On Living Frugally

These days we are all feeling the pinch. As a stay-at-home mom I am constantly trying to find ways to help stretch our budget farther and farther. The Lord has blessed Drew with a wonderful job that provides very well for us. However, I would say that the cost of living up here is higher than some due to the fact that it is a "resort area" in effect. Nonetheless, we love living up here and wouldn't change it.
I have been involved in a Bible Verse Study for the past five years based on Titus 2:1, 3-5:

"But as for you, teach what accords with sounds doctrine...Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

Our study meets once a month and is filled with women from all stages in life from grandmothers to newlyweds and from all different backgrounds. We have done several different studies including "Apples of Gold," listening to and discussing in depth the recorded teaching "Woman of God: Servant or Controller?" by Bev Bradley, and "Created to be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. I always leave these meetings encouraged and challenged to be the wife and mother God would have me to be. We were recently (in the past six months) discussing what is meant by being "good" in the verse from Titus. Part of the definition is to be "useful, beneficial" and in light of that we took a turn in our study and all wrote down different subjects we would like to discuss. The compiled list includes such things as child training, gardening, time management, organization, and budgeting. This past month we each came with at least 2 money-saving tips to share. Let me tell you, I gleaned so much from this meeting and was very excited to come away with even more ideas of how to stretch a dollar. Here are some ideas I thought would be good to pass along:

1. Discuss these ideas with your husband to make sure y'all are on the same page.
2. The idea to "use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without" and be "endlessly creative."
3. Buy some foods in bulk. You can go to ice cream stores especially to get their buckets to store these extra foods in.
4. Make a list of extra items in your pantry, fridge, and freezer so you know what you have and don't buy even more extra or let it go bad.
5. Pray before shopping to keep you focused. On that same note, make a list and stick to it!
6. Practice meal planning to keep your grocery list focused and also take the "thinking" out of making supper everyday.
7. Use what you have. Buy quality products and maintain them so they will last.
8. Make your own cleaning products. This not only saves money but is better for the environment and safer in your house as these products may make one sick if ingested but won't send them to the hospital. :)
9. Shop consignment sales, end of season sales. "End of season" usually is after Christmas for winter things and July/August for summer.
10. Buy fruits and veggies in season and "deal with them" meaning can or freeze them at that time.
11. Use Craigs List and/or Freecycle.
12. Use a clothesline instead of your dryer to save on electricity. Many there who did this said it was amazing the savings they saw. Also check out www.michaelbluejay.com for tips on saving electricity.
13. Take up a hobby that will produce something such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, or cross-stitching.
14. Ask for certain things as presents instead of buying them yourself.
15. Do certain things at home such as cutting your children's hair.
16. Instead of giving presents at Christmastime and just having more "stuff," do a "toy swap" with the children in your extended family. This way your children will have a lesson in giving and selflessness and blessing others as well as new toys.
17. Make some of your own groceries at home. Take on the "no/fewer boxes" philosophy when grocery shopping. That way you won't be paying extra for all that packaging and advertising.
18. Cut coupons and make sure to look at circulars.
19. Stay at home more or take advantage of free things in your community for family entertainment.
20. Swap babysitting with a friend for "date nights" or other things.
21. Use the library as a resource for just about everything!
22. Don't try everything at once and then get overwhelmed. Pick one area such as "groceries" and work on that for one month or so and then something else the next month.

Drew and I live on a budget and do part of our budget "in cash" meaning that with every paycheck I take out a certain amount in cash for food, entertainment, household items, medical, and clothing. When we run out of money in a certain area, we're done until the next paycheck. Likewise, we are able to look ahead and save for whatever the need may be (saving in the clothing budget when I know the consignment sale is coming which is where we buy our children's clothes for the next season). It is really great to be able to "see" what monies are available and helps to keep us on track.

We have the same food budget now that we did when we were first married even though there are now five of us instead of two. It was getting stretched pretty thin but we didn't have the extra money to add into the food budget. I make our own baby food which is not hard and saves a ton of money but I decided to adopt the "no/fewer boxes" when grocery shopping and have seen a HUGE savings! I made five loaves of bread (one recipe) of honey whole wheat bread for about $6.50. I make granola for us to munch on and for cereal or on top of yogurt in the morning. My next project is to make crackers for us from a great recipe one of my friends gave me. We still buy tortilla chips and some other "boxes" but not as many as we did and the last two times I've been to the grocery store I had $25 left and that was after buying meat and fish (on sale, of course). That never happened before!

My next project is to make our household cleaners, make more of our presents, and try drying at least some if not all of our clothes on a clothesline. I'll be glad to share any "recipes" I have if anyone is interested so just let me know in the comments section. Have fun!