Tips to Living Well on Less, Pt. 1

I promised to post some of the secrets that I have uncovered over the years to living well on one income, so I’m going to try and tackle that. By the way, this stuff works regardless if you live on one income or not. These posts are not, in any way meant as an attack on or rebuke of wives who work. I cannot take the time to validate every exception whenever I may offend by simply writing what the Scriptures say, even when particular Scriptures are a rebuke of my own lifestyle and choices. Whatever our station in life, we would do well to be a better steward of the resources with which our Heavenly Father has blessed us. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way...

I considered starting this series by pointing out the often hidden costs of working and the fact that in most two income families, wives actually make far less in real dollars than they even realize. But that’s been done, and done better than I could ever do it, so I’ll just link to this article and this book. The book is a secular book written by 2 mothers who find out that they were in fact paying to work, when all things (expenses, childcare, taxes, etc.) were considered. The article is very condensed, but very good, version of the same conclusions. They write about how women can maximize the use of their time and resources, not to mention their time with their kids, by not working outside the home. I found the same thing in my own case.

I also used to believe being blessed with certain gifts and talents was reason enough to justify heading out the door every morning to get paid for them. It never occurred to me that I could work for myself, getting paid for them, but on my own terms and in ways that allow me to be with my family. It certainly, never ever occurred to me that the Almighty blessed me with the gifts He’s given for reasons other than a paycheck. And that paycheck, at least in my own case if not other women, often led me to be far less judicious with the way I spent “my” money. If I was tired after a very busy day, I thought nothing of spending $20 on pizza or takeout. Being at home has allowed me to see much more clearly all the thoughtless ways we spend money even when on the surface the expense seems totally legitimate.

In fact, every day I have to make a conscious and concerted effort to maximize the use of our resources, my energy, and my time in ways that are a blessing- first and foremost to my husband. I can’t have him feel like he’s working his fingers to the bone just so I can spend it all as fast as he can bring it in. Secondly, I have a household full of children who need to learn these things as well, and I also need to train them and teach them to understand that the best things in life will always cost us time and usually a bit of treasure, but not a fortune. To be wary of the way the world markets things to us, making the totally unnecessary seem vital and urgent. They are first and foremost out to make a buck. And make them they did off of me for many years, including the first 8-10 years that I spent at home. It has taken lots of prayer, homework, and trial and error but I think I have finally reached a point in my homemaking career where I have a pretty decent handle on controlling how I spend our money rather than having it control me.

As I pondered this subject I took a mental inventory of the ways that I began to cut costs and streamline our family’s budget. Different adjustments became clear to me at different times and I’ve made changes accordingly. I’ll start with one of the first things that I realized I could save money on when I came home from working: travel.

It goes without saying that being free from travelling to and from work each day has the potential to save money on gas. But it also has the potential to increase the amount you spend on gas- unless in your previous life your job was delivering pizzas. At first, my fuel expenses inched up because my car went from sitting in the parking lot of my place of employment most of the day to running back and forth to the store, to the park, to the library, to any and every where that I had never been free to go before when I was at work every day during the week. I was like a kid in a candy store. And I found myself having to fill up my tank much more regularly than I had before. There are also the other things that women don’t readily consider. The faster I racked up miles, the sooner we had to buy tires, the more often we had to change the oil, and every other regular maintenance expense that comes with owning a vehicle came due more regularly, costing more money. We have always driven older cars as well, which also means I was hastening the day when the car would have to be replaced. Thankfully, it didn’t take me that long to figure out the error of my ways. A few of the ways that I cut down on the obvious and the hidden travel expenses:

~Having a plan and a schedule for my days and weeks gives me a sense of direction, and makes it far less likely that I’ll make a sudden and impromptu trip in the car. After all, I have other things to do. There really is plenty to keep me busy around the house. There is always something that needs to be done!

~Learning to be content at home. I pick one or two days a week for running errands- and map out the most time and fuel efficient routes. This has probably been the most effective way that I’ve cut down on gas consumption. It only takes a few minutes, and when the budget is tight, it’s worth it.

~This is not directly related to travel, but I’ll include it here because it helps me to avoid “I just have to get out of this house” syndrome. Putting the baby in a stroller, lacing up my sneakers, and taking a walk around the neighborhood. I’m almost embarrassed to say that it was years before I got acquainted with the streets in the neighborhood where I live.

I hope these few ideas were helpful. Next week I hope to get to saving some money on our adjustable monthly bills.