I have officially been unemployed for 1 month now. I am trying not to get discouraged but there are really very few openings in my field (education)where I live. I am acutely aware of where every penny is going and we are planning a short vacation with our travel trailer soon. I am planning on eating virtually all meals in with at least one exception of a favorite restaurant, plus someone gave my husband a $50 gift card to Red Lobster, so we may splurge there for a meal.
I have been stocking up on sales and canning everything in sight. I did not buy any summer clothes and only bought one pair of jeans this last school year. I really haven't bought any clothes, and the ones I have are starting to show wear. I think next month I will shop at thrift stores to see if I can expand my wardrobe. Hubby needs new work boots desperately, the toe is wore through. Daughters both work and are saving up for school clothes that they "need"- their word. Been keeping up on bills so far, but am looking to do away with our land line and canceling Dish. Other than those 2 I can't think of much else to cut back on. We already switched car insurance to save $90 a month. Does anyone have some other ideas? We eat at home and I do cook from scratch. I'm just trying not to get discouraged. I know He has a plan.
One area is utilities and water usage. If you are in the heatwave area of our country (we are), your a.c. could be running non-stop. So I have raised the temp so that it is comfortable but not real cold. Have kept the lights off to compensate for the added electricity usage. I have done my best to take shorter showers and such. I remember the days when I was a kid when my dad had been laid off, my mom would put an inch of water in a tub and we would take a sponge bath. We got clean and used less water. Just think about those kind of things along with hanging clothes on the line. It is so hot that I try to only wash clothes in the mid or late afternoon and hang them on the line. I am doing my best to restrict my electrical usage to non peak hours. Think before you drive. Make a list of places you need to go to - errand day - and map them out so you don't use up a lot of gas. Better yet, walk or ride your bike if possible. Go longer in between haircuts and extend the use of shampoo and hair products by only using half the amount. Better yet - use coupons or buy store brands or generics. The most important thing you can do right now is to get your rest and take care of yourself so that you are better able to cope with your situation. What kind of foods do you like to eat? When I make sloppy joes or spaghetti I always save out about 2 tablespoons of the browned hamburger and put in a container in the refrigerator. No one will miss the 2 tablespoons of meat and before long you will have enough meat to put on a pizza or in another recipe. I'll try to come up with more ideas. I have several on my blog.
ReplyDeleteMartha, Thank you for some great tips! I usually do hang laundry outside in the summer but have been using the dryer more because it has been so cold and rainy- but that's not excuse. I'll hang more laundry :) Also, gas is a HUGE expense for us. We live 8 miles out of town, husband commutes 50 miles each way, both daughters work, and we try to cut trips as much as possible. I like your tip about saving just a little from each batch of hamburger- it'll soon add up to another meal. Thanks, again Martha, I'll be checking your blog for more ideas.
ReplyDeleteRose, I've answered your question as a post over at my blog. You have a nice blog here, and hope you don't mind but I've linked yours over at mine. Trust me, there are millions of good people just like you living under harsher conditions in this country. You seem to have a large dose of common sense and that will see you through this phase of your life. God bless.
ReplyDeleteHere are some great websites that got me started on reducing expenses. They are great sites. First - Living on a Dime.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.livingonadime.com/
The other site is Hillbilly Housewife.
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
Rose - if you have an e-mail address that I can e-mail you let me know. Just e-mail me at my blog's e-mail of pathtofrugal@gmail.com and perhaps I could e-mail you some daily encouragement and other ideas as I think of them. What area of the country are you living? Is it the Northeast, Midwest, etc.
I will put you on my prayer list.
Stephen, Thank you for the words of encouragement and linking me, I'll do the same here. I'll be checking out your post!
ReplyDeleteMartha, I'll be emailing you soon. Thanks again :)