I receive a lot of email from readers, but this email from Melinda struck a chord with me. With permission, I’ve changed identifying details in it to share with you:
I attended your coupon class a few years ago. After attending, I couponed for some time then got burned out. I can’t seem to get back into it. It’s all so overwhelming.
My husband recently got a $30,000/year pay cut at work. It’s difficult. We had four kids then. We just had our fifth surprise baby in July of this year. My husband will work a second job when there’s work available. Sometimes there’s a ton of work. Sometimes there isn’t.
I’ve been trying to return to work for some time with no success. Things are tight but not extreme. I try every day to just be grateful for our 1000 square-foot house and our five healthy, amazing children. But I tend to get upset when I think about how hard my husband works and we just can’t catch up. It’s very disheartening. There are some months when he’ll work every single day. Then there’s other months where the second job is slow and he’s at home.
We’re busting our butts to provide for our family. My husband’s job requires us to live in the same city he works in, but the public school here isn’t acceptable for many reasons (safety, quality) so our kids go to private school. That’s $800 a month. I always want to coupon, but when I try, I get distracted with the kids or just get so overwhelmed. Things are a lot different than they were when I attended the class a few years ago. Now there’s apps and all kids of stuff. It’s so extremely overwhelming for me.
It makes me sad to think that we try our hardest to give our children the best life and just can’t seem to catch up. The reason for the email is this: I went to Jewel this week and spent $207. I have nothing for dinner tonight. I’m crying as I write this. I need help. How is that possible? Clearly I don’t know how to shop. There are some months that I’ve spent $1300 on groceries- that’s no exaggeration.
I want to figure it out, and I just can’t. I’d love some assistance from you if possible. I know you’re busy with work and your family but from one mom to another, I thought I’d email you and ask. Hope to hear from you soon.
I replied to Melinda:
I have led our family through some very lean times and through my own spouse being unemployed for more than a year. Before diving hard back into couponing, I would focus on making your food budget as lean as possible. By “lean,” I mean focusing on food that’s hearty and healthy but not expensive. I still cook this way most nights of the week for my own children.
For example, I buy whole chickens when they’re .79-.99/lb. and stretch them for multiple meals. I’ll roast the chicken one night and serve it with potatoes (always on sale and inexpensive.) When dinner’s done, I don’t throw the carcass out — I’ll keep it in the fridge, then put it in the crock pot the next day with water to make soup stock. The little pieces of chicken will float off while it cooks all day, and then I’ll strain the bones out, add carrots, celery and egg noodles, and so on.
When pork shoulders or tenderloin are cheap (under $3/lb.) I will make a large cut one night, more than we plan to eat. Whatever we do not eat, I slice or shred and use for more meals throughout the week, like pork strips for burritos or tacos, or pulled pork sandwiches. If steak is cheap ($2.99/lb.) I will buy several, then cut them into strips for wraps or chop for stew meat. I try to stretch things as much as possible.
This is one of my favorite bargain recipes for tortilla soup, and it makes a great chili base too. This was a sponsored post for Jewel, so I am using their canned chicken breast in the demonstration. I usually use any leftover meat though — chicken, pork, beef — it’s great no matter what you throw in. I can make a huge Crock Pot of this for around $6-$7 by shopping the ingredients when they’re on sale — and we get at least two meals out of it (for 4-5 of us!) I make this once a week in the fall & winter and my kids -never- get tired of it.
Pasta’s cheap often, and sauce is too. (Creamette pasta will be .50/box again this week at Meijer – Ragu pasta sauce was just .50/jar with coupon at Meijer not long ago.) Let me think about this for a while and write more to you later.
Would you be open to me sharing your situation with my blog? I would not use your name, your location, or your husband’s profession — I could open it to reader comments to share their thoughts and advice too. I think you may find value in others’ responses too as I have had many, many readers over the years come to me in very lean financial situations who found ways to thrive despite their financial circumstances.
Melinda replied and said she would very much like to hear from you, my readers. What advice would you give to Melinda? She’s a regular reader of my blog, and she will definitely see your replies and comments.
