The economy is affecting us too! We're having to think differently and do without items we once viewed as 'must haves.' Those once 'must have items' are now quickly coming to be viewed as luxury items.
This morning I sat down to pay our bills and noticed increases for the same service in some of our fixed utilities. I also noticed that there was a small increase in our auto insurance. While all of them together didn't add up to a huge amount of money, it was still an increase in what's going out, with no increase in what's coming in in the form of income.
Price increases are showing up everywhere, starting in January my health insurance premium and drug plan is increasing in price. I've already been notified. We're still waiting to see what hubby's will do but, we're expecting an increase in his as well. I also paid almost $150 in doctor bills for last month that were not covered under health insurance.
After paying our bills, I bowed my head and thanked God that we could pay them again this month! We are not destitute, and all of our needs are being met. Here's the thing though, if we had to purchase all the food/groceries we ate, we would be in trouble, because the continual increases in outgoing expenses month after month are eating away at our budget for groceries. That's the area that gets hit when extra expenses show up for us.
We're having to continually look at and change our 'game plan' every month. Closely tracking our spending has been such a good thing and has shown us some areas that can be whittled down, areas where we can do better.
My sister and I were having a conversation last week about how poor we were raised, yes, I learned frugality from my mama starting at a very early age. We both laughed and said that today's poor is different than the kind of poor we were when growing up. We both also said how thankful we are for that heritage now. It was literally a school room for hard economic times.
I know how to live without and I'm dusting off those old memories and taking a closer look. For us, if the economy continues on the path it's on now, those old memories of being 'poor' in the real sense of the word are going to serve me well.
I want A Working Pantry to be a place you can come to, to find doable solutions for dealing with the times in which we live. It's time to get frugal in the real sense of the word, not the frugal that says 'poor me' but the frugal that says 'where there is a will, there is a way!'
What's your game plan? Are you having to readjust your budget every month to accommodate price increases? Do you have a frugal heritage to glean from?
Until next time,
patsi
Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal living and pantry building (if you include my frugal childhood, well that would add a few more years to my experience!)
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We’re experiencing large medical bills due to my knee replacement in October and subsequent therapy. Thankfully we have $$ in savings. I hope we don’t drain the account. I am a bit concerned about utility bills as well as groceries.
ReplyDeleteLee Ann, I hope you are recovering well!
DeleteI think that's pretty much where a lot of us are, making it right now all the while hoping it doesn't get worse. Those medical bills hit hard. Even with a good insurance that costs a lot each month, we still have medical expenses it doesn't cover.
Very timely article, Patsi. I always enjoy reading your blog. Times are going to get much more difficult, I feel. Many people will not be prepared or know how to handle the situation they find themselves in at the time. A deep pantry is always smart.
ReplyDeleteHi Glenda! thank you! I'm afraid times are going to get worse too and if so, we are going to need all the frugal living knowledge we can get our hands on.
DeleteI'm concerned, as a single person household, with only my own means to provide for my wants and needs. My biggest area of concern right now is the cost of gas (automotive, not natural gas). The other expenses I have more control of. But, with parental issues out of state and having to travel to address them, automobile fuel is my biggest cost. And, right now, I'm making several trips from IL to MI every month, until we get my mom's place sorted and cleaned, and then sold. She's now in a very good facility and I have siblings who are close by and can keep tabs on things. But, we're still in that in-between stage, with prepping her place for sale, for me (as her financial power of attorney) to not be there. Until then, I need to budget $50+ a trip -- about $150 more per month than my normal automobile allowance. Plus, when I'm there, it's usually for the entire day, sometimes two, and there's always meals out. I'm just adjusting my normal allowance for meals with friends to meals with family (foregoing an occasional meal with friends) and cutting back on groceries, drawing from my pantry, etc.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I grew up in a household where canning and freezing was common, food waste was non-existent, and my extended family grew much of our own produce -- either at our home (for daily consumption) or at my grandparents (larger garden to provide for the family as a whole. We frequented U-Pick farms for fruits for preserving, and all helped with age-appropriate tasks when canning fruits and vegetables. And, I had a frugal mother who meal-planned and shopped from a list, was attentive to the weekly ads, and clipped coupons. She made do with what my father provided, and we were a family of six. We lived about 15 miles from town and, although we had a local grocery, our main shopping was done once every 2 weeks and at a larger and less costly grocery store. The local grocery was reserved for absolute emergencies only, as their prices were higher than in town.
