I recently got a request for some more of these posts so here goes.
Since not everyone is able to work full time to contribute to the top line of the income minus expense equation if you still have adequate just not plentiful income coming in you need to start treating home economics as a full time or part time job. That means that 40 minus hours worked outside the home is extra time you need to be spending on saving the household money it would otherwise be spending to the best of your ability. If need be make up a time card and clock yourself in and out.
Budgeting: On paper, on purpose, both spouses have a vote and it must be unanimously agreed to or you have bigger issues if you can't work this out. Dave Ramsey has a free budgeting software available here.
You need to be looking for coupons from free sources. Not the newspaper and not kids selling books of them door to door. The dirty little secret of coupons is that most of them aren't for things you need anyway. so the moment you find yourself thinking "I could......with this." yank yourself up short on the old leash because no matter how "good" the coupon is if it's on something you don't need your household has a net drain.
Next you need to ask yourself what around here could break, followed by is there anything I could do to take care of it. A few minutes with a vacuum hose every three months beats the snot out of paying an appliance repairman or buying a new refrigerator. And a regularly cleaned kitchen counter-top beats having to pay for the doctor and miss work.
Soaking beans takes a little bit of time but the $0.50 per Can adds up especially since the number one thing a home economist can do is cooking more from scratch basically substituting your labor for the labor you buy from a food processing factory. So learn some easy recipes and have some hot food ready for the soldiers coming off the front.
This goes to the last and in many ways most important way you can support the person bringing in the lion's share of the out of home income if you aren't able to. SUPPORT THEM....basically unless something is bleeding or on fire wait until after supper to bring it up. Do your best to solve small problems yourself and look for any relatively simple ways to insure that they are rested and able to achieve their best bringing home revenue for the household. Look I know everyone loves to make fun of REMF troops but trust me the grunts wouldn't like not having beans, bullets, or band-aids. Be the strong shaft that makes the spear all the sharper.
Many thanks O. This is exactly the type of advice I am looking for. I was able to glean a couple of ideas from this article already. It doesn't have to be earth shaking, ground breaking stuff. I thank you, for taking the time to so quickly answer someone that you don't know and who you don't owe.
ReplyDeletePlease don't feel any pressure to hurry with more on this. I feel grateful that you have done this much. I will check back often, and I will also continue to search through your archives, for more on other topics.
By the way, the biggest idea was that of soaking beans instead of opening a can. But then, put the dollar or two actually in a jar or box designated for food stores, with the idea of building up long term supplies.
I'll get my wife to put up how she quick-soaks beans with warm water and baking soda(if memory serves). The other advantage of cooking with dried beans is that dried beans are an awesome storage food but take time to learn how to cook in such a way as to prevent general mutiny;)
Delete1 tsp baking soda per 1 c of dry beans, in warm water, with a lid. Rinse thoroughly the next morning, then cook as usual. I highly recommend a crock pot and leaving it go all day.
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