Living on Less Series Part 4

Living on Less Part 4



Toys:

We do not buy toys for our son unless it is a birthday or holiday. When we purchase toys we usually do it at Target from the clearance section. I always keep in my mind the things he says he wants. Then, when it goes 75% off, I will purchase it and hide it in the house. I have also purchased those rubber snakes and dinosaurs from the dollar store. He loves them!! We have a budget of $50 for his birthday, and $100 for Christmas. When you buy everything on clearance, you get a lot of toys for a little bit of money!

Family Fun:

Because we save so much money on all the other items, it allows us to have family fun!! We have a yearly membership to the Zoo. It costs $60 for the membership. If we paid full price to go it would be $45 for the 3 of us. So basically, the membership is paid for in 2 visits to the zoo. We try to go every month when we can afford the gas (it's 30 minutes each way). Also, my husband buys a summer pass to the water park. He takes our son every week during the summer. They basically save 50% off the ticket price every time they go. And, we bought my son a fishing pole so we can go to grandma and grandpas pond and fish on Sundays after Church. So, just because were frugal, doesn't mean we don't have fun!!

Movies:

We don't go to the movie theatre unless someone offers to buy, or my husband gets a really big bonus. So, we go about twice a year! We also don't buy the latest movie out on DVD! We do however buy DVDs when they go on sale at Target for $10 or under. We also rent the latest movies on DVD through Redbox. They are $1 per movie per night. Why pay $20 for the DVD, or $4.75 to rent at the local rental place? I rent them at Redbox first for $1, and then if I like them, I write them on a list for a future 'On Sale' purchase. This includes kids movies. What a great way to save money!!


I will post the last part of this series (part 5) in a few days.

Living on Less Series Part 3

This is the best part (I think) of this series. The food part. I am the sole food shopper in my family. I make the menu, write the list, cut the coupons, and shop for food. My husband on the other hand will go to the grocery store and buy based on what he is craving that day. So, we have agreed that I will shop for all the food. I do however ask him every week if there is anything specific he wants and try to buy it when money allows.

Living on Less Series
Part 3

Food:

For those who are familiar to my blog, you know I have a food budget. I think that is the key to living on less. You have to have a budget! I have come up with a dollar amount that works for my family of three. My food budget for low months is $50 a week. The higher months get $75 a week. For us, being on commission, there are always certain months that bring in more money. During those higher months, I try to stock up on things like soups, canned veggies, and meat that we can use during the lower months.

You may be wondering how I feed my family on only $50 a week. Well, I cook all our food! I don't buy those precooked meats, already made tossed salads, or premade pies and cookies. I buy the ingredients to make them myself. Yes, it is more work, but well worth keeping more money in the bank to pay bills. I also don't buy beef, pork, beer, or wine. These things are just too expensive. Every week I purchase whole chickens or turkeys, milk, eggs, cheese, whatever fresh fruits and veggies are on sale, and breakfast items. I only buy snack and desert items if I have money left over. We usually have Popsicles or hand popped popcorn. I also make a menu every week to make sure I have enough to keep every ones tummy fool.

I use coupons, don't stick to name brands, and love finding things on sale!! You have to be flexible if you want to save money!

Speaking of coupons......USE THEM! They are out there and they will save you loads of money. If you don't get the Sunday paper, buy it every week for the coupons. There is an average of $100 in coupons in the Sunday paper. I have heard that some cities have their coupons in the Saturday paper, so check first before purchasing. Also, ask your family, friends, and neighbors, for the coupons they don't use. My neighbor said she would buy me a paper every week if I shopped for great deals for her at CVS. The coupons I don't use for her I get to keep! Also, I go to my parents house on Sundays and we swap coupons. Trust me....it is well worth it to spend the extra time cutting and sorting coupons!

Don't have one of those handy dandy coupon organizers? No problem! Go to Walmart or Target and purchase a box of letter envelopes. My Target store has a box of 100 for less than $2. Next, label them with the coupons you will put in them like dairy, meat, snacks, cans, shampoo, razors, etc. When you cut your coupons put them in the envelopes, then put a rubber band or ribbon around them and stick them in your purse. Make sure you have them every time you go to the store.

Use as many coupons as you can. I went to Target the other day and purchased a 3 pack of Kleenex tissues. They were on sale and I used a Target coupon and a manufacturer coupon. I saved $2.00! I did the same thing with Cottonelle toilet paper. It was on clearance and I used a Target coupon and manufacturer coupon. I saved $3.00! I also love using them on buy one get one free items. You can use 2 coupons. One for the one you are buying, and one for the free one!



Toiletries:

I have a budget of $20 a month for these things. That includes toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, shampoo, bath soap, feminine items, dish soap, toilet paper, tissues, laundry soap, dryer sheets, and cleaning supplies. I think I listed them all! How do I get all this for $20 a month?? One little word.....