MamaHan says
Hi Melinda,
HANG IN THERE, I PROMISE IT WILL GET BETTER! I’m including three things off the top of my head-Make your own wipes; eat chicken and pork dishes; frozen tofu (crumbled) makes a good meat substitute
Mix 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol, 1 tablespoon baby bath, and 2 tablespoons of baby oil in a resealable container. I believe I used a Rubbermaid 6 cup container, though I’ll double check once I’m back home. Some people just use an old wipes container, but I wanted to use a container that could be flipped and I’m not sure if those would work.
Take either a roll of Viva or Bounty and cut it in half using an electric knife OR a sharp serrated knife. Swoosh the solution one more time, then put the unwrapped half of the paper towel into the container, cover, and flip upside down for ~30 minutes. Flip back over, remove and toss center core, and pull wipes from middle.
This is nice because you can use whatever you wash your baby in, and you can stock up on towels when they go on sale. This is much cheaper than buying regular wipes.
For cheap eats, I recommend either chicken or pork shoulder or pork picnic dishes. Chicken quarters/drumsticks/thighs are very cheap and tasty. When my kids were young, I would throw them in a large pot and add equal parts of soy sauce, sugar, and water until you cover at least 2/3 of the chicken. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer, cooking at least 30 minutes. If your chicken is not completely covered, then be sure to stir the chicken at least once, redistributing the top and bottom layers. Serve with rice and veggies of your choice. I often cut up broccoli and cooked them with some water in my Corningware in the microwave so I could control the texture. Just add a little olive oil/seasoning after you drain the cooking water.
Carnitas and or pulled pork are two easy and tasty things to put in a slow cooker. If you’re interested, I can post the recipes I use once I’m back home later.
Buy a tub of tofu (I usually use firm or extra firm) and make a slit in the plastic peel-away lid. Drain water, leave plastic on. Put entire tub in freezer and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight. (I leave it in there until I’m ready to use it, could probably go several months.) The day before you use it, simply defrost the tofu and press out the liquid. You’ll get a product similar to Morningstar Farms and Boca Burger crumbles, but there won’t be much taste as is. I use it when I’m making vegetarian chili or other flavorful dishes.
Oh, I don’t know what town you live in, but consider shopping at smaller chain grocery stores. Valli has several locations in the Chicagoland suburban area and their prices for produce/meats are very reasonable.
Hope this helps,
MamaHan
Melinda says
Hi everyone and thanks so much for the amazing comments, and thanks to Jill for the opportunity to have her readers respond to my particular situation!!
Baby wipes sound like a great idea. I’m going to look into it further. I’ve never tried tofu but I’ll consider. Thank you
clipsalot says
My advice would be start with one store at a time. For example start with CVS or Walgreens, but not both. Or pick one grocery store to start watching the deals and couponing. I am not saying only shop these 1-2 stores, but get used to deal shopping there before trying to focus all your time and energy chasing all the deals. Also, pick one app and get familiar using it. Once you get the hang of it, try others. Check out 51 is really easy to start with because you only need to take a picture of your receipt. Saving Star is great since you can link it to your CVS and Mymix accounts. My favorite it Ibotta. Once you are comfortable couponing at a store, try adding another one. It does get easier and you begin to realize it is okay if you miss a deal or have to pay more for something you need. Also, do not be afraid to use a local food pantry when needed.
Melinda says
When I read your comment and it said “1 store at a time” all the sudden it’s not all so overwhelming to me. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Nancy says
Eggs are a good, affordable source of protein. Rice is another budget-friendly staple. My family enjoys homemade fried rice, which contains fried eggs, frozen stir-fry vegetables and brown rice. You can add leftover chicken, beef or pork, if you like. It can be a nice way to use up leftovers, too.
Melinda says
We eat a ton of eggs but I’ve never tried fried rice. My kids love fried rice so I’ll be sure to try it out. Thank you so much
Kathleen Grabowski says
I am not sure what stores she is close to but to me Jewel is very expensive. I usually shop at Butera, Capatu’s, Super-low, Walmart. These stores also have the discounted sections: fruit, bakery, etc. I have price points I won’t go over. Like getting any meat around 1.99/lb. Lunchmeat needs to be cheap also. Shop the sales, keep your coupon folder in the car so if you do find something on sale, maybe there is a coupon too.
