"I'm not sure I have any
suggestions regarding motivation. It's just that being farmers we have
somewhat the same situation. When you farm and have an operating
loan that needs to be paid off once a year it's challenging. When
we harvest we sell the grain to pay off the operating loan then we can
start all over again borrowing for the next year. With the price
of supplies, we went through 99% of the loan just to prepay while the
price is lower. Now, here we are with only 3 months gone of the
new year with hardly enough to pay our next round of living bills.
We don't have large grocery bills (1 teenage daughter, 1 teenage
grandson and 1 8 yr. old grandson plus my husband and me) -- no more
than $250. We do have satellite service but that's the only thing extra.
My husband was raised with 'tight parents', and my parents worked 2 jobs
to take care of myself and 2 other sisters along with a handicapped
brother. He could get most anything he wanted with his salary from
his dad and I didn't have anything growing up. Now, I know how to
do without and he's not there yet - after 39 years of marriage. I
get so stressed out when it's bill paying time. I turn lights off
and stuff the cracks around the windows, plant a garden, recycle
everything I can think of. He doesn't make fun of me but makes me
feel foolish. When I get the numbers all together at tax time he
just can't figure out how we do it with no more then we make. The kids
have a hard time understanding why they can't have things that other
kids have. The other day the 13 year old said, 'We're poor - it
stinks.' I just told him we were rich in what matters - it's not
materialistic things. Someday he'll see this -- I hope!
Anyway, I just wanted to respond and say that 2 people can be
raised so differently and yet still end up in the same place, pulling
together to get the job done. Without God's help we couldn't make
it or have stayed together through some of the rough times we've had
with kids, parents, and life in general. Thanks for your time."
~ Nanc
"We have been flat broke with no
end in sight when my husband had a tumor on
his spine. At that time we lost everything. We
have since worked our way back and are doing
much better. I have two sons that have moved
out and I have one left at home so that has
helped our grocery bill. I have found that I
make being frugal into an adventure. I don't
see any reason to pay full price for anything.
I think if I was a billionaire I would still
enjoy the adventure of saving money. It just
takes some planning. First, I look in my
freezer and pantry then I look over the
sale flyers and then decide what I will cook
for the week, I have seen too many people
throw out good food that has expired. What a
waste! I don't usually have a stocked pantry,
just what we will need so there is no waste.
When I boil chicken I freeze the broth for
later and ends of bread go in the
freezer too until I have enough for bread
crumbs. I am also flexible with our dinners in
case something is on sale that I wasn't
expecting then I will change our menu. It is a
game to me. I go to yard sales first to find
something I think I need. Then if I have to, I
will buy it in a store IF it is on sale. I
think before I buy. One biggie is, 'Will this
item cause me to have to dust more?' That is
an amazing test since I hate to dust. You work
hard for your money; why not keep more of it?
You can't control taxes but you can control your
money this way so figure out what you
control and do what you need to do to make it
work!" ~ Brenda
"This
topic reminded me of what I have had to do recently, and have found it
to be working out better than I thought. My husband had a very good job,
but a short time ago came home and said he had been downsized due to the
company’s financial problems. With a family of six , three being
teenagers, and even with being careful I spent an average of 175-180
dollars a week on the groceries and miscellaneous items that one buys
such as laundry soap, toothpaste, etc. When he lost his job, I knew we
would need to cut back somehow so one thing I have done is this…I made
a menu plan for each week, then made my list for the exact items I
needed accordingly for the week’s menu. Sticking to this list has cut
our weekly grocery bill on average 40 to 50 dollars a week, sometimes
even more than that!. The key is to write out the list, and stick to it.
Cutting back this way has allowed me to buy the minimum, and have a
little room to buy extra of a super steal on some of the advertised
specials the store may have, thus saving me money on future dinners.
Having a freezer is also a big money saving way to cut the grocery bill,
so you can stock up on super buys in meat, dairy, etc." ~
Debbie
"I love being thrifty, and now that we are almost finished
raising and educating four children in Catholic schools, we do not
have to be thrifty anymore. However, I am very motivated to continue
our sensible ways with money. Our current thriftiness is allowing us
to do two things which are important to me. First, I just retired from
my part-time job which allows me to devote more time to my husband,
our mothers, our children and grandchildren, and church work.
Secondly, our son went on a mission trip to Mexico last year where the
volunteers built a family a new house for which the materials cost
only $4,000. We realized once again how blessed we are and so we
decided to try to save enough money to donate $4,000 for a house every
year. So I am happy to continue to use my money-saving skills to
accumulate money for a family who needs it much more than we do. I am
not sure if this is the kind of answer that you had in mind, but it
works for us! I enjoy Counting the Cost." ~ Kathy in MO
"The motivation for a committed frugal lifestyle is to
become debt-free, stay debt-free, and watch your charitable giving and
your personal savings grow. There is no better motivation than that.
As far as the couple with the grocery budget problem...the solution is
simple. Take only XX dollars in CASH with you to the store.
Stick to your list. When the CASH is spent you are done. You will
learn very quickly the pitfalls of impulse shopping if you have no
emergency back up such as a check book, bank debit card, credit card
or some extra cash 'just in case'." ~ Lorrie
"Here's my 2 cents: There is dignity in frugality. The things
that you do have are purposeful and meaningful.
Your home is a creative refuge.
Frugality begets creativity. Your home becomes a vacation spot when
you have a project such as a book or garden going on.
Things you really need: food,
water, shelter, clothing - focus on your needs and be thankful to have
them fulfilled.
Look at the birds. They do not
plant seeds. They do not gather grain. They have no grain buildings
for keeping grain. Yet God feeds them. Are you not worth more than the
birds? Luke 12:24
One of the 10 Commandments is
"Honor the Sabbath and keep it Holy". Choose to do this by
not spending or earning any money on Sunday. Enjoy what you
have!" ~ Lisa
Editor's Note: Thanks to
these subscribers for taking the
time to respond.
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