CVS

Get a CVS rewards card, read the ad in the Sunday paper, get your coupons, and save lots of money!! You can read more about how I save at CVS by clicking the CVS link in the tags section of this blog. I have saved hundreds of dollars this year by using my CVS rewards card. I get things I need for nothing or for a few cents. It is well worth the time to do the math and get things for free!!


Eating Out:

Let me start by saying.....we Love to eat out. When my husband and I got married, we ate out 3 to 4 times a week. We would go to Longhorn Steak House, Outback, Carrabas, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc. But, now that our life and budget has changed, we just can't do that anymore.

My husband and I have date night every week on Fridays. This is the only day we eat out. If we are low on money, we skip it and eat at home. When we do eat out, we stay under $20. Our new favorite places are Panera Bread, Ruby Tuesday, Subway, Moe's, and our favorite Chinese takeout place. And yes sometimes we use a coupon! There is no shame in saving money!! If restaurants are going to give out coupons, why not use them!

The key to eating out is to set a dollar amount on how much you can spend. There have been some weeks when we have gone to Taco Bell and eaten for under $10 to save some money. If you don't have the money to eat out DON'T CHARGE IT!!! This is a bad idea. Do not use your credit card to eat out. You will only pay for it over and over again with all the finance charges.

A great way to eat out and save money is to order one appetizer and one meal. Ask the waiter to bring all the food at the same time, and ask for an extra plate. When the food comes, split it between the two of you. We often do this when we eat at the Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday.


This is the end of part 3 of the series.

If there are 2 things I would like you take from this part of the series it's to make a budget, and use coupons. Using these 2 things can save you LOTS of money.


I will post part 4 of this series on Monday.

Have a great weekend...and happy saving!!

Living on Less Series Part 2

Living on Less
Part 2


Appliances:

We don't purchase appliances until the ones we have break. When the washer that came with the house finally died, my husband went to Home Depot and purchased a middle of the road GE washer. Oh, and he got it on sale!! When the dryer died the next year, he did the same thing. He spent about two weeks researching brands and prices before purchasing anything to make sure he was getting the best deal.

Before you go and buy a new appliance ask yourself the following:

1. Can your appliance be fixed?

The first time our washer stopped washing, I had my father come over and look it. He brought his handy washing machine repair book and fixed it within an hour. All it cost me was a ham sandwich and soda. A lot better than $300 for a new washer!! You can check out repair books at your local library for free. You can also go to a book store and get one. It might be worth spending $25 instead of $300! Or...you can do what I do and look at books at the book store, write down the info of the books you like, and then look for them on Ebay. I have purchased books on Ebay for 40% to 50% of bookstore prices!

2. If your appliance can't be repaired, instead of purchasing new, how about used?

There are yard sales every week in my area, and people flock to them in droves. I try to check the Friday paper to see who will have appliance for sale. Sometimes people list their phone numbers to try to sell larger items early. You may also want to check out Craigslist.com. People list their used appliances in there all the time. Also, a great list I found about a year ago is called freecycle.org. People list their items on there for people to take for free. Yes....I said free!! You have to check it every day though if you are looking for something specific.

3. If you can't find one for cheap or free, have you compared prices?

Don't just purchase the first one you see at the store. Shop around. Check out the different brands, features, and prices. Consumer Reports is a great place to check these things out. Most Libraries have these magazines for you to look at. Also, price your item at different stores. There are lots of places that carry appliance, don't limit yourself to one store.

It is well worth putting in some time to research the best brands and prices before purchasing a new appliance.


Credit Cards:

This is a bad word in our house. Credit cards are bad. Every week we get an average of 5 credit card offers in the mail. They tempt you with cash back percentages, and frequent flyer miles. What they don't put in large print is the high percentage rate.

We have 2 credit cards. That's it!! We use them for emergencies only. Like when my husband had his 2nd heart surgery, he wasn't working, so there was no money coming in. Our church helped with food, and his job helped with some bills, but the rest was put on the credit cards. Also, last month, we went 2 weeks without a paycheck, so we used the cards to pay some bills and buy food. When we get back on our feet, we pay what we can past the minimum. Then, when my husband gets a bonus, we pay them off completely.

I know people with 8 to 10 credit cards from this and that store who say it's worth it to get coupons in the mail for 20% off when they spend a certain amount. But is it really worth it?? Is it worth paying 25% interest on clothing, TVs, appliances, and vacations?

If you don't have the cash.....don't buy it! Way back when, there were no credit cards. Americans lived with what they had. They spent the physical money they had, or traded a few chickens for some flour, or fabric. They didn't have credit cards. If they didn't have the money, they didn't buy it. Why should we live any differently today?

The rule of thumb.... If you can't pay your credit card debt off in 6 months or less, you have too much debt. Here are the steps we used years ago to pay off our credit cards.


1. Gather all your credit cards, put them in an envelope, seal it, and hide it somewhere.

2. Gather all your credit card statements and list them out starting with the least you owe to the most you owe.

example:

A. 300.00
B. 600.00
C. 900.00
D. 1200.00

3. Using the example above, pay the minimum on B, C, and D, and put as much money towards A as you can. You want to pay off the credit card with the least debt first. When you pay off credit card A, you put as much money towards credit card B as you can, and so on. Eventually you will have your credit cards paid off!

