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I went PRN (as needed) at work about a year ago to cut back on money. Our daycare for the kids was outrageous and there really wasn't much left out if my check after paying for it. I have tried a budget but it is sooo hard to stick to. We bring home usually $2770 a month. It's not much but we are making it ok I guess. I have to stretch the bills a little. Our monthly expenses, this includes estimated gas, groceries, and miscellaneous is about $2700. This doesn't leave much left over for saving or any unexpected expenses. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a little extra(I am not asking for any acutal home business advice.) We either need to make more or spend a little less. Any suggestions?
Answer:
Groceries are the easiest place to cut in your budget. Look for very inexpensive meals, casseroles, meat free dishes, etc. Cut out as much stuff like chips, snack cakes, etc as you can. Pick up as many hours as you can manage at work right now.
Answer:
I agree groceries are the biggest issue for us too. Clothing is one area you can cut back, I do super good with buying second hand, clearence or getting hand me downs. If you don't know anyone to get hand me downs from try joining a moms group that has clothing swaps. It is the little things that can hurt too we have a cash budget for the little things like snacks or eating out or my Im not giving it up weekly coffee. Look for free activites. Cut out non-esential bills. Do you NEED a cell phone, cable tv, high speed internet, movie rental service or whatever? These are things you could do without. Look for free activities to do there are a ton out there.
Good luck!
Answer:
Let's see. I have to agree. Groceries are a big place to start. Do your menu for the week and use your sale ads. Maybe buy one snack a week or make something for the weekend as a treat. We got rid of our home phone and kept our cell phone. I didn't want to be stranded somewhere without a phone and payphones are rare nowadays. We use the library for movies for movie & pizza night and I make the pizza.
Answer:
The quickest places to start cutting expenses have been mentioned above. We live in a pretty urban area, so I have the opportunity to do consumer studies. There are several companies locally that test products for major companies (Subway is one that I've taste tested for). The tests pay usually between $15 and $75. You could try and see if there's anything like that locally. I also work part-time from home as an editor (10-15 hours a week). Occasionally, I also take on a freelance project (typing patient notes for a local chiropractor, putting together misc. projects for people that might need help with something on a one-off basis.) All of this brings in a little extra while still allowing me to be home with the kids. It gets really hectic sometimes because it's somewhat challenging to work from home, but it helps us to meet our lifestyle goals. Good luck!
Michelle
Answer:
Grocery tips:
-Use 3/4 of the meat you'd normally use in a recipe. You probably won't notice the difference and you'll save money on a more expensive part of your groceries.
-Make homemade snacks - the old fashioned way. Don't even buy micro popcorn or those "break apart and bake" cookies. They're money RIPOFFS. Get kernal popcorn and pop it on your stove (if I can do it without burning down the house anyone can), make cookies using flour, margarine, egg, sugar, etc. Mix up some dough and scoop it out (like you would to bake them) onto a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Pop in freezer and then once frozen, put in container/baggie. Premixed cookies that are only 15 minutes of baking time away from fresh baked! Buy the cheaper bananas and make (or freeze for making) banana bread.
-Shop the local discount bread store. Bread products freeze well.
-Use your crockpot to cook cheaper cuts of meat with lots of flavor and tenderness.
-Use coupons & sales leaders to get best deal and stock up on freebies or near-free items.
-Use if you aren't already.
-Check out your eligibility for WIC.
-Grow foods with your kids. Tomatoes, Peppers, etc are easy to grow and a fun project with the kids. And lots of fresh food to slash the grocery budget!
Other tips:
-Get rid of stuff on craigslist.com or through your local paper for a few extra bucks.
-Know any of the parents of other kids at that daycare? Offer to watch their kid at your place (in-home childcare) for less than they're paying at the daycare.