Melinda says
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I appreciate you suggestions.
nix12618 says
I feel for Melinda. For me, the first thing I would do is start home schooling my kids. If I couldn’t find a job and was paying $800 a month for a school, that is the first thing I would do. Find out how to go about it in your state, get the materials, talk to other moms who home school. That would be like getting a job or a raise and saving you maybe $500 or more a month. Then with your children home most days, you can enlist them to help you with the couponing as time goes on. Make a game of it or a family time together to contribute to the family fund.
The way I began couponing (until I knew what I was doing and had more knowledge) was to go through the weekly flyer for one store and create a shopping list for the sale items that are too good to pass up (this you can do on Jill’s site using her shopping list feature), then using coupontom.com I look up where I can get coupons for the items I want to buy. If there are no coupons I don’t buy it. I wait for another time or another brand sale. This then doesn’t feel so overwhelming to start with. As time goes on, you can enlist your kids to help cut out coupons and organize them in a way that is meaningful for you. You don’t need all the apps and all the ways to get coupons. I don’t have a smartphone and I save on average 30% on every grocery trip and I have lots of food stocked up. I do subscribe to two copies of the Sunday paper to get multiple coupon booklets. Watch for deals on freezers (every year Jill mentions one) so you can store more items so you aren’t crying not having enough food but will have stock when times are tough and overtime is scarce.
Hope this has helped in some small way. Sending positive thoughts your way…….
Melinda says
Thank you
Jane Smith says
PINTEREST! :) If you aren’t familiar with Pinterest, it’s a great place to get all sorts of advice and ideas. Sign up and type in “Budget meals” to start and you can work your way around the website, and find all sorts of meal plans on a budget.
Processed foods are so expensive! Get a freezer and try to do some weekend cooking, from casseroles to home made frozen burritos.
Good luck! Writing Jill was the best thing you can do to get help and support! :)
Melinda says
Thanks so much Jane! I do use Pinterest but I’ve never looked up budget meals. We rarely eat processed and I cook all the time. Thanks for the suggestion and I’ll be sure to look into it.
dgschulz says
Try shopping at Aldi! Coupons are one way to save, but your time with your children is important, too, and couponing takes time. Aldi prices are lower than most stores for most items. You will save the time it takes to figure out what brand and size is the best deal at a regular supermarket, in addition to time spent locating and clipping coupons. At Aldi, if you need ketchup, you just grab the one size ketchup they offer. (Can’t say that about mustard, though. They have many mustard varieties to try, and they are excellent.) Coupons are better than Aldi prices for toothpaste (hard to beat getting it free at Walgreen) and toilet paper, but you will save a lot of money shopping at Aldi.
Melinda says
Thank you. I’ve been telling myself for quite some time that I need to get to Aldi and I never do. I’m going to make it a point to get there soon.
seachicago says
Hi, Melinda! I’m sorry to hear you’re going through a tough financial time right now, but you did the right thing by reaching out. It’s nothing to be embarrassed or shy about, and you should continue the strategies you learn now even when money is no longer a problem! One of the wealthiest people I know always used coupons, because he said “Why would you pay more than you have to?!!”
Regarding food, know your prices! Once you know what something costs at rock-bottom, you’ll always know when you spot a good deal (I know Jill has some articles about that here on her site). If you live near an ALDI, start shopping there! No coupons accepted, and low prices on everything—maybe not the lowest prices that you could get with a coupon and sale on a name brand, but pretty darn close. Shop in season, and do your own cooking. Slow cookers are great! I have a bread machine (which you can often find in thrift shops), and we never ever buy bread or rolls anymore.
