Can you help?

[vishenda]

Re: Can you help?

It's a good thing to save and think of the future, but just remember the old saying: you can't take it with you. What good is saving and saving if a person can't even enjoy spending once in a while? Sounds like you got a good start for your future though.

[shepav]

Re: Can you help?

It's a good thing to save and think of the future, but just remember the old saying: you can't take it with you. What good is saving and saving if a person can't even enjoy spending once in a while? Sounds like you got a good start for your future though.

Good point - I need to be reminded of this sometimes. My income will be cut drastically, so I just wanna be sure I'm being wise with money.

[nanamom]

Re: Can you help?

We keep our heat at 60 in the winter and I don't raise it when DH comes home. Casseroles are good. Tuna is cheap and works in the casseroles too. Meatless nights work well also. We have an egg dish for dinner once a week, eggs are cheap. Sometimes we have pnut butter sandwiches for dinner. Cereal is expensive, we only have it on Sunday. Pancakes are cheap, as is oatmeal. You can bake your own bread for alot less cost. If you don't want to try, check freecycle for a bread machine. if you haven't shopped at Goodwill, try it or a resale shop. I try to hit ours on "bag" day. My dryer broke and ever since I have been hanging our clothes. The wooden thing I bought cost 9.99 and has saved my electric bill alot. For entertainment, find a friend and trade off babysitting while you go for a walk, or depending on the weather where you live go to a inside free thing like a museum. One of our favorite things to do is get together with friends and play games. WE don't have a TV so cable isn't an expense for us. If it is for you, cancel it! Do you need the internet? Can you use the local library? Combine all your errands to one day and let the car sit for the other 5. Mke it a game with the kids to save money, and catch them at it. Like you closed the refridgerator really quickly that's a point for you. Or you remembered to turn off th elight that's a point. Of course if they leave a room with the light still on take away 2 points. At the end of the week whoever has the most points wins a prize. Prizes can be an extra helping of ice cream or picking to the movie you are borrowing form the library or staying up an extra half hour. Or you can say anyone with 10 points or more at the end of a week get s to....

[Snoopy2645]

Re: Can you help?

Well for my kids clothes I garage sale I used to think clearance shopping was good but garage sales are way way better!!! I wish I would have started it years ago I can get my kids tons of outfits for $1 or $2 at garage sales & the smaller your kids the easier to find stuff the key is to be the first one at the garage sale. Also the internet is a great source I make alot of money doing surveys & getting coupons online!!!

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Can you help?

Will you be in town or the country? If in the country, I am a sahm (farm wife) and have found its much easier for me to save in teh country verses when I lived in town

[sarah]

Re: Can you help?

I am surpised that saving money was easier to do in the city. Transportation costs seem to be much higher in the country.

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Can you help?

I am surpised that saving money was easier to do in the city. Transportation costs seem to be much higher in the country.

Well, over all, its cheaper for us.

#1, no trash bill to pay-in the city it was $17 a month for barebones trash pickup--no recycling. Here, we burn the trash & take the recycables to town the first Sat of the month for scouts to use for a fundraiser.

#2 No sewer bill at $27 a month--we have a septic tank with an evaporation pond. FYI the evaporation pond is very healthy-fish even survive it it, although we don't eat them-cats and coons do.

#3 Room for a large garden--Last year I raised corn, green beans, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, okra, lima beans, beets, brocholli, cauliflaur, turnips, potatoes (dug the rest of the potatoes yesterday when we plowed up the garden). I canned and froze a lot--greatly reduced the grocery bill.

#4 Room for fruit trees-we have peach, apple, cherry, pear. We also added some concord grapevines which should produce next year. Canned and made jelly and jams, and ate fresh.

#5 Compost all goes to the garden, or chickens and pigs.

#6 Chickens for the eggs. Excess eggs get sold.

#7 room to raise our own beef

#8 Room to board horses for people for extra income

#9 Room to raise pigs. Pigs are cheap to feed during school year as you can take an empty plastic barrell to school and they will dump in the plate scrappings. Pick it up after lunch, and leave a clean barrel with the kitchen. Since I have to go to school anyway at the end of the day to pick up the kids, its no extra trip. School is happy to do it, as it saves them on trash pickup-they call for it to be picked up when the dumpster is full, and it doesnt fill up as fast this way (small school of 100)

We save in other ways as well--only go to town when needed. You learn quickly to make do or do without. Can have a clothes line up without worrying about city codes. We don't mow the entire place--part of the huge front yard we let grow and neighbors beg to bale it for us. Saves us gas, and they give us 1/3 of the bales-which feeds the horses and cows in the winter. We ususally get 3 cuttings of hay a year. Kids have more room to play outside, yell and scream-more outdoor games of ball, teather ball and tag mean less video games and such. We also have a lot of timber, so we cut the deadstuff for our heat supplement.

All these added up more than save on the extra fuel.

[RunnerGirl78]

Re: Can you help?

I've become an e-Bay junkie. I only buy from them (you can get great shirts for $0.01 plus about $3 in shipping), whether it be clothing, appliances, gifts, etc. I also sell there, too...old jewelery, rubber stamps, items at garage sales, etc. I donate all big items, but anything that's worth any value and can be shipped - it's on eBay. I've also become a smart shopper at places like Ross and Marshalls...you can pick up a pair of, say, Nine West shoes there for about $8 and sell them on eBay for $20...after shipping, you make about $5 a sale. Trust me, it adds up quick.