Hard Times: You Are Not Alone!

Sometimes it helps to know that we are not alone on the ‘struggle bus’ of our current economic times!

That’s what I want to talk about today.

I’ve talked to so many people in the last month that are really struggling economically.  They’ve had to cut back, make hard decisions about what to give up and about what to try to continue to hold on to.  Then there’s the mental aspect of it all, over time it starts to wear on you, it just does!

I don’t have any magic solutions, there are none!  It does no good to wish you had done things differently in the past that would have made the ‘present’ possibly easier to navigate.  Maybe it would have and maybe it wouldn't!

If you’re feeling guilty about any financial decisions you’ve made in the past, I want you to stop.  The past is the past and from this moment on, you're not living in that past and you need all your wits about you to navigate what we are all dealing with now.

It’s time to stop beating yourselves up, pull up your bootstraps and start working with what’s in your hands right now!  I want to put emphasis on ‘what’s in your hands’ right now, not your friends’ hands, your neighbors’ hands, or anyone else’s hands, your and only your hands right now. 

I want you to spend your time searching out ways to make 'better for your family' decisions.  I want you to stop living your life through someone else’s’ … example … just because something saves money or works for one family doesn’t mean it will work for yours.   Don’t fall into the comparison trap, just because someone online, who has similar circumstances as you, look like they have it all together, it doesn’t necessarily mean they do.  Remember that the online world shows you what they want you to see which is not always the whole picture.

I want you to know that it’s okay if you are struggling financially, financial struggles do NOT in and of themselves make you a bad person.  It only makes you a person who like most of the rest of us are just trying to hold it all together the best we can.

So, what’s the purpose of this little rant, it’s simply to let you know that you are not alone!  That’s all!  Let’s stop pretending that everything is okay, it’s not!  Let’s start reaching out and encouraging each other and most importantly let’s not forget that we DO have each other!

Picture:  Don't those peanut butter chews look delicious!  Hubby made those for a Thanksgiving potluck meal we had at church recently and yes, they were as good as they look!

Until next time,

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Upclycling a Men's Shirt into a Woman's Blouse

 Remember this men's shirt that I got at a thrift store back in August ...

Look at it now ...

I leveled out the ends and added a ruffled lace that I had in my 'fabric' pantry.  I then turned the sleeves in to 3/4 length, made a small 'pleat' in each sleeve and topped the pleat with a button that came from my button collection.

I then paired it with a pair of jeans and wore it to our church's fall festival.

The only cost I incurred was the cost of the shirt ... $5.99 and of course, my time.

Next in line for upcycling is the pair of oversized jeans I purchased the same time I purchased this shirt.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this transformation and maybe it will inspire you to look at clothing in a different way.  

Until next time,

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Waste Not, Want Not ... Even the Scraps!

Not being wasteful is becoming more and more important in our daily lives regardless of what we're doing.  In today's post I hope to drive home this concept by sharing the following ...

In this post I shared a picture of the thrift store men's shirt that I purchased and am in the process of turning into a feminine looking women's blouse. (I'm almost finished and ready for the big reveal!)  After cutting away the parts I wanted to remove I knew that I would NOT be throwing away the scraps ... nope, not even the really small pieces!

Here's what I did with them ...

I laid the pieces out flat on a cutting board and using a long quilters ruler similar to this one and a rotary cutter, I cut the pieces in one direction and then the other.  This is what it looked like when I was finished cutting.

Here they are in a pile!

I had some leftover scraps from other sewing projects that I'd been saving for when I had enough to do a 'cutting.'  

(The lighting is not very good in this picture, but it was the best I could do at the time.)

I gathered them all up and added them to this 'scraps' jar.  As you can see it's full and ready for use.  What will I use these very small scraps for ... I'm going to use them for stuffing the mini cross-stitched pillows that I like to make!  What would you use them for ... do you save and find a use for your scraps (of any kind)?

Waste not, want not!

Until next time,

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Choosing to Live on Less: part 2

I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments from yesterday's posts.  I picked up some ideas of things that I can try.  Thank you!

In today's post I want to continue with this thread by sharing one thing I did recently that is helping take the sting out of one area of our budget we chose to cut.

I mentioned yesterday that one of the things we were doing to help cover the increased food prices was to reduce the amount of personal allowance we allow ourselves.  I love to read so it stands to reason that part of my personal allowance went to purchasing books.  