I don;t know how popular this will be, but here’s another food suggestion. I’m not sure how to put this tactfully, but we probably all need to adjust our expectations about how much we actually need to eat! :-) My husband doesn’t think it’s dinner if there’s not an 8 – 12 ounce piece of beef on his plate, but that’s just ridiculous! You can look online and find dietary guidelines for the calorie (and protein) needs of the adults and kids in your family. You might not need to provide as much food as you think you do—not that you want anyone going hungry, of course! And nutritionists are constantly telling us Americans to use meat as a side dish, not the main course; so don’t feel bad about bulking up your meals with grains and veggies. We should all be doing that anyway!
My other non-food advice would be to shop second-hand. Your local thrift shop will be a treasure trove of almost anything you need. Most of the clothes my three kids (and I) wear are from the Goodwill, etc. And I’m talking designer stuff, for pennies on the dollar. And the other #1 place for free stuff, in my opinion, is your public library. Books (like cookbooks!), magazines (more cooking info!), etc. And you don’t even have to go in: most libraries have so much online. You can get all the books, magazines and music you’d ever need without leaving your house.
Good luck and best wishes to you!
SSMark1 says
“Melinda” –
I really enjoyed some of the comments, suggestions, & advice above!
I try not to give bad advice, but I do share some of my own past experiences & let you judge…
Many of us have had a bad patch some long, some short, but there is usually enough chaos in all of our lives so things never stay the same.
I’ve been laid off from some of the best companies in the area. (about 14 years ago, I myself took over a $27k pay cut for a job that was to stop the bleeding until I found a better one.) Never settle. But don’t be foolish.
I supplemented income by selling on eBay, Amazon, & even garage sales, which your kids will enjoy!
My wife has Multiple Sclerosis.
So I now can’t afford independent insurance with what’s happened with individual policies these past few years due to regulations, so I no longer consult full-time, just on the side.
1/2 of my in-laws have filed bankruptcy at least once, some multiple times, & even had foreclosures.
Life happens.
For me, I’ve been couponing for over 40 years.
Before I was 10 years old, I knew most of the products my parents bought, brands they liked, and would go through the Jewel & Eagle food ads, & did match ups. Before CouponTom.com the was Coupon Mark using plain white envelopes with “cereal”, “soap”, “canned food”, “jarred food”, “frozen”, “refrigerated”, etc…
I’m now amazed looking back at what I did at that age.
I didn’t have web sites.
I had nothing else but a goal to save money AS A KID!
Not sure how old your oldest is, but maybe they can help organize your coupons & check sites & ads.
We didn’t shop a lot of stores when I was a kid, but now I make 1 or 2 sheets of lists by store of the hot list for the week.
I paper clip my coupons, & keep them in a box lid in the back seat of my car. It’s always handy & organized.
So when I pass a store on my way to or from work, I make a 5 – 10 minute pit stop & cherry pick the deals (many are from Jill’s site & my own ad & coupontom.com matchups for what I need for the week). If traffic was kind to me, I can even hit a 2nd store on my way home! I do this the 3 days I go into the office. I usually hit each of the stores I’ve targeted by that 3rd day.
I’ve been married for over 21 years, & I still do the majority of shopping. Although, my wife does help out, she doesn’t have the same passion that’s been a part of me for most of my life for it. She is her salon’s coupon expert & teaches her coworkers & hundreds (if not by now 1000s) of customers how to shop & use apps & coupon tom. She’s my best student!
I’ve always been thrifty.
Our cars are 17 years (mine) & 10 years old (hers).
If my job was going nowhere, I moved on. (if you aren’t learning something worth $ in the job market place or see advancement in the future, time to start looking… you only have so many good working years).
I’m not going to get political on here, but I wouldn’t count on too much in addition to what you save for retirement from our government. Do your own research from real data.
I love all the advice above from the other readers!
Couponing is getting tougher.
Deals aren’t as numerous.
We need to stretch every penny.
#EveryPennyCounts
With 5 kids, you have very little time to get things done with your husband working 1 or 2 jobs any given day.
Weekdays, you at least have some of them out of your hair, so those are the hours to really focus on to get things done.
Especially during nap time…
Work on your organizational skills, EVERYONE can always improve on them!
Figure out a budget. I mean, really figure one out to the penny if you can.
Write it down on paper if you don’t have a computer.
