I drive past McDonalds every day. Today I could smell the fries. I was so tempted to stop! But instead I kept driving and ate lunch at home - food I had already paid for.

Tonight I'm going shopping. I have to order a bridesmaid dress for a wedding I'm in in 9 weeks (gulp!). So I will be spending money there for the dress (as well as the wedding gift I purchased last night). And, I have a coupon for $15 off a purchase of $15 or more at a clothing store, so I might have to see what $15 can buy there.

I really want to go to other stores too. I have coupons galore in my purse. The only problem is that even if I'm saving money with the coupons, I'm still spending it on things I don't necessarily need. That is something that saving money forces you to examine: a want vs. a need.

This morning I read a great article about money saving here. One of the many things that struck me from the article was this advice: "Ask yourself, 'If I lose my job tomorrow, what would I cut?' and do it NOW instead." These are things you don't need.

Another article about needs vs. wants that I skimmed earlier today says: "But what fun is life without wants? The point isn't to abandon all of the stuff you want, but to realize how much of your monthly spending is tied to wants. It's fine and healthy to want things, but when you're sinking financially just to maintain things that you want, there's a real problem."

A final reminder from the first article: "The goal is not to cut out all sources of joy in your life, it's to spend only on those things and experiences that are going to really improve your life, that you use and enjoy a lot, and that will give you a great lift and not just a momentary lift."

I was inspired after reading the article; I hope you will take a look at it and also be inspired.

Readers, I hope you don't mind the attention I've been giving these last couple few days to the topic of saving money. It's something I need to focus on, and something I think a lot of us should be focusing on as well.