I remember when I was a kid, my parents used to say, "We are not made of money," along with "Money does not grow on trees." Well, Chris and I know, obviously, that my parents were right on both accounts. However, I get the impression that others think our money grows in our front yard or something. I get asked a lot, "How do you guys do it?"
First of all, Chris works really hard so we "can do it." He is now doing web design/Logo side jobs, some for free however, in hopes of doing more side work and getting paid. He enjoys this "work" too.
I started my job at Janie and Jack and told a few people about working there (and have since kept quiet). I have told the dilemma as to not knowing why I am working. We are doing fine on one income, and this job does not even pay for a pizza delivery. Then the comment always arises, "You know, if you have so much money, you can volunteer?" Okay, we do not have "so much money." And, volunteer with 3 kids in toe? I am a stay at home mommy, not some lazy, good for nothing trophy wife (oh, but I am some trophy, right Topher?!). Being a SAHM is a lot work, just FYI (side note: I looked into getting a cleaning person to clean once a month to help me out - and it was $175 for 2 hours! Can you imagine what I could be making for working like 18 hours a day!! Needless to say, we do not have a cleaning person and our house will remain dirty). I said we make it work on one income. We, um, budget. I take offense to people of 2 working incomes saying, "Oh, WE can't afford to do that," in response of something we have done, are doing, or plan to do. We can because we save, budget and are smart about EVERY penny we spend. So, here are just a few of our penny saving strategies:
1. Cell phone.
We have ONE phone, the cell. We have 450 minutes, no text, no email. $37 a month or something like that. Period. No home phone. Yes, I have gone over minutes (now twice) only because I have forgetten to check and have gotten too chatty. Now I am enrolled with this place that will email me when I am running low on minutes: Over my Minutes.com.
2. Utilities
It is hot in our house in the summer and cold in the winter. Heard of blankets and sweatshirts? The kids are used to it because they actually take off their sweaters. I keep it at 67 during the day during the cooler months when we are home, but turn it down when we are not home and asleep. Oh and cable: keep it basic. Bunny ears do not work where we live (or we would have them).
3. Groceries
I have to go to the store every week. Very annoying, but we run out of milk, bread and diapers. I buy very little snack crackers anymore. The kids can eat fruit and healthy things instead of the expensive crackers ($7 for a box of goldfish is seriously insane!). I shop at walmart because they match all the ads, use coupons, and am looking into couponmom and mygrocerydeals. I hate going to the store!
4. We write down every expense in our budget. Ask Chris, he hates this. But, you spend less when you do this. I would use cash, but then I would not know where the money went. We pay for everything with our checking account card, no credit. I will use a credit card with points for big purchases and pay off right away. And, credit is used if for interest free financing purposes.
5. Eating out? It is very rare. We get pizza. I took the kids out to lunch today as a treat. BIG TREAT. They have to know how to behave when eating out, but it is a treat reserved for special occasions. Eating out is a waste of money when it is $2 for a drink and $5 for a sandwich. I can buy an entire loaf of bread and a pound or more of turkey for $5.
6. Christmas shopping
I shop around online, pricecompare everything before purchasing. We save all year for this, so buying is not an issue. The people we buy for get nice, thoughtful presents (at least I try). We save a little every month so we have enough to buy everything we need. Our kids appreciate what we give them at this point. Jesus only received 3 presents...so we try to not get carried away. Jesus is the reason, after all.
7. We save. We save a little and a lot. It is just a bill that goes out on the 1st and 15th. We don't even know it is missing.
So, we are not made of money. We are just smart spenders.
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