Ok, so now I know that we are on a bad path. We have already filed bankruptcy. The pay off seemed daunting. The task seemed like it may be unachievable. So now what.
So here are my thoughts on cutting your family budget. They will apply if you are in financial ruins, or if you just want to save more money. I will fully admit, I came upon these in desperation. I will also fully admit, I was grateful for having changed my family's life, and structure because of the initial desperation. It is our way of life now. It is good.
I am not sure exactly how I should to present this, I guess...maybe in this case a list might be good. I am so not a list person. I think I will call it a list interrupted.
So here are my thoughts on cutting your family budget. They will apply if you are in financial ruins, or if you just want to save more money. I will fully admit, I came upon these in desperation. I will also fully admit, I was grateful for having changed my family's life, and structure because of the initial desperation. It is our way of life now. It is good.
I am not sure exactly how I should to present this, I guess...maybe in this case a list might be good. I am so not a list person. I think I will call it a list interrupted.
So here we go...These are my own personal changes, and what has worked for us.
First, make a budget. You must be realistic. Include EVERYTHING, from car payments, insurance, rent/mortgage, utilities, gas, food, activities, and anything else..BUT be accurate, possible estimate a bit high.
1. Get rid of the things you REALLY don't need. For example, at one point we had 4 cable boxes, 3 with DVR, and premium channels. About 2 years ago, the hubby, and I got rid of all of it, and OH MY!!!! only have basic cable. It was a savings of about $170.00/month.
2. Use your resources. The public library is an amazing find...I think we forget about it. Movies at no limit for all members of the family are...wait for it...wait for it FREEEEEEE. I know Red Box is cool, and convenient. but free is better, AND you can have them for a week. Which will also save on gas...just sayin' I recently reserved the "Dexter" series. Let's not also forget about the books. If you have young children, most libraries, have free programs...great for entertaining the kids for an hour or so if mom, or dad..needs to run an errand, or have "me" time.
3.Shop the sales. It does not matter if it is groceries, or clothes, or tires. Pay attention! I never buy anything that is not on sale. In accordance with that, know what you will need ahead of time. Again, food, clothing, school supplies, etc.
4. Make use of coupons. OMG this is HUGE to me. I save up to and sometimes more than 70% of my grocery, Target, etc bill, by using coupons. Be aware of them, they can save you tons of $. Stores like Target, and Walgreens will allow you to use both a manufactures coupon with a store coupon...AWESOME double savings!!!!!. The key is here is to get the coupons for the items that you would normally use. For example, toilet paper...I clip several different brands...that allows me to find the best deal.
5. I never buy anything, with out a sale or coupon...and usually I use both. From groceries, to clothing. If you take a bit of time you can always find deals.
6. Plan your meals at least a week out. When planning meals in that way, you can shop sales, use coupons, and avoid spending when you have forgotten to plan ahead, and just stop at the grocery store to find dinner, and spend too much.
7. If you have storage space in a freezer...take advantage of sales. Take advantage of seasonal sales. For example, buy an extra turkey during November...an extra ham around Easter. Stock up on meat sales when you find them.
8. Find short term solutions to a home problem that you want to fix, but cannot afford at the moment. For example, we want to put new hard wood floors in our entire upstairs. We have accepted, that it will not happen for about a year and a half. We tore up carpet last year, and primed the floor. A year later, we have accepted it will not get done for quite some time. The floor did need a fix. We invested in a good floor paint, in a darker color (to help the dirt), and use some area rugs. It is not the end of the world...it is temporary.
9. Take advantage of seasonal produce...veggies, and fruit. Can preserves, and veggies. It is SUPER easy. I found most of my canning jars at rummage sales. They can be reused. The only cost is the lids...super cheap..and many coupons out this time of year. I can tell you I have not bought a jar of jam/jelly in over a year.
10. With all of this saving advice...and this comment is for the parents' only...you still need to have time to yourselves. It is super important to save as much as you can...It is even more important to have "date night!" If that means dinner, and a movie, or a walk on the beach, or having a mommy, daddy time in a hotel room for a night....It is all fine. You can save money, but you also need to save yourselves.
Humm, I am sure I have more...but I think that is it for now.
Please feel free to contact me with other money saving ideas.
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