Tips and Tricks on Saving Money – Jane’s Personal Saving Story

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their Personal Savings Stories and photographs. I hope by sharing other people’s money savings tips here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all find new ways to save rock our budgets this year.

This week we are featuring my dear friend, Jane, from Thy Hand Hath Provided {you know, the one with the AWESOME cookbook}. Here’s how she saves:

Hello! My name is Jane. I am mother and teacher to my three children (ages 12, 9 and 6). I am also, at times, a foster mother to infants and mentor to young moms. We live on 1.5 acres and have a dog, a cat, a hamster, chickens, four pigs and honey bees.

My husband and I have always been thrifty but about eight years ago we found ourselves entering almost four years with no job when he went back to school full time. This forced us to get even more serious about watching our spending. Some of these practices as well as the fact that we had some savings built up (from being thrifty!) helped us make it through without feeling like we were going without. Even though we have an income again, we’ve changed very few things since those four years. This has helped us build our savings back up, pay down student loans, and give to others. Everyone’s situation is different but I hope that some of these tips will help you spend your money more thoughtfully.

1. How do you keep your food budget in check?

There are a couple things we do in the food department to keep our expenses down. First, we raise a good portion of the vegetables, eggs, fruit and meat that we eat. We do this to both save money and eat organically. When we do buy those items from the store (if we’ve run out or want more variety) we don’t feel guilty about NOT buying organic because we know that much of what we eat already is.

Secondly, we rarely eat out (as in about once a month). When we do, it’s often take out after the kids go to bed because they don’t like restaurant food (yet) unless it’s pizza or macaroni and cheese which I can feed them at home for much less money. I also make double batches of almost every meal I make. I do this so we have leftovers on hand, so I can put the second meal in the freezer for those nights I can’t or don’t feel like cooking, or for baking for someone who needs or could use a meal due to health problems, a new baby, etc. This guards against the urge to go out to eat for lack of motivation/inspiration.

Lastly, I plan my meals as much as I can. This works best when I look in my freezer or pantry and choose meals that will help me use what I have instead of surfing the web looking for random meals that would require me to buy a whole set of ingredients I don’t have.

I don’t have a strict food budget but I do keep an eye on what we’re spending. I can tell by the look of my grocery list if I’m going overboard and can adjust it even before I step into the store.

2. Any tips on saving for saving entertainment costs?  Preferably ones that don’t require you to sit at home alone like a shut-in…

Here’s the thing. If you really want to save money, you can’t go around spending it. We avoid malls, random/purposeless shopping trips and only go to the movies once or twice a year. Instead, we invite friends over to roast marshmallows for Smore’s and the kids run around the yard with glow sticks after dark. We go for hikes, walks, and bike rides. We work on projects around the house (we’re always trying/starting something new). We have friends over for potluck meals. We play board games, the kids put on plays with their friends and make up dances. Entertainment for entertainment’s sake is pretty hollow and can leave us dissatisfied and bored with our everyday lives. We’ve found that building relationships is so much more meaningful.

3. How do you stretch your dollar when clothes shopping?

We have been so blessed by two different families who give our children their good quality hand-me-downs. If you don’t already get some, ask a friend what they do with their older child’s clothes. If they donate them, they’ll likely be thrilled to pass them on to you instead. For myself, I shop at thrift stores first. When I can’t find what I want or need, I go to discount clothing stores and that is where my husband usually finds his work clothes when he needs them. I stick to clothes that are comfortable so that I don’t mind wearing them often. I also make our own laundry detergent and this saves us hundreds of dollars each year.

For the past couple years, our son has taken over our small sunflower stand business at the end of our driveway.  It’s proven to be a good way for him to learn about managing money and will be his means for paying for an upcoming choir trip.

4. Where’s the biggest area you over-spend?  Or would like to save more?

This is a pretty personal question, Mavis! I will be totally honest here and say that if I’m not very careful, I can easily over-spend via online shopping. It’s just SO much easier to shop online than to haul everyone out to the store and waste that time and gas money searching out the best deals. Years ago, we subscribed to Amazon Prime to get free shipping and that has been cost effective for us. I use Amazon for school books and many other household products. I enjoy watching deal sites (like this one!) to save me money on items I normally buy or know I will soon need (birthday gifts, etc.).

