budget

A few days ago I overheard the cutest thing and knew some of you would enjoy it.  A mom with 4 kids was at a restaurant paying for their ordered food.  Little boy of about 10 was asking to order a drink.  Mom said "We are drinking water, we are on a budget."  The little boy whines "We're always on a budget!"  I had to laugh because I know my kids are thinking the same thing.  We are always on a budget!

I was thinking about  posting some money management tips that I've learned over the past several years.  Whenever people ask me how many kids I have they always make the same sound and look.  You moms of several kids know the look....it says whoa baby....how do you handle that?  They usually mention something about kids being expensive.   I know I've learned some great budget stretching tips from other moms, especially my mother(mom of 4 who raised us on nuttin'), and thought somebody could benefit from them.

 1.  If you are a Bible believing follower of Jesus, the number 1 money management strategy is tithe!  That's right, the very best way to make your dollar stretch is to cheerfully give some away.  A tithe is 10% off your gross pay(that is before taxes, before insurance and other deductions).  The Bible commands believers to tithe to their church to make sure that God's work is provided for.  Trust me, if you step out and begin making your tithe the very first thing you do after your check is deposited, you'll see blessings.  When our checks are deposited during the night, the next morning we go to the ATM and withdraw the cash that is 10%.  We keep it in a labeled envelope and take it to church the next Sunday.  If you purpose in your heart to dedicate to God the firstfruits--the very first offering-- and live off the 90% left, He will help you provide for your needs--I said NEEDS--not WANTS!  That is a big big difference!  If you'd like to read more about his I recommend The Blessed Life by Robert Morris.

2.  Groceries and Misc.  This is a huge budget buster if you aren't careful.  I make a list for everything we need and with 3 or 4 easy meals to make.  I withdraw 120.00 cash and head to Dollar General first.  I buy all the drink mix, canned stuff, condiments, cleaning and paper supplies, diapers, deoderant, medicine and such there.  I find that a nice Target or Wal-Mart is a big  trap for me because I see cute clothes, household decorations and such.  So, I avoid those places.  After shopping at the DG, I head to a small grocery store for all our cold items and fruit.  When the cash is gone, it is gone!  There is no more grocery money and we eat what we have.  Yes, we do cheat when we need a gallon of milk, have a severe ice cream craving, or if we are having company over and such.  But, on the whole, this will really help you save cash.

3.  Have a meal planned and ready on Sundays.  The biggest temptation for us to eat out is after church.  We drive 25minutes into the city for church.  When we get out, we are really hungry and have a 25minute drive home.  If we know there is food waiting, no problem. 

4.  I use average billing for our utilities.  I know we really are paying for more than we use at times, but the only way I can make sure and have an accurate budget amount for utilities is using avg. billing.

5.  Resale shops!!  I love them!  Not only are there barely worn, name brand items to buy, but it is a morally good deal.  Buying from stores that sell expensive clothes may be contributing to human trafficking and sweat shops.  When I buy used items, the person who paid full price at the store already contributed to unfair business practices, not me.  Hint...do a little research on sweat shops and human trafficking.

6.  Avoid contentment robbers.  For me, this would be the mall and Target.  I rarely go the mall and never ever do I go there just to stroll.  Seeing other people look hip and seeing sale signs makes my fingers itch to grab the debit card.  For some, driving through new neighborhoods or on car lots.  Just don't go there!

7.  Buy the next year sizes for kids at end of season sales.  Never pay full price for anything.  My mother was the queen of this.  We had  no money growing up(think very tight but lived full lives).  I have a very clear memory of walking into Neiman Marcus one day.  We neeeeevvvvveeer shopped in a store like that!  But, they were having a huge end of summer sale.  I actually got some shorts from Neimans!!  What a thrill.  So, fast forward to today, I love to hit Old Navy and Children's Place in late August and late March for great deals to stash away.

8.  Drive your car til the wheels fall off.  New cars depreciate so rapidly in their value.

9.  Pay cash for everything that isn't paid for online.  Checks take too long to clear the bank and debit cards are so easy to trip you up.  A simple swipe doesn't hurt near as badly as handing over a wad of 20.00 bills.  Yes, it takes a lot of planning ahead to pay cash but it is worth it.  A good book for this is How To Manage Your Money by Larry Burkett.

10.  If we are going to be away from the house for more than an hour and a half, we pack snacks and water bottles.  We are always on the go:  school, football, soccer, church etc.  If we bought drinks and snacks everytime someone said "I'm hungry" we'd go broke(not to mention have bad cholesterol and blood sugar problems).  We always carry around crackers, apple slices, water, popcorn and such.

There ya have it.  A few tips.  Hope somebody benefits from it.  I'd love to hear some tips from others.