I was talking to my youngest daughter, who just happens to be a librarian, and she mentioned a program the library has where you can check-out digital versions of books and audiobooks at no cost.  While I prefer to read from 'hold in your hands' books, I was all over the program my daughter was talking about since my book buying budget had been drastically reduced.  My daughter got me signed up and I have been amazed at the selection.  

Currently I'm reading:

Living Slower by Merissa A. Alink

When I finish it, my next selection is checked-out and waiting:  The Tiny But Mighty Farm by Jill Ragan

Following that is Around the Kitchen Table by Sophie Hansen

and then How to Grow Your Own Food by Angela S. Judd is bringing up the rear.

When I finish these 4, I'll checkout more!

This program is taking the sting out of the decrease in my personal money budget cut.

What are some substitutions or things you're doing to help take the sting out of necessary budget changes?

One more thing, I posted part 2 in our Widow of Zarephath Bible study today.  You can find it HERE!

That's it for today ...

I hope you've found something helpful or inspiring in today's post!

Until tomorrow ...

Patsi @ A Working Pantry

Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You can view my privacy policy HERE. 

Choosing To Live On Less!

Today was 10 plus degrees cooler than yesterday but it was still a beautiful day with our temps topping out at 75 degrees.  Tomorrow our high is supposed to be in the mid 50's with rain, such a big change!

Today, we went to town and did our weekly shopping.  We spent as much on fuel for our vehicle as we did at the grocery store, about $57 at both places.  The $57 we spent at the grocery store was all spent on bargains which I'll be sharing on Monday in our pantry building challenge post.  

While shopping we noticed a significant price increase in the sausage we normally purchase.  Last week it was $2.69/lb, this week it was $3.69/lb.  That's quite an increase in a week's time!  I continue to be amazed at the speed and rate that groceries and everything else are increasing in price. 

Because of these price accelerations, people are being forced to make changes.

We've chosen not to try to increase our budget, but to work with what we have which has meant some changes needed to be made ...

We've reduced the amounts we put in our budget categories.

We've reduced our personal allowances in order to have more to work with in our other budgeted categories.

We're tweaking our budget and tightening our spending in all areas.

We continue to look for things to eliminate from our budget and spending.

In short, we're choosing to live on less, make substitutions, use what we already have and do without if at all possible.

This is a skill and even a mindset that we feel is important to practice and improve upon, especially if things continue to get worse economically.  A somewhat slow and gradual financial change will be easier to adjust to than a large sudden one, should it come to that.

We are surviving financially thus far; we are making the above-mentioned changes to help ensure that we will continue to survive financially.  

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.  Proverbs 22:3

I'd love to hear how you're dealing with the ever-increasing prices in just about everything.  What budget/spending changes are you making?

That's it for today ...

I hope you've found something helpful or inspiring in today's post!

Until tomorrow ...

Patsi @ A Working Pantry

Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You can view my privacy policy HERE. 

What's Your Game Plan?

I want to preface this post by saying that I'm very concerned about how people are surviving these hard economic times.  My heart hurts for those who are having to make difficult decisions with their finances.  I see it all around me.

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!)

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

A Working Pantry is a way of life, a lifestyle if you will!

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.' 

You can follow A Working Pantry on Instagram for more of our daily doings!

You can view my privacy policy HERE. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Eleven Things We're Doing to Combat Rising Prices!

It’s been a long time since frugal living as mattered as much as it does now.  Every day brings new challenges to already stretched budgets.  Decisions are having to be made that shouldn’t have to be, meds or food … can you afford to work … can you afford not to work … rent/mortgage payment or fuel for the vehicle, and so on?  These are some tuff economic times and, in a nutshell, … every little thing that we can do to stretch our budgets counts now!

Here are 11 things we’re doing and or implementing immediately:

We use what we have on hand and/or make do with what we have.  Sometimes this means a project can’t be completed right now or not completed in the way we originally wanted.

We say ‘no’ a lot more to activities that cost money.   With the holiday season approaching this will get harder and harder for all the holiday activities are nice but so is being able to pay the bills when they come due. 

We sacrifice our personal allowances more and more to meet expenses.  We haven’t always been able to budget personal allowances for ourselves, but we have enjoyed having it when we could.  At the same time, we both know that our personal monies are a luxury and during hard times, luxuries get put on the back burner.

