Plan your dinners two weeks at a time: use recipes with the same ingredients and only go shopping once every two weeks. (It stinks sometimes but you learn how non-essential what you're eating is when you simply just can't afford too.) Also, the little trips is what adds up to big money so other than emergency runs for milk and diapers.. make do.
Use the microwave, it saves on electric.
Cut your drive time down. I am fortunate to be renting in Avalon Park which we chose because we only had one car. I can ride my bike to publix for emergencies (with the kids ages 2 and 3 in tow), and we bike/walk/run/skip/ hop/ stroller to the playground. It's kinda far, but it works and they're ready for a nap when they get home.
Honestly, you really don't need two cars. Many may say, "yea right, where's she from?" but my husband is a firefighter, meaning he works for 24 hours home for 48, (and has long worked 48 hours and only home for 24) and we made due just fine even before our move here.
There is a book called the "two income trap" I highly reccomend checking out from the library.
Also, use one debit card. If your husband has one cut up yours or vice versa. Don't write checks without his knowledge or vice versa.
Something that worked even better for us is setting aside half the rent/mortgage per paycheck into a seperate account, and then having second bills account, and a spending account. Sounds like a lot, but most banks allow you to link them and transfer funds if neccessary. Doing it that way keeps everyone in check. I got my husband an account and told him whatever was in it was all the money in the world he had for eating at work, gas, and anything fun he wanted to buy. When it's gone it's gone and that's a strict policy! No if ands or buts.
We plan all of our activities in advance and just recently realized that we don't even have enough money to eat out at the parks when we go (i.e. seaworld). So, we bring a loaf of bread and peanut butter and fill the sippy cups before we go.
All in all, when you look at what you have, and then realize what you don't actually need, you begin to see all the blessings in your life and that even though you don't have much now, God always blesses Humble begginings. I can't wait for the day we buy this house! It's not as big as I wanted, but I can hardly clean what I've got!
p.s. Shop your meats in bulk at Sam's or costco, bj's and same with diapers. We buy 9 thick porkchops for $12 and cut them in half. That's 18 pork chops! Same with chicken. Don't buy from the grocery store. they're $1.67- $1.97 at sams. Freeze your meat. It tastes the same and won't go bad. I cut all the fats off chicken and any little pieces that got cut off with it I put in a bag labeled chopped chicken and use that for a seperate dinner.
It all works out. We found it was actually less expensive for me to stay at home when I was pregnant with my second. Gas, lunches, business attire, daycare and most importantly your time all add up! We would have been in the hole $100 per month had I gone to work. Yikes! How many of us don't take the time to do the math.
Yea for you for understanding your children need you and they come first!
To those who have yet to learn the lessons of sacrifice, Everything comes with a price tag, choose wisely.
The price for staying at home is humble beginings. The reward is happy children and relationships that count.
J.
