)
4. Switched to a dirt cheap cat litter ($2 for 25 lbs).
5. Started buying my pet food from Grocery Outlet (1/2 the price of Walmart). I only feed my animals Purina and  Pedigree, if I could afford it they'd eat Science Diet or Blue Buffalo. But I'm paying $20 for pet food a month.
6. Make my own laundry soap (bar soap, washing soda and borax).
7. Pack my work lunches.
8. Switched to a cheap, but natural bar soap - it's a glycerin soap, which is what my doctor suggested.
9. Drink water instead of soda (saves TONS of money).
10. Shop smart - snag discounted items, and buy used.

I am one paycheck away from $2,000 in savings - which is halfway to my goal. I thoroughly believe I will meet my savings goal by this next December, if not exceed it.

What have you been doing to become more financially stable?