I use excel.
I have an awesome spreadsheet to track everything going in & out.
Gordon Ramsey is a bit extreme, but that’s what it may take if you are not disciplined.
I have used http://www.MINT.com & http://www.BankRate.com & http://www.CreditKarma.com & sites similar to get all finances in order.
Get everything in focus on one sheet.
If you have debt: Balances, APRs, minimum payments, ratios.
You will see the parts you can improve on.
They will stick out!
Go to the library, & check out Jill’s DVDs #1 & #2 for a refresher.
Jill does a good job going over the basics.
I’ve also done many seminars over the years, but mine are more of an over all money & financial class in addition to couponing, digital, & rewards, & credit, & are for smaller groups & tailored to my audiences.
You can find lots of stuff on the internet & videos on youtube as well.
Local thrift stores are great for NEW CLOTHES! Not just used…
I can’t tell you how many things my wife has bought, & many of them BRAND NEW & never used or worn!
I’m a BIG user of gift cards & rewards. Take advantage of stores you regularly shop.
Basically that’s my marketing, offers, & credit career as well.
I do what I love & love what I do.
You are so lucky to be able to have children.
My wife for obvious reasons can’t.
I’m assuming your husband’s income is above the food stamp level, so you don’t qualify.
I’m not sure about breakfast & lunch programs at private schools, but many public schools offer free ones if you qualify.
Ask people you know if they get a Sunday paper, if they wouldn’t mind saving the inserts for you.
You’d be surprised how many you will get! Especially, your husband since he is in contact with many people at work.
If you attend a church, ask for help, because many collect food for families like yours.
If you don’t qualify for food stamps or your food pantry, but need help, maybe the church will.
Also, ask other church members for coupons.
The paper is there Sunday AM right on their driveway, you can get a lot that way as well without having to pay for more subscriptions (or even any!).
Or your/your husbands workplace as well (as I mentioned).
I give 100s of coupons & several bags of food out weekly at my church (Mama Han’s ex-coworker will be getting toothpaste this week at Church as she requested it special from me).
We also buy our church Wednesday night dinner once a month for up to 80 people or so.
TV is the biggest time waster. I limit myself to only a couple of hours per week.
I have my Monday Night Raw & a few hours of a Cubs/Sox/Bears/Hawks/Bulls games depending on the season.
Time is the most valuable thing you have some control over.
SPEND IT THRIFTILY & SPEND IT WISELY.
Always keep in the back of your mind how you can improve ANYTHING better.
Best of luck to you & your family,
-Mark
Melinda says
Mark- your comment touched me.
Thanks for not only taking the time to reply, but also for going into detail about your personal situations.
We do not drive fancy cars. Although I wish we did lol. Mine is 8 years old and my husbands 16. We are above the poverty line by a lot. We just spend too much on food and it’s getting out of control and to where we can’t afford it.
I don’t watch much tv (when would I find the time with 5 kids? Lol) and we cut the cable almost 2 years ago. We don’t have a lot of “extras” try to live within our means.
I almost never buy my kids new clothes. I’ve Been fortunate that we can sometimes score hand me downs (I’ll never say no to free clothes. Especially with 5 kids) anytime someone gives me clothes I let them know how thankful I am that they thought of me.
I’ve shopped at goodwill in the past (I actually enjoy it) but haven’t for some time as it would be hard to “look” for good deals with the kids with me. But I do plan on returning.
We do save for our retirement and that’s 1 thing my husband is passionate about. For that, I am thankful.
Like I said in the first post, I try not to complain too much, and just try to be thankful that God has blessed us with 5 children.
You seem like an Amazing person. Your wife should be proud of your “frugal ways”.
Even a millionaire should try to save money as its wasteful not to.
God bless you and your wife and you’ll be in my thoughts and prayers.
SSMark1 says
Thanks for taking the time to read my reply.
Your 5 kids won’t be at home forever.
Treasure what time you have with them now.
Saving for retirement when you are young will make a HUGE difference when you do retire.
Sounds like a great game plain.
