Some Tips and Resources For Your Budget
Oct 13 '00
Managing a family budget is a topic near and dear to my heart. I was forced to become a stay at home Mom after the birth of my first daughter. I did some research and discovered after I paid for child care,work clothes,lunches,extra car expenses,extra hair styling, and fast food meals for the family, I was in the hole by about 1.00 an hour when I received my paycheck. This is also true for many other women. Thankfully,my husband has a decent job that will cover our basic expenses but I was worried about the "fun" part of life. Would we ever be able to eat at a restaurant again? Would I have to start picking lint out of the dryer to recycle? Images of my son as Tiny Tim at Christmas time filled my mind with fear. I turned to reading and research-book after book,internet site after internet site. I decided to approach running my home with the same care that I would a small home business. I studied my budget and made cuts that would even make the government blush.
Electric Bill
Did you know that most energy companies will give you a free energy usage audit? This helps to know where you energy expenses are the highest.
Turn down your water heater-most are set to high and waste electricity.
Water
Use the shower. Bathes take up more water in most cases.
Bath the kids together-saves time and water.
Don't let the water run when brushing teeth,doing dishes,etc.
Food/Groceries
This is my biggest area of saving and expenditure. I found a wonderful book called "Miserly Moms" by Jonni McCoy. In it the author outlines her families basic saving plan. The chapters I paid most attention to were the ones about food. She suggests having a soup night once a week to cut the grocery bill. Homemade soup, of course. Once a month cooking is a great alternative to fast food. Everything is in the freezer which eliminates the temptation to order out. With this method of cooking you can also purchase in bulk which typically can save big at the store.
I follow a well laid out food plan. My poor family is subjected to Meatloaf Monday,Soup Tuesdays etc. I personally do better planning weeks in advance instead of around current sales. My family is picky-very picky and food left untouched is not the best for the budget. I only buy sales items when they fit my plan. When I wrote my food plan I choose the most nutritional yet cheapest meals I could think of. I have at this time everything pin pointed down to the desert and drinks served. Some may think I'm anal but to make a budget you have to be very organized. It eases my mind to know that I can feed my family of five on fifty dollars a week without coupons or sales. Coupons are great when I can get them. My grocery store offers double coupons everyday of the week. You can find coupons at the grocery store,in Sunday papers,on-line, as well as coupon clubs that have sprung up around the country. Mycoupons.com is a resource for all that is couponing and rebating. You will find a members message board with tips,tricks and coupon pals. The site itself also offers links to other coupon pages.
Gifts and Holidays
I have to confess this was the area of most of my concern. I wanted my kids to have amazing holidays and birthdays. I have found with a little creativity it can be done. Now, I am not talking homemade gifts. They are beautiful and thoughtful but nothing is going to replace that Power Ranger from Wal*Mart-I still have bad memories from my aunt's homemade Cabbage Patch doll given to me at the height of the Christams season rage(bless her,she was being sweet but got me laughed at by other kids). May I once again offer another plug to My.Coupons.com? You would never believe how much being a member of this board has saved me. Example, about two weeks ago I caught on the board a Baby Soft Kelley Barbie Doll with a stroller was being offered at E-Toys for 5.00-this is the SAME doll being offered on Amazon for 44.95 and at Wal*Mart locally for 49.95. I found many more deals Furby,Hot Wheels, and various Star Wars toys at the same sale-all for 5.00 dollars. I had a coupon and to make a long story short spent 22.00 on over 300.00 worth of products.
You can find awesome deals on line. My Christmas shopping was done before I found this sale however.
Another tool I use is Reward Programs. You can click away for some great gift cerificates. Most programs are easy to use and will pay out in a timely fashion. This helps with gift giving expenses. My current programs include Freeride,Mypoints,and Gargageband. This has paid for my Christmas and birthday presents. Once again, MyCoupons.com has a message board just for rewards programs posts. You can find help figuring out a program,learning how to "work" the program, and alerts to new programs. When Jaboom first showed up on the scene,another member alerted the board from the beginning when the program was unlimited, in one short weekend I made enough Amazon gift certificates for a DVD player and gifts for my children.
Credit Cards
My best advice is to call around to your different credit card holders and ASK for a better rate. 9 out of 10 times you will be given one. I was told to freeze my card in a hunk of ice and thaw it out before I made a purchase. This only served to short out my hairdryer when I tried to speed up my thawing time but for some I'm sure it works.
Try to consolidate all your bills to the lowest rate and then have only one debt. This also saves time.
If you are in to deep with debt,look for a credit counselor(in the yellow pages)-they can help you eliminate debt and at a great discount by working with your creditors to eliminate late charges and lower rates. I have found that they give you one bill paid through them,then they distribute the money to your creditors. Best of all they can give you a date when you will be debt free-sort of a light at the end of the tunnel.
Miscellaneous
Cut down on the amount of meat served at one meal. Make the side dishes the focus.
Call around to beauty schools or salons in your area. Many offer a night of training for their employees and give customers a chance to receive services free or at a great discount.
Make homemade cleaners. Equal amounts of vinegar and water mixed in a spray bottle works wonders on windows. Bleach poured into the toilet bowl and let sit for a few minutes is an effective, cheap alternative to pricey cleaners.
Shop after Christmas sales-You can find gift wrapping and decorations for next to nothing. My older niece and nephew have requested gift certificates for Christmas,they have come to understand that 20.00 goes way further the day after than the day before.
If you have small children under five or are pregnant check into the W.I.C. program in your state. They offer foods like milk,cheese,cereals and peanut butter. Many are surprised that the income requirements are very flexible. This is a program aimed for almost all women and children not just very low income levels.
A great online resource for cheap meal ideas and other money saving advice is www.stretcher.com. Everything under the sun is listed and can become a great source of inspiration. Remember you will have unexpected set backs when it comes to budgeting. This is not the end of the world or your budget. Start over again tomorrow and enjoy today.
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sparklesky
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Member: Melissa
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About Me:
"My heart does not know from logic."
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