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1. Use cash! This is probably one of the simplest and easiest things that we changed, that really made a difference. My husband I were the type of people who just swiped cards. We kept “mental” track. Now it’s all in cash, all the time. We always know how much money we have. For us, being able to see how much money we have makes us spend less money.
2. Budget! It’s so important to budget. I really believe everyone should have a budget of some type they follow, and most people probably do have one. We didn’t. We just blindlessly spent. Now it’s written in ink! We use Dave Ramsey’s envelope system. Once we run out of money for our date envelope, that means NO MORE DATES!
3. Prioritize! This is something that works for us, and may not work for you. The FIRST thing we buy when we get paid is groceries. That way if there is something unexpected that happens, we will at least have groceries. This also means we won’t buy frivolous things because we’ve already spent the money on food!
4. Aldis! I literally cringe every time I think of the fact we used to shop at a name brand grocery store. We lived right next to a Hen House, and so that’s where we did a lot of shopping. Now the majority of our shopping is done at Aldis. The amount of money we save overall is dramatic. To prove my point, this coming Saturday when we go grocery shopping, I will list what we bought at Aldis, and price it compared to a name brand grocery store. ((This will be an interesting project!!)) We do continue to buy our meat and a few other things at name brand stores only.
5. One Car! Last July we sold my husband’s Ford Explorer. Now we only have to fill one gas tank, worry about the maintenance on one car, and insure one car. This is hard to get used to at first. I went from bee bopping all over, whenever I wanted, to being stuck at home unless my husband is here. I get stir crazy. However, I get to be a housewife, and it’s worth it.
6. Garden! This year, as you all know, I’m planting a garden. If, God willing, everything flourishes, I should have plenty of produce to not only eat, but freeze or can. I will not have to buy tomato sauce, jalapenos, corn, carrots, potatoes, onions, etc. because I will have grown it. (((Not to mention it’s organic!!)))
7. Cell Phone! I recently mentioned we have our phone service through Virgin Mobile. I cannot gush enough about how thrilled I am about this. I just went to all major cell phone companies’ websites, and this is how they compare.
ATT-189.99-Unlimited text, data, and 700 minutes
Verizon-159.99-Unlimited text, data, and 700 minutes
T-Mobile-139.00-Unlimited text, data, and 750 minutes
Sprint-129.99-Unlimited text, data, and 1500 minutes
Virgin Mobile-50.00-Unlimited text, data, and 600 minutes
Before we had Virgin Mobile we had ATT, since switching we’ve saved 139.99 per month, in one year we’ve saved 1679.88!!! That is just incredible!! I know Virgin Mobile or another cheaper phone service wouldn’t work for everyone. Not everyone gets the same service, etc. This is just something for us that we absolutely love, and it’s saving us money. It’s like chocolate cheesecake without calories!!
ATT-189.99-Unlimited text, data, and 700 minutes
Verizon-159.99-Unlimited text, data, and 700 minutes
T-Mobile-139.00-Unlimited text, data, and 750 minutes
Sprint-129.99-Unlimited text, data, and 1500 minutes
Virgin Mobile-50.00-Unlimited text, data, and 600 minutes
Before we had Virgin Mobile we had ATT, since switching we’ve saved 139.99 per month, in one year we’ve saved 1679.88!!! That is just incredible!! I know Virgin Mobile or another cheaper phone service wouldn’t work for everyone. Not everyone gets the same service, etc. This is just something for us that we absolutely love, and it’s saving us money. It’s like chocolate cheesecake without calories!!
8. Buy Used/On Sale! It helps a ton to buy used items from ebay, amazon, craigslist, or thrift stores. You get things at a fraction of what they would normally cost. Another thing that has helped us is buying items we want only if they are on sale. If there is something we really, truly want, we will wait to get it when it goes on sale. At least then we’re saving something.
9. Coupons! This kind of ties in with number 8. and number 4. Clipping and using coupons can be a great help with saving money this is something I don’t currently do because we shop at Aldis and they don’t take coupons because they don’t have name brand items. However, it’s something I do want to start doing to help with buying household items and some name brand groceries.
10. Needs VS. Wants! This is probably one of the hardest of things to learn, and follow. It’s something I think I will struggle with for quite a while. Weighing what you need versus what you want needs to be ever present in your mind. I very much want many things right now. I’d love to get a manicure, go to the movies, buy a new car, or go on vacation. But I need new clothes, gas in the tank, and a vet trip for my dogs. It also helps to realized that you may not have the newest gadget/item/etc., but you do have a warm happy home, you have a lovely loving husband, and in my case, I get to be a very happy housewife!
I hope these tips have given you something to think about! I’m always looking for more ways to save money, or spend less, so if you have ideas not listed; feel free to share in the comment section! I’d love to hear your ideas!!
((To see my grocery store comparison, just click here!!))
6 comments:
Hey great post! I'm a stay at home wife and we do basically all of these things too! Good job showing people that if you prioritize you can live on one income and love it!
loved it! i've been a stay at home mom for 20 yrs and yes you do pick up a lot of tips! we lived on a salary of $16,000 for a few yrs for all 9 of us,!
LOVE hearing other homemakers sharing how it IS possible to live on one income! It's a sacrifice that becomes a wonderful BLESSING.
Thanks for linking this up for Simply Homemaking.
Much Love & Blessings,
ESTHER
Our Simple Country Life
Excellent tips :)! Isn't it amazing how much you can live on if you have self-control... I'm definitely learning this right now :)! Thanks for linking up at Unwasted Homemaking!
Its great to be a housewife...and then when the children enter the picture...you already are use to being home and just have to adjust to their routine.
Great thoughts and tips
I liked this post. I want to be a SAHM when I am married and have children and this was quite encouraging. It can seem impossible, with the current economy, but many of the blogs I come a cross do it successfully. You gave great tips, too.
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