Adjust Your Budget As Economy Is In The Tank

You may be one of the lucky families that still has an income and feels secure. Even so, how can you prepare for what might come?

I have a few suggestions. Some of these suggestions may work for your family, some may not and you might already be doing some.

Start using coupons and shopping sales for your groceries. I used to think that coupons were not worth my time or effort. Who wants to spend 2 hours clipping coupons in order to save $3? About a year ago, I started researching how to do this right. I learned how to organize and prepare. I started only buying things that are on sale and using coupons on those items. I have weeks where I use $180 just in coupons. Now, THAT is worth an hour or two of my time. If you feel overwhelmed with thought and you aren't sure where to start, there are blogs out there to help you. I write one where I post grocery deals every week (www.homeschoolingfour.blogspot.com). Another great blog to find deals at any store you can think of is www.becentsable.net. These blogs take a lot of the work out of it for you.

Buy clothes and shoes at Consignment stores or the Salvation Army. You would be surprised the stuff you can find at these types of stores at such a minimal cost. The last time I went, I found several Ann Taylor and Gap clothes that were only $2-$5! Don't worry... No one will know the difference.

Go to the discount theater instead of paying full price. This just comes down to a little patience. If you can wait a couple of months to see a movie, you can pay about a tenth of the price.

Research your cell phone carrier, internet provider, home phone provider and find out if you can do any better. All these companies are wanting to keep your business and they will do whatever they can to keep it. Let me just interject a side not here... you can live without cable. It is not a necessity. If something needs to go, it's your cable. Ok, back to phone/internet. The reason I see these to items as necessary is that if you are job hunting, you really do need these things. However, we just changed our cell phone provider and internet. We got rid of our house phone and now we will be saving $50 a month. Look into it. Don't just stay where you are because it's easier.

Plant a garden. This is something that is gaining popularity. They just keep popping up all over the place. You can plant lots of different fruits, veggies and herbs in your own backyard. If you don't have a good back yard, you can still have your garden. Many types of plants will grow well in pots. Research the things that grow best where you live and get started.

These are just a couple of suggestions. There are so many more things you can do to make a significant dent in your expenses. Be creative. Cut back. Be prepared.

Written by Cassie
homeschoolingfour.blogspot.com