We shop less and when we do shop, we shop more carefully.   Staying out of the stores when you don’t need something is as important as shopping carefully when you’re in the stores.  Think about that and let it sink in … the store merchants know what they’re doing and go to great lengths to separate you from your money whether you need or can use an item or not.

I’m reorganizing the whole house, one section at a time taking inventory as I go, of what we have and of what we need.  Is this extreme, maybe, but every little thing that I can do that will help me know what we have and what we need helps me stay ahead of the game!

I’m setting up a spreadsheet to track where every cent of our money is going (except for personal monies).   I already do a decent job of this but can stand to tighten the belt in this area too.   You've got to know where your money's going in order to make the best financial decisions possible for you and your family.  If there ever was a time to keep track of your money, it’s now! 

I’m a watchdog over monthly utility bills taking note of increases and implementing plans to counteract them.  It’s vital that we ‘nip these increases in the bud’ to the best of our abilities as soon as we know about them.

We accept that things are economically different now and that we must change our lifestyle accordingly.  It does no good to look back and lament over what was, this is our new reality.

Every month that we can pay our bills, I give God the glory.  It’s no secret that I pray on a continual basis for God to prepare us, go ahead of us, and make a way for what’s to come.  Does this mean that I can sit back and do nothing.  God forbid, that kind of thinking flies in the face of everything that Scripture teaches.  It does mean however, that I need to realize that quite often God’s way for us involves hard work and sacrifices so every month that we are able to earn enough to pay our bills, I say thank you Father!

I tweak our budget on a regular basis, every month is different as expenses change and our budget must reflect those changes.

I have to be steadfast and serious about this new ‘job’ of overseeing our finances in a new and deeper way.   I’m setting aside specific times of the day to do certain tasks and specific times of the week to do others. 

That’s 11 things we’re doing or working on implementing.  I would love to hear what you’re doing to combat rising prices both mentally and physically.

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!)

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

A Working Pantry is a way of life, a lifestyle if you will!

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.' 

You can follow A Working Pantry on Instagram for more of our daily doings!

You can view my privacy policy HERE. 

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

There's More Than One Way to Save Money!

If you thought the only way you could save money was by having it in the bank, hold on to your hats.  Vicky, the originator of the Vicky Challenge, has a tried and true way that will make you stop, think and say ... 'I can do that!'

(The picture is of the beautiful hydrangea I was gifted  Saturday for speaking at a ladies day event!  It's beautiful and I can't wait to get it planted outside!  Right now it's adding a bit of beauty to our hearth!)

Over to Vicky ...

Our Savings Journey......

It was a cold and dark day, haha just kidding, but just in case it becomes a book I thought it should start out like one. No, really for anyone who chooses to read this I am not one to pull a tissue from my behind and call it a homemade hanky, but I do believe that knowing others have climbed the same hills as we have can be very comforting to say the least. 

Annabel posted the Vicky Challenge and you can read more of what it's about there, but there is a little more to the story that Patsy has asked that I share so here goes! 

When we decided I would quit working I wanted and needed to save as much as I had made while working. The jobs I worked weren't high paying anyway. I budgeted and changed this and that and more of this and that, but just to be sure the things we were doing was worth it that was when I started keeping track of our savings. And the savings have always been very much worth it and worth the effort we put into it. And some people just give you a lot of flack or think you don't contribute to the household at all if you don't have a paycheck on paper. So keeping tabs was a throwback for having a paycheck. It worked well for us because we paid off $16K worth of debt the first year. The snowball method is a good tool for this. 

However, where my husband worked they were always offering different things like seminars and workshops, etc. so when a financial workshop came around we were excited to go. Well....

The gentleman we had was really good at telling us how much we needed to save and that we needed to pay off the rest of the debt, but now how. So this poor man I put him through the wringer! He said that since I didn't work I added no value to the financial aspect of our marriage and suggested my husband work at least 20 hours of overtime each week to make up the difference. He didn't account for the taxes on this. So I told him what efforts I made. For example I saved 4 thousand dollars that year using coupons. And that was just from coupons. His answer was that wasn't really saving. If we are blessed with things I count that in my savings again he said that's not saving. And I have had this told to me several times because most really only count dollars and cents in terms of the paycheck and bank savings account. To this gentleman having a $20 gold piece put up for emergencies was so wise, but my 20 bottles of dish soap that I got free didn't count for nothing even though I only paid the tax on them and had enough dish soap that wouldn't come out of the budget for a long time. At tax time things are worth something if you have given them away, but to receive them it's worth nothing? That makes no sense to me. And on and on we went back and forth. So after 3 sessions with this gentleman and his budget planning for us it was basically do without. Nope, people want alternatives and deprivation should be a last resort or a choice as far as I am concerned. I had my budget ready to go and my list of all the ways we save and how much this has saved us, how much debt we paid off, the debt that still needed to be paid off and how much we wanted to add to our savings and how much we had in savings. Needless to say he had to agree that my way was better! And it shows my value in the home which many homemakers don't get credit for. 