My dad hunted and fished, so we almost always had venison and Lake Michigan salmon in the freezer, and if neighbors wanted in, we'd buy a half or quarter of beef in the Fall, chickens, maybe part of a hog, so there'd be meat available all winter. When we canned, a familiar task that I remember was filling the quart jars up to a certain mark with grapes and then adding a scoop (1/2 cup, maybe?) of sugar to each jar, on top of the grapes, and grandma would pour boiling water from the kettle and put the ring and lid on, and then she'd flip them over. Every so often, we'd go and touch the jars to see if they were cool. And then she'd let us flip them back upright. Hearing that "ping" was music to my ears. My job was also to teach my younger sister where that line was on the jars, and keep her from eating all the grapes! We worked as a family to insure we had food for the winter table. I'm now working to impart that knowledge to my daughter, so she can do the same for her family in the future.
I now live in a suburban community, with virtually every large grocer within 2 miles -- Caputos, Jewel, Trader Joes, Aldi, Walmart, Target, Mariano's (Kroger), Meijer. Yet, I've reverted to getting groceries only once or twice a month, buying meat in value packs and when on sale, and repackaging, vacuum sealing, and freezing. For vegetables I don't can, I do the same -- buy the large frozen packages when they're on sale, repackage and vacuum seal in single-serve sizes to prevent freezer burn, and freeze for later use. I have ample flour, sugar, and other baking supplies to last me for several months, and I've started baking my own bread. I am just being extra cautious about the cost of what I'm purchasing and using in my cooking.
Lori, the cost of un-anticipated necessary traveling can wreak havoc on a budget. It sounds like you are adjusting your budget to cover it. That's the kind of thing we have to train ourselves to do. For most of us, gone is the normal we once knew.
DeleteI loved reading your comment, there's lots to glean from it. Thank you for sharing. I especially like the part where you had a job even at a young age and then you had to train your sister. Great comment!
I do have that poor heritage to draw from but for most of my childhood I really did not know how poor we were because Mom could make something out of nothing. I also did not know that some of our Christmas presents were second hand that Dad had fixed up or the hours Mom spent sewing the most beautiful clothes for our dolls. I am so thankful for that because I have seen how growing up without a thought for money can really hurt a family budget.
ReplyDeleteSome of our bills have gone up 25% but somehow we just keep finding the money to pay them and it can only be attributed to His provision for us. Just when I think there are no deals to be had at the grocery store I find them for another week of supplies to add to the pantry.. I am so glad that we have enough now to share when there is a need.
Before we went on Social Security we went probably ten years without even a penny of pay increase even though my husband worked for a company that was raking in millions every year. Now those COLA increases just amaze me every year and I am so thankful for them.
I think the stress is starting to show. Today I had an awful day because a long time friend sent me a text and just let me have it. Every perceived wrong and things within our family were brought up and laid out in a hurtful and accusing way. Even now hours later I just cannot comprehend it and all I can do is pray for her. The cracks are going to widen and all we can do is pray for understanding and wisdom to know how to handle what may be coming. All you ladies are often a band-aid on my heart. Thank you for all you do here, Patsy.
Lana, what a beautiful memory you have of your mom and dad. That is the mentality and attitude I am striving to develop.
DeleteI'm so sorry you had to experience what I truly feel is an example of stress getting to someone. People are stressed, confused and getting desperate. Any one of those by itself would be enough to cause someone to behave in a way that is not normal for them or to make mountains out of molehills. When you add all three together, it really creates a dangerous mental situation. It's so sad, in a time when we all need each other so very much, things like this isolate us and push us farther apart. You will be in my prayers. Our great provider provides comfort for things such as this too!
Loved this post! Timely. Right now we are doing OK, but who knows what the future holds. We have excellent medical insurance and the money to pay the co-pays, but again who know what the future holds. Please continue to post articles like this one.
ReplyDeleteColeen
Coleen, thank you! I do plan to expand on this type of topic. I just feel so strongly that we need to help each other, and this is one thing I can do.