When you finally have your credit cards paid off, you will be free of the stress that all that debt brings. You will feel like you have conquered the world. Well....your pocketbook anyway!


I will post Part 3 on Friday.

Happy Saving!!

Living on Less Series Part 1

You need to know before you read this series why I live the way I do. I am not just some person who got an idea one day, and decided to write about it. I have lived it. I have lived with lots of money, and I have lived with no money at all. I have been there in the trenches trying to survive, and I have done so by the grace of God so that I can share it with you.

You need to know that 5 years ago my husband had a stroke and open heart surgery. When we went to the ER, the doctors said he was dieing and needed emergency open heart surgery. This puts a lot of thoughts of into your head! All I could think of was how I would survive with a 2 year old and all those bills. After my husband pulled through and get well, we started putting things in order for the 'just in case'. He wanted to make sure that if he passed away, I could still make it with our son. Then, 2 years ago, he had his second open heart surgery. They said he only had a 30% chance of his heart starting up again. After lots of praying, he made it through. But it was a big reminder that anything can happen. I almost lost my husband twice, and if I do finally lose him one day, I want to make sure I can afford to take care of my son.

I am sharing my story with all of you, so you can look at your lives and get them in order. I want you to make sure that you can support your family if your spouse passes away. I want you to make sure you will have a roof over your heads, a car to drive, food on the table, and healthy children. Learn from someone who has been there. I don't claim to have all the answers, I can only tell you how I have done it.


Living on Less Series
Part 1

The past 2 months has been financially hard on our family. My husband works in the construction business on 100% commission. With the price of everything going up over the last 6 months, people are more concerned with food and gas. They aren't spending as much on fixing up there houses. What affects them, in turn affects us. So, I have had to learn how to live on less.



How do I do it? Let me show you........



House:

About 9 years ago when my husband and I got engaged, we discussed where we would live. He had a tiny garage apartment for $400 a month, and I had a small one bedroom apartment for $650 a month. We wanted a bigger place, but didn't want a bigger payment. After looking around at larger apartments for a while, we made our choice. We purchased a mobile home and moved in right after we got married. It's a 2 bedroom 2 bath with a screened in porch and a small yard.

Before you think about the negatives of a 'Mobile Home' keep reading.

We are in a gated community, with a Home Owners Association. We have a playground, and a pool. We have rules about keeping our yard cut and our house nice looking. We also have great neighbors. Oh....and our house payment is only $285 a month!

If you are truly serious about saving money, you have to let go of the stereotypes and think of what is best for your family. Growing up I didn't dream of owning a mobile home, but I did dream about having a roof over my head that I could afford.

My dad taught me something a long time ago about buying a house. He said not to buy anything with a payment more than 10% of your income. You have to think about all your other bills when you buy a house. You have to remember that you have car payments, electric, water, gas, fuel, food, health insurance, etc.

When we were looking at apartments and houses we decided we would not look for anything more than $700 a month since our combined income at the time was around $70, 000. But then we also considered me staying home and taking care of any future children we had. This lowered that number to $400 a month. We quickly put aside our pride and started looking at every option. Then when we started looking at mobile homes we found this one. It was cute, in a great neighborhood, and the right price!

I thank the good Lord every day for this house. When my husband had both his open heart surgeries and couldn't work, I knew we would always have a roof over our head. That is such a good feeling! I know that even if my husband were to pass away, I can go back to work and pay the mortgage on this house. If that were to happen to you.....could you pay your house payment by yourself? Just a little something to think about.



Cars:

We currently have 2 cars. We purchased them at Saturn. We love Saturn!! They have great prices, and no haggling! We purchased my car new about 7 years ago when my (paid for) car died. We have not had one problem with my Saturn! And, we have completely paid it off!

Then we went a year and half with only one car. It was rough trying to coordinate schedules, but we did it. I offered my mom gas money to pick my son up from school and bring him home. I also dropped my husband off at work before I went to work, and picked him up from work every day after I got off work.

We couldn't afford another car at the time, and didn't want to finance one with a huge car payment since we didn't have any money for a down payment. Let me tell you something ........make it work if you can not afford a car. DO NOT finance a car if you cannot afford one. The convenience of it is not worth having a car repossessed and your credit ruined!

We then purchased my husbands car 2 years ago for work. He couldn't fit all his work stuff in my little 4 door car, so he purchased an SUV. After we pay off his car, we will not purchase another car until one of these breaks down. And if my husband were to pass away, and I went back to work, I might be able to pay his car payment. Even if I couldn't, I wouldn't worry, because my car is paid off! If I couldn't make the payment, I would sell his car, pay off the loan, and drive my car to work every day. If that were to happen to you, would you still be able to afford a car payment? Would you still have a car to get to work so you could pay your bills? Just something to think about!


This is the end of part 1 of my Living on Less series.

I will post more parts throughout this week and into next week.

Happy Saving & God Bless