-Mark
Mary says
I agree with many of the above suggestions. I do not cook with meat as much as I used to because of the expense. Have breakfast for dinner My mom used to do when I was little, I was 1 of 5.
Breakfast is normally bagels with cream cheese when I find begells for $1 a package at the .99 store, cream of wheat or oatmeal. Lunch pj sandwich or fruit salad.
Also, I have Bean burritos a lot – I add tomato, rice and cheese. Breakfast burritos also – very filling. I limit my grocery shopping best with always having a list, made up with the weekly ads. Also, I try to bake desserts and divide up for individual eating so I do not have to buy at store. Also I do leftover nights so nothing gets thrown away. I have gotten more creative with food to avoid eating out.
Good luck.
Holly says
LOTS of great advice above…kudos, guys! :)
The only other thing that I might add is to find ways to s-t-r-e-t-c-h things a little bit further.
Examples: ground beef (depending on what your making) can be stretched by about a third by adding rice, potato, puréed veggies or even oatmeal! I’m sure you can google it or find guidelines on Pinterest.
Liquid soap: can be mixed about 1:7 with water and the foam created is PLENTY adequate for washing hands, etc.
Laundry soap: can be MADE or, at least, you are following machine guidelines for amount to use, as laundry soap makers want to SELL MORE LAUNDRY SOAP!
If crackers, cereal, etc get stale, pop it into the oven on a cookie sheet to re-crisp it after your done using the oven for something else! Try not to waste anything!
Soups & stews go a long way on a little food budget and there’s bunches of good recipes out there for the finding. Soup, salad and a hearty slice of homemade bread takes care of dinner MANY nights at our house.
Not sure if they have them in your are, but scratch n dent stores often sell dented cans or just-expired pantry foods that are perfectly fine, but just cannot be sold by certain stores.
Those are the couple things that come to mind.
Best of luck & I will certainly keep your family in my thoughts and prayers!
Maggie H says
Go to the library or ebay and get the Tightwad Gazette books by Amy Dacyczyn. They are over 20 years old so a bit dated but really good at getting back to the basics. Very inspirational when times are tough or you feel like you need to tighten your belt a bit. She was big into washing baggies and tin foil, baking bread from scratch, no paper towels or napkins, for example. Cutting pennies everywhere you can make a big impact in the long run. Lots of fun tips and recipes and good articles about cutting back for holidays and birthdays and the real “cost” of a second income.
Hang in there, we’ve all had a rough patch in our lives and are better for it.
dancingwolves says
There have been many great suggestions given thus far. One that I have that would not cost you anything (but time which I know you do not have a lot of with a baby in the house) is meal planning. I am not sure what level of cooking skills you have, but getting meal suggestions from books from the library. Many people throw out magazines or give them away. My own personal library of recipes are comprised mainly from magazines. I then shop for what is on sale and try to get inspired by the items I have to create meals. If you have cable, while the kids are at school and the baby takes a nap, watching the food network or food channel can also help with ideas and meal planning.
My husband 20 years ago lived alone and bragged on he lived on $25 a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner shopping at Aldi’s. I recently went there and brought back items that totaled over $25 and I still would not had enough to make a meal either. It consisted on basics: milk, eggs, juice, butter, bread, etc. and some frozen veggies. I told him it’s at least double of what it use to be so get real.
I shop Jewel and Meijers for only sale items with coupons. But the bulk of what I purchase is from Aldi’s or Woodmans.
If you have a Woodmans near you, they have many coupons already taped to the shelves….how convenient is that!
My first trip to any store is in their clearance section. Knowing I can look up items on http://www.stilltasty.com is great for this purpose as well as items I still have that are past their “best by” date. It’s also helpful for those going to the food pantry as many people think the best used date is the last date you can use something.
I wish you luck in finding the patience to coupon and best of health to you and your family.