BUT! There can be a problem with this. Just like when you’re out at the store, impulse buys can trip up your budget big-time. I have to be very careful that I’m not buying something JUST because it’s on super-duper sale. Would I have bought it if I hadn’t seen it on sale? If not, I shouldn’t buy it.

Years ago, we began a new allowance technique to help teach our kids about wise spending and saving. I’ve forced myself to do a similar thing. If there is something online I think we need, I put it on my Wish List. If I still think we need it several days later, I buy it. SO many times, though, by the next day I’ve come to my senses and realize I can get by without it. Spending averted.

5. What are your tips for being a gracious host to family and friends without breaking the bank?

We regularly get together with other families to share meals. I almost never provide the whole meal myself. Others contribute by bringing the salad, dessert, or bread and I focus on the main dish. Planning ahead and knowing what I’m going to make helps me make suggestions to our guests. We all get to try new dishes this way and it takes a lot of pressure off of me. We try to keep it simple. I do tidy up, vacuum and wipe down the bathrooms that day but I don’t knock myself out cleaning. I want our home to feel homey and real. I don’t want others to feel like they can’t reciprocate the invitation because I use fancy dishes and white tablecloths. Instead, we use our everyday mismatched plates and glasses. We want our friends to like us for us, not for our stuff.

I also try to make my part of the meal ahead of time as much as possible. Some of my friends are amazing at cooking and visiting at the same time. I am not. I do not feel I can be a good listener/gracious host if I’m trying not to mess up a recipe. By having the food ready to heat up or bake and having the table set ahead of time, I can relax and visit. That is why we invited them in the first place!

6.  To vacation or not to vacation?  That is the question.

We vacation for about two (separate) weeks a year. We save money by keeping our destinations within driving distance (we drive up to 15 hours away) and by staying at places with kitchens so we can pack our own food. I don’t want to be cooking on vacation, so I make meals ahead of time, freeze them and pack them into coolers. While away, we eat out maybe once and treat ourselves to ice cream but otherwise, we stay put- enjoying the beach, pool or lake and each other.

9. At last count, it costs an estimated $245,340 to raise ONE child from birth to 18.  Any tips for trimming the fat off of that number without robbing little Timmy of a happy childhood?

Children need love, attention and YOU. If signing them up for every activity or sport’s team puts a strain on your family, cut way back. If buying them the latest and greatest gadgets puts stress on your relationships, reevaluate those purchases. I may be getting a little off topic here, but kids take cues from us and if we’re on our phone and computer all the time (or insanely busy), that’s what they will gravitate toward as well. They will all too soon be moving out on their own. Our time to love, teach and encourage them in their gifts is limited. Be careful when choosing the ways in which you “give them every advantage”. Do things together. Spend time together. Show them how to do for others. These things are so very important and they’re absolutely free.

10. Goods and services drive our economy, but do you have a list of services you simply won’t pay for?  What are your DIY tips for those services?

We purchased an older, modest-sized home. We’ve never had cable. Instead, we subscribe to Netflix. I use a pay as you go cell phone for emergencies only. We drive older cars that have a combined mileage of over 500,000 miles and have repair manuals for both so we can often avoid trips to the mechanic. We take our trash and recycling away ourselves (using a simple trailer we pull behind our van). We don’t get the newspaper (we listen to radio or read online). We do most house repairs ourselves. We look for new constructions sites (where they are taking down trees), get permission and haul away firewood to burn in our wood stove. We haven’t paid for wood or heating oil in five years. This alone has saved us over $10,000 in heating oil during this time. While finding the cheapest brand of toilet paper can save you a little each month, some of these bigger decisions have a much greater impact on your family’s finances in the long run.

Everywhere we look, someone is telling us what we need to buy or do to make us happy. We believe that God has given each of us a gift if we’re ready to receive it- the ability to receive His love, love Him back and spread the overflow to those around us through our time, attention and gifts. Being good stewards of what we’ve been given is one way we say thank you. May you be blessed as you seek to find peace (and extra dollars) with your spending habits.

~Jane

If you would like to have your Personal Savings Story featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I would love to feature it on the blog. Just answer 5-7 {or all if you really want to} of the questions listed in the original Personal Savings Story post and submit 3-5 QUALITY photos to go along with them.

Send submissions via email to onehundreddollarsamonth @ gmail.com {remove the spaces} and be sure and put Personal Saving Stories in the subject line.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com. It’s that easy.