For the purpose of this article, I’m speaking to wives …
some straight talk if you will … some laying it on the line, telling it like it
is kind of talk.
I hear more and more people talking about how hard it is to make ends meet … and I agree with them. With everything going up except wages, it can sometimes be overwhelming trying to figure it all out.
We all know that women set the tone in their homes, so
ladies listen up. You may be a middle
age or older woman who has no marketable skills. You may be a young mother at home with her
children or a woman who is knocking on the door of retirement age. You may be a woman that is disabled or have a
home situation that prohibits you from bringing in any extra income or you may
be a woman that prefers being a homemaker at home. Whatever your situation, there is still
something you can do. Get a job!
Before you write me off as uncaring and unsympathic; here me
out. The job I’m talking about is the job
of stretching your husband’s income as far as you can, saving as much as you
can in the process.
Change your attitude from ‘my husband doesn’t make enough
money’ to that of a frugal zealot and a savings guru. Make it a challenge to see how far you can stretch
your husband’s paycheck and don’t forget to involve the whole family. Make stretching and saving your husband’s
income your job! If you do and stay the
course, you will reap some very pleasant rewards, both financially and in your
relationship with your husband.
Below, I’m sharing some things that can help if you chose to
take on the job of saving and stretching your husband’s income. The first few are about our attitudes …
Realize you cannot have everything you want
when you want it. That’s just being an
adult.
Don’t depend on others to take care of
you. Occasional help from others is fine, but when we start to EXPECT others to meet our needs long term, something is wrong with
our attitude. (‘Expect’ here is the key
word.)
Don’t spend money you don’t have. When you
spend money on things you can’t afford using money you should have paid bills
with don’t expect others to clean up your mistakes. The ‘I deserve this’ mentality is not
adult! The ‘entitlement’ mentality is
not adult!
Don’t play the victim card. We are all victims of our choices and
circumstances. What we do with them and
how we choose to react says a lot about who we are.
Doing without is not a sin! It won’t hurt you or your children or your
spouse.
Know and accept that this will be hard and
not fun at times! It’s called sacrifice!
Realize that your attitude will set the tone
in your home about your new job.
Please understand that it is not my intention for this to
sound harsh, but in today’s society, these are attitudes and mindsets I see on
a regular basis. (I overheard a conversation in a public place just a few days ago that
smirked of an attitude of ungrateful “entitlement.” That's what prompted me to write this
article.) News Flash … The Calvary is not coming; there comes a time when you
have to be your own Calvary! Don’t waste
your life expecting someone else to fix your problems. Get busy and figure it out!
Now, let’s talk about some practical ways to implement your
new job should you choose to take it on …
Stay away from online shopping as much as
possible. It is the worse place possible
for impulse buying. Think of it as
something temporary if it helps, make a game out of it, but stay away from
online shopping.
Learn how to coupon shop and how to shop
loss leaders. Don’t buy stuff you
wouldn’t normally buy just because you have a coupon. That’s throwing away money you wouldn’t have
spent in the first place.
Plan your menu and stick to it as much as
possible.
Become a DIY person. If you don’t know how to do something …
learn. There are tutorials for learning
how to do just about anything online.
Know how to substitute and make do. If you don’t have something, let your first
thought be, ‘what can I use instead and get the same results’ not ‘I need to go
purchase’ whatever it is that you don’t have.
Recycle and Repurpose. One example is outgrown clothing and
hand-me-downs. They can be turned into
new clothing or household items. Don’t
know how? Search online for what you
want to do.
Stay home as much as possible. This will cut down on fuel costs as well as
wear and tear on your vehicle.
Plan your free entertainment. Entertainment doesn’t have to cost lots of
money … just saying!
Cook from scratch. Purchasing prepackaged foods, heat and eat
foods as well as ready-to-eat snacks are much more expensive then cooking from
scratch.
Use cash when you go shopping.
Never, ever go shopping without a list.
Explore ways to bring in a little extra
income from home. Doing Swagbucks will generate you some
discretionary income. I know of someone
who has a goal of earning $100/month through Swagbucks and is using it to help pay off debt. Can you sew?
Do you blog? What can you do that can be turned into an income source?
Make a budget and stick to it as much as
possible. Include in that budget if at
all possible savings and a personal allowance for you and your husband. You may need to start out with as little as
$5/month for savings and $5/month each for personal allowances. You will be amazed at how you will come to
look at your own ‘I can spend it on whatever I want to without guilt’
allowance.
If you feel like your spending is out of
control, have a ‘no-spend’ month where you only pay the bills and buy
groceries, fuel … the necessities.
Make sure necessities are really
necessities and not wants dressed up in camouflage fueled by desire.
Reserve eating out for special
occasions. Two or three times a week is
not a special occasion.
When it’s Christmas or your birthday, ask
for gift cards to places you would like to shop.
Get creative with your own gift
giving. Set limits on how much you will
spend on each person and stick to that amount.
Whittle that gift giving list down to the bare minimum until things are
better financially. Gift giving shouldn’t be about how big or how expensive the
gift is. When you are going through
lean times, it shouldn’t be about how badly you want an item either if the
cost is more than you can afford.
Accept things others don’t want when
offered. What can you do with it? How
can you repurpose it into something useful for you?
Shop yard sales and thrift stores. Always take cash but don’t buy stuff you’ll
be asking yourself, ‘why did I buy that’ the next day.
Don’t be wasteful! Learn how to use up the last little bit of
everything, especially food.
When friends want to meet for an outing you
can’t afford, offer an alternative that you can afford or decline their offer.
Work towards getting out of debt and
staying out of debt. Debt is more than
likely a contributing factor to your current financial strain.
Stop using your credit cards even if you plan
to/think you can pay them off at the end of each month. When finances are tight, sticking to the
plan to pay it off at the end of the month doesn’t always happen. You cannot borrow your way out of debt!
Be willing to settle for used items until
you can pay cash for new items.
Put God first, tithe … even if it is only
some change or $1 each week. God knows
your circumstances and what you can really give. He doesn’t demand tithing; He wants our
tithing to be given with a cheerful and purposeful heart.
Don’t blame God for your financial
situation. He knows what put you where
you are and if it was choices that you made, realize that He didn’t make you
make the choices that landed you in this situation.
Ask God for wisdom, guidance and
discernment in your quest to live happily and graciously on your husband’s
income.
Don’t blame others for your financial
situation. Own it and move forward.
Don’t dwell on past financial mistakes,
yours or your husbands. Own it and move
forward.
Determine to do better in the
future starting now. You can’t change
the past; you can only change your future.
Don’t be prideful. Accepting help from others on a temporary
basis is not sinful nor does it make you less of a person.
Don’t poor mouth your husband or make him
feel less of a man because he isn’t earning what you want him to earn. This attitude will severely damage your
marriage.
Don't walk around with a 'poor me' attitude.
Don’t set yourself up for failure by
expecting perfection in your efforts.
You will make mistakes, give yourself some grace.
Be thankful for what you do have! Develop an attitude of gratitude!
What can you add to this list?
patsi
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
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