My husband (then fiance) and I have had a few times where finances were especially tight – right after we graduated college and were searching for jobs, and when we decided to move to a new place and had to pay the first month’s rent and security deposit at once.

Both times, we had to make financial compromises and cut back on expenses. We quickly found out that the biggest area where we spent money was eating out at restaurants, so we stopped doing that. We also lived on loads of ramen noodles and used grocery-store coupons whenever we could. And finally, we discovered the joys of thrift-store shopping and fell in love with a nearby clothing-by-the-pound place.

Thankfully today we’re in a much better financial situation, but that time taught us a lot about making compromises and working together to make our budget work. We still use some of the tips and tricks we learned then (and still love thrift stores), but have happily left the ramen noodles behind!

What about you? What did you cut back on when times got tough? Let us know!