JoAnn says
I only skimmed thru some of the other posts, so forgive me if I am repeating anyone else’s advice! :) Meal planning is key. I know the feeling of spending $$$ at the store and then wondering what the heck I bought. Start with one week. Pick a day for chicken, beef, soup and sandwich, pasta, breakfast, fish, vegetarian/salad/beans, leftovers. (Of course you would adapt to your family’s tastes.) Aldi’s is great if nearby. Otherwise, pick a store nearby and search for a blogger who does breakdowns of that store’s weekly sales. They will often directly link you to printable coupons to go with the sale and include some of the app sites that save you money. Ibotta, Checkout 51 and Savingstar are my favorites. They are not instant savings though. You accumulate the money over time and then cash out. Another option is a site called Swagbucks. It has a bit of a learning curve, but basically you watch videos and get paid in the form of gift cards. I kinda just let them run in the background on my computer and phone and keep clicking new ones every so often. It doesn’t seem like much when you’re doing it, but I have been able to cash out a $25 Walmart gift card every month for almost two years.
I know it’s a hard pill to swallow, but have you looked into any sort of government assistance? With your family size and having little ones in the household, there could possibly be help available to you until you get back on your feet. (Please don’t take that suggestion in a negative way. I’m just putting it out there. I’m not trying to offend you if it doesn’t apply to your family.)
Lastly, good luck to you and your family. Congrats on the new little one! Becoming a Coupon Guru doesn’t happen overnight. I kind of look at it as a part time job. It does take some time, but it becomes second nature after awhile.
Kaylea Champion says
There are so many great ideas here, I will try to contribute without repeating the above. In terms of the couponing/cash apps, start with just one and add new ones as you get the hang of each one. The easiest one to start with might be Mobisave, because it gives you a free item on first signup, includes “any brand” rebates, and you get your cashback immediately rather than having to wait for it to accumulate. SavingsStar has a $5 minimum cashback so that is a good next choice.
Cheaper shopping and menu planning are good suggestions. Homeschooling would be a big change (some folks do it while working, but for me it has been a full-time job), but does have good potential to save you money. Bookmark a few deal blogs (in addition to Jill’s!) for your area and peek at them daily. A lot of folks are in a similar situation — you are not alone!
You may also have good options for improving the income side, not just the expense side. Make a small goal for what you can earn from some side work — ($50/month, then increase by $25 each month?). There are entire blogs devoted to this kind of thing — you might take surveys, do odd jobs, sign up with a temp agency and work a day a month, etc.
It sounds like variability in your income is a serious issue — which means you need a cushion. Even just a teensy one will help. An emergency fund is a good start, but to handle the constant variations in income, I would recommend a CD ladder. On the good months, open a $250 certificate of deposit with a term of 6 months, or the shortest term your bank offers. You will lose some of your interest if you cash out early, but that’s no biggie. The idea is that you keep taking out these CDs until you have them reaching maturity each month (google for more info on CD ladders). They turn into an income supplement for the bad months, and having the money in a CD instead of readily available in your account for spending will nudge you towards saving.
Gina says
We lost half our income a few years ago when I had to stop working due to health issues, so I know what you’re going through and feel for you.
One thing we did was start making homemade pizza’s. I found a simple crust recipe on food.com for thin pizza crust, and used spaghetti sauce for the pizza sauce. Add some cheese, and some pepperoni, and maybe some veggies, and we were eating for about $3-$5 for our whole family each night!
Another trick that another mom taught me, buy the pork roasts at the store when they are on sale cheap, and slice them up into pork chops. I can get 12 or more 1/2 inch thick pork chops out of one pork roast usually, and I usually pay about $9 or less per roast. Just make sure that the roast you buy is mostly light colored meat, and if it has marbling on one side, try to pick one with as little dark colored marbling as possible.
We also cut back on paper towel use too, by buying a pack of 15 white washcloths and using those as napkins when we eat. I just take the washcloths and throw them in with regular laundry.
I agree with the other person about making your own laundry detergent. I make a powder version that I found the recipe for on onegoodthingbyjillee.com. That’s a good website if your trying to say some money, and moneysmartfamily.com is a good one too for tips. Another thing I discovered about laundry detergent, like Tide (or others), is that I was using way too much! Read the directions and then look at the cup to see how much you are supposed to use; it’s probably half to a third of what you are currently using (or it was for me).
