How can I be more frugal?? Help!?
Question:My fiance and I need to save some major money in the next little while, problem is- He got a surprise pay cut about a month after I quit my job to be a stay at home mom with our 5 yr old, and I am pregnant with our second baby. Before the pay cut, it would have been fine financially. Now, with me being 31 wks preg, we're in a tight spot.
I need any and all tips on how we can save some money, not necessarily to bank right now, but to live on.
If you have any ways we can save on everyday items and chores, let me know! I mean stuff like cooking, cleaning, pet care (3 cats, 1 dog), groceries, stuff like that. Since I am a stay at home mom I do have more time to spend "being frugal". We don't eat out much at all, live rural so don't do anything pricey for entertainment ($5 movie 2x a month), I use baking soda to clean, line dry our clothes, and try to use everything in our pantry before buying more... help! Fiance is freaking out about money!
Answers:
We all go through a set back now and then. When our family is going through a hard time, I have a house rule when it comes to groceries and house hold cleaning items and toiletries...
"If it's not on sale, If it's not generic, or if we don't have a coupon, we don't buy it".
Here are some more examples on how we handle being temporarily out of whack financially:
1- Be careful throwing left over food out. Freeze it and use again in a day or two with a meal.
2-If there is food left on plates uneaten, feed to your pets (mixed with pet food). It won't hurt them, they would eat out of the alley garbage cans if they were left on their own. They can go back to a full pet food diet when you get back on your feet.
3-Instead of going to the movies, rent videos.
I almost forgot!! Mainly because we STILL do it whether we are financially stable or not. Every Friday we have what we call "Poor Man Stew" this is what my husband and I call it, the kids call it "Cowboy Stew". It's just a pot of all your weekly left overs, add a can or two of Ranch Style Beans and cooked ground beef.
It sounds like you are doing well now. Wait until the event before worring about it, solutions are usually found when the event occurs and you have more information. btw Congratulations. "If the only problem you have is money, then you have no problems."
This is going to sound judgemental but it's not, really. If you marry, he can claim three dependents on his payroll taxes, including Head of the Household, and that will give him a little more each week and more at the end of the year. Other than shopping with coupons, going natural in cleansers and pet food, and the usual thrift suggestions, I can't be much help. You might google thrifty hints and see what they offer.
Do you do leftovers? Turn off lights, radios, etc when there is no one in the room. Turn down the thermostat and leave the A/C off until it gets really sticky and then set it at about 77F or 25C. Shut off any outside lighting and only put the porch light on when you are expecting a delivery or company. Talk less on the phone, send more letters and organize shopping trips so that you don't backtrack and take the shortest route. Combine as many trips into 1 as you can. Buy generic brand including pet food and buy in bulk if it will generate a long term saving. Wash dishes by hand. Hope all this helps. If you have grandparents or great grandparents alive, ask them how they got along because they also went through a strapped for cash period.
get rid of cable tv, cell phone. that will save you a bunch of money. if u must have internet, then get the cheapest dialup u can. find out where aldi's is and buy your food there. it is half the price of supermarket. buy your bread at bakery outlet where day old is half price. i do it all the time and throw bread in frig. use less gas by only going shopping once per week. find out if you can reduce your car insurance by getting a higher deductible and if you have an old car, eliminate your collision coverage. shop for clothes for kids and self at thrift store and yard sales. kids clothes are always at yard sales. turn down the heat and put on a sweater. turn off the ac and turn on the fans. never throw any food away. leftovers become something else! and finally the words my mother taught me: there are differences between needs and wants. good luck with your new baby. hope he/she is healthy and sleeps thru the night after a month.
use news paper to clean your glass items at home, get a list for groc.s then use it to use a budget , i use $55.00 a week for three people.three pounds hamburger, three whole chickens and lots of veggies if you want a menu for 4 dollars or less email me and i will send one to you.. sounds like you are on your way to a better lifestyle, because when you do get an advancement in pay you will want to continue this lifestlye, i promise
Go through and determine what your absolute needs are, then look at the stuff you didn't write down, like subscriptions to things and hobbies that take money. If you have removed all the excess you can (tv included) then the next step would be expand the money coming in. What works for one person may not work for you, but would be a good guideline to try.
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