Gas prices......bankruptcies........mortgage failures......bank failures.....food prices. Not to mention bills, bills, bills! Recently, Princess told me something very endearing. The kids always want to see what's in the mail. Half the time it's, of course, another bill. Apparently, when Princess was in Kindergarten, the teacher asked them all to say one thing they wanted. Princess said "I told my teacher I wanted enough money to pay all the bills that kept coming in the mail". Wouldn't that be great? Well, it isn't happening here anytime soon. And with the failing economy, it has shed a new light on how we spend our money here at our house. It seems to be happening to everybody. No, I can't go out to eat, too much money. No, we can't drive to the mall today, only if we have something important to buy. No, let's not buy that extra bag of chips at the store. I'd love to find out how YOU are saving money. What are you doing to stay on-budget? Here's a few of mine.
1) Planning trips to town so that everything is done at one time.
2) Carpooling for Picasso's sports activities
3) I keep a case of bottled water in the car, and the kids have learned how to drink it "lukewarm". Now, if they say they're thirsty in the car they grab a bottle of water, instead of spending a few dollars at the convenience store.
4) Going to the dollar store for items I know are cheaper, like shampoo, other toiletries.
5) Saying no to my kids more often in the store. Instead of a special treat, I have them pick a snack food for everyone to share at home. Recently we bought on-sale ice cream and cones, and saved a ton of money on going out for ice cream (and shared the with neighbor kids, too!)
6) Ok, this is cheap, but I've been using all those napkins we've received from Subway. I keep them in the car.
7) Swapping shoes and clothing with my daughter, instead of buying another pair of black flats just like the ones she has!
8) Saying NO to myself when I think I need another piece of clothing.
9) Eating more leftovers and being creative with them! My Number One Guy will eat anything, bless him, and my kids have gotten used to more leftovers than usual.
OK, I admit, I got a little carried away with my list. Now it's your turn!
1 comment:
I have returned to the wonderful world of thrift stores to buy items for my youngest children. Since they grow so fast, it saves money.
Less trips to the store. We got Mom here a bicycle so that I can work my way up to riding the bike to the store to pick up some items that are needed, such as milk and bread. And we've been thinking about making our own bread.
More importantly, we've been praying that God shows us how to live within our means, and not be afraid, for He promised in His word that we should not worry about what we should wear or eat, that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. God bless you and yours.
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