DiscountQueen says
Again, as others have said, I did not read all comments thoroughly so some items may be repeated, sorry.
When my husband was unemployed, we went to the head of the private school my child attended and they allowed my child to attend tuition free. They said they had a special fund for families in need. Also, I did receive assistance from my local food pantry ( I have no shame in that as some do unfortunately) the money they saved us helped us pay our mortgage and utilities and therefore we got through without losing our home. I felt desperate times deserved desperate measures. It was a horrible time for us and has humbled me immensely still to this day as this occurred 10 years ago. I have and will always be extremely frugal as I know this could unfortunately happen again with the kind of job husband has. I still coupon diligently but only buy what I absolutely need and can use. I make my own cleaning products and I still use Aldi as much as possible because even with coupons Jewel is outrageous with prices. I also do surveys focus groups for cash as much as possible. Best of luck to you and your family.
Melinda says
Thank you to everyone who commented and gave me their money saving tips. I’m really going to try to buckle down and get a grip of a few things. I’ve always wanted to make my own laundry soap and never have. This is top priority. With 7 people in the house and a baby, I probably do 15 loads a week. This will help tremendously.
THe people that commented about the food pantry, please know that I am not offended. If it gets to that point, I will walk in there with my head held high. We’ve had food stamps in the past (5 years ago maybe) when he was out of work. Without those, there wouldn’t of been food. I’m grateful and humbled by that situation.
I plan on looking into some of the money saving links that have been listed as well as making some of the recipes that were suggested.
Like someone said, there’s always room for improvement (organization) in your life.
I just need to start at square 1 and take things from there.
Jill-thank you. I knew if I emailed you, you would help me. I’m just so amazed at what you’ve done for your family. Hopefully I just figure this all out try not to get overwhelmed. I’m a better person after you posted this. ; )
M says
I live in Alabama so I’m not up on the stores there. But I shop at the local Walmart. I buy mostly the Great Value (store brand) items and don’t worry about couponing. The food in the GV cans or bags are of the same quality as most name brand foods that you search for coupons. I spend upwards of 300. for a family of 4 adults every two weeks. But if I had to by name brands it would have been close to 500. each time.
Also, instead of Buying your bread learn to bake your own bread…it’s fun and is well rewarding when you can make it yourself.
Good Luck and God Bless your family…
As said above….Don’t forget your local food pantry when times are tight…No one judges when you have to use them…That’s what they are there for…
M says
Here’s one other suggestion that has meant a lot to my family…
Check out Dave Ramsey dot com…
Listen to his advice on money…maybe take his course on Financial Freedom…
He makes a lot of sense when it come to digging yourself out from under the pressures of Bills…
We are debt free with the exception of out daily bills such as Mortgage, electric, water, phone, tv, and internet….
Without Dave Ramsey I couldn’t see the end of our bills it was so overwhelming…
We don’t use Credit cards only our banks debit card that way you never spend more than what’s in your bank account…
But you have to start with a Budget so you know Exactly Where every little penny is going to be spent and you need a baby emergency fund of 1000.00 (you save this up little by little till it gets accumulated) that you never touch except in case of emergency…
Dave explains his Baby steps so much better than I could ever do… but your first step is to read his book Financial Peace….you can borrow it from your local library to read…it will open your eyes to soooo much…
Peace be to you and yours…
heather says
ALDI if you have one near. I could not pay my bills without one. Great food (as long as you’re not brand-picky; all the chicken is relabeled Tyson, the jelly is Smuckers, etc) and at least 40% off retail all the time. Don’t need coupons.
God bless!
Juli says
I do coupon. ( thank you Jill for getting me started with one of your seminars!) When I started I had a family of 5. 2 of the kids on their own now, so I don’t have to shop as much anymore.
One of the things I really appreciated was getting free toiletries with coupons at Walgreens, Cvs and Target. I have not purchased toothpaste, deodarant, shampoo, conditioner, feminine hygiene products,etc. For YEARS!!!!! This has left me with hundreds of dollars for other things such as groceries!
If you want to coupon slowly…look for free toiltries with coupons on Jills website!