DeleteWe are definitely readjusting budgets. Life happened and with a parent with a medical diagnosis and multiple food restrictions, it's been challenging for budgeting. While the parent was in hospital it was a huge expense with driving constantly to see them.
ReplyDeleteBut, we have been blessed with generous neighbors who have enabled us to cut out an awful lot of our meat budget.
And God was gracious in providing produce for me to preserve. 4 different ways in a single week!
Heating is a huge expense in winter and thankfully, we are getting it resolved with a wood burner which will hopefully be completely installed by December.
I'm making every excuse to hang dry clothes instead of using the dryer. Sun bleaching big quilts instead of washing them.
Composting more. Preparing to get chickens in spring. Because I'm so tired of buying manure or spending loads of money to haul it.
Thankful my parents are doing better, which means I can pick up some small jobs that pay well and are more regular income for me.
I thought I had been doing pretty well with food cost increases, shopping bargains and markdowns and such. And then I got the shock of my life--an oil delivery that came in at $1,078!! Oh my word, I am still FLOORED. I've never seen such a bill! We already keep the house at 67. I guess I will have to count my blessings in that we are all healthy and have no (predictable) medical bills to deal with. Gonna be a long, cold winter here!
ReplyDeleteSue, I would be in shock too! I don't even have any words ... how are people supposed to pay those kind of prices?
DeleteOur game plan is that we are spending our money as fast as we can before it becomes worthless. For a lifelong, frugal money saving person, this is driving me crazy! We are trying to get everything we need before the system crashes. Soon, it will take a wheelbarrow of cash to buy a loaf of bread.
ReplyDeleteWe are living through a planned destruction of our money system which has been done countless times before to other countries. As soon as money is no longer backed by gold or another unprintable commodity, it begins to deteriorate.
Politicians and bankers can's resist the evil urge to print more and more. The destruction always takes about 50 years. Our cash was removed from the gold standard in 1971 and so, our end is near. The only thing different now is that we are the world's reserve currency so it will be a worldwide crash - no moving to another country to get away.
To be specific as to what I am doing, I ask myself, what will I need to purchase in the coming year or two? This is what I am buying: lightbulbs, socks, towels, cleaning supplies, medicine, food, food and more food! The list is endless. Anything that can't be printed is valuable. If my pantry is stuffed full, then our dwindling cash can go for other things like electricity. It seems all I am doing is price comparison shopping, taking inventories, making lists, cleaning out closets to make more room, and assessing our needs.
Every person is called to do something different. Noah built an ark to save his family, Joseph stored grain and saved all of Egypt but Abraham's brother Lot had to "bug-out" to avoid fire falling from heaven. Pray and ask "Jesus, what am I to do?" Then be still and listen to the quiet voice.
Jeannie@GetMetoTheCountry
Jeannie, this is definitely a challenging time!
DeleteMy husband and I are on social security now and have been cutting expenses as much as possible. Unfortunately, I've had to have two major and unexpected surgeries this past year which has really hurt our savings. I also grew up in a very poor family, and as I told my sister recently, we know how to survive hard times. Our mother was (and at 87 years old still is) such a blessing and always made sure that her five children had what they needed. She kept us and our home spotless, gardened and canned every thing she could and I don't remember ever going without food. It might not have been what we wanted, but we were fed. Honestly, for years I thought that being poor meant being dirty or having a messy home or yard...I didn't realize that we we considered poor. For the past five years or so I have been buying things that I know my husband and I will need; shoes, clothing, towels, etc. I try to keep a six month supply of our prescription medications, when possible. Due to our health issues we only do container gardening now so I'm having to stock our pantry with store bought goods. It can be discouraging but I refuse to give in to hopelessness and despair. I do pray daily for wisdom to know what to do and no matter how little it seems to be, just doing what I can and trusting in Him...He has brought us safely this far and I know that He won't forsake us now.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I absolutely love your comment! It embodies the kind of spirit and attitude that A Working Pantry is about!
DeleteWe were doing quite well a year ago financially considering we've lived poor for years.This year, however, the little bit of money I've made substitute teaching is buying necessities not being saved like it once was. Every month has had an unexpectedly high bill since last August.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I think that's the situation many of us are finding ourselves dealing with!
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