The reason it worked so well for us was because by my keeping track of how much we saved on everything we challenged ourselves to find more ways to save and look at things differently. 

There are people like the financial guy who believe that the bank account is the only thing there is. If we would always go by that then there are times we would have looked destitute, but were not, that nothing is a savings if it's not cash in the bank and that the numbers are not correct or true. Hmm? So this is how I explained it to the expert.

For one I have done all of the numbers and I can tell you in any given week based on the numbers if it's cheaper for me to make a boxed cake or one from scratch, make or buy coffee creamer, noodles, etc. I can budget gas down to the dime based on cost and how much I will be driving, I have a pantry that we could live off of for at least 2 years without buying anything unless I wanted to by fresh things, so yes, I know the numbers and what I need to factor in. 

Also since everyone's debts, incomes and needs are different that would also reflect cash in the bank savings. Lifestyle is a factor also. I have never paid anyone to clean so I never count cleaning my own house, but it is a savings if you do regardless. We do count the cost of labor that we save by not paying anyone to do repairs and such because we know so many that will write that check and never even try.  There have been a few things we did pay for in the past and it wasn't cheap! 

Another fact by keeping track and challenging ourselves to find more ways to save we did in fact have a higher savings and lower cost of living and the extra that was in the bank paid debts so the bank account didn't look massive at the end of the month, but one by one the debts were getting paid off at a quicker rate because there was extra to add to the payments. And 2 examples of this would be the hubs wanted a new tv. I budgeted $150 for a tv. That was it and he had to find one within that price range or wait. He was driving and someone had set a really nice tv on the side of the road, it worked great! After a few months it was still working really well so I paid an extra $150 on a debt payment. The second is with the cost of fuel oil we spent $400-$600 a month during the cold months. We purchased a wood burner and the neighbor has a tree service so get wood free no cost there. I didn't count it as a savings the first year, but it more than paid for itself the first year with us no longer having to buy fuel oil. I deduct the cost of the gas and oil it takes to split the wood, but now we have the extra in the bank each winter that used to be spent on fuel oil. So it shows! 

Do we spend money? We most certainly, do who doesn't, but using whatever resources we have to our advantage, getting the most bang for our buck and sometimes just waiting and it seems like the thing you were waiting for you get blessed with. They say count your blessings and I do because if I am blessed with something that I was going to buy the money is still in the bank and that = Cash savings! 

And to finish, I don't always have time to add to my savings book each day so I keep a basket that I will put savings on a piece of paper in the basket or receipts in the baskets and catch up when I have more time. To see how well you can do for me is exciting and challenges me to find even more ways to bring costs down and keep as many of my pennies as I can. I know this isn't for everybody and don't expect it to be so. I have been the single mom working two jobs, and the partner that works full time or part time and the stay at home person, but for someone to say you have no value or the snooty ‘oh you don't work attitudes’ from people I can say, ‘oh really?!’

XOXO

Vicky

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Until tomorrow!

Patsi 

Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You can view my privacy policy HERE. 

The Job of Stretching and Saving!

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, embrace the job of stretching and saving your family's income!

Change your attitude from ‘we don'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 family's paychecks and don’t forget to involve the whole family.  Make stretching and saving your 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 family, especially your spouse.  

Below, I’m sharing some things that can help if you chose to take on the job of saving and stretching your family'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”  between 2 women talking about their husband's income.  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 job of stretching and saving 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 if you have a tendency to spend more than you should.

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.

Slowly build a well – stocked pantry so that you will have the option of shopping when you want to and not when you have to.   See this post for some ideas on how to get started building a well-stocked pantry.  

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 than 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 family'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. 

And finally, be thankful for what you do have!  Develop an attitude of gratitude!

Until tomorrow!

Patsi 

Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

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