A lot of people are trying to save money these days. Financial goals may vary, but whatever they are, finding ways to spend less is key. Our initial financial goal was to continue to live debt free on one income instead of two. Then our newer goal is to live debt free on one income while saving up 35,000 to adopt. haha. Sounds lofty, but we are already $24,000+ in! It's really exciting. Anything we feel we're "sacrificing" to get there is going to be so little, so insignificant, when we are finished.
I think, as Americans, we feel entitled to have everything and anything we think we need. We feel we deserve this or that and it's really indoctrinated into our brains that we need to have nice things, go nice places, and keep up with the Jones'. But somehow, in the midst of it all, we have to make a shift. I'm learning about contentment and gratitude on a daily basis.
As a Jesus follower, I don't think the material things really matter in the end. Jesus was all about people. Relationships. Helping. Serving. Sharing the gospel. Transformation. I want to be more like that. The bible tells us not to worry or be anxious, to trust in God. To seek his Kingdom. Love God first.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33
Sometimes we spend less so we can have more. Ultimately it would be great if we got to the place where we would spend less so we could give more!
Whatever the reason you need to spend less, maybe one of these would work :)
And keep in mind, that none of these things I'm suggesting we trade out are "bad". But if you're in debt or needing to spend less then it might not be a bad idea-even temporarily.
Trade this for that.....
1. Trade this.....
For that....
Sometimes I really need a break from the dinner rush preparation and all the dishes that come along with it. Taking your family to dinner you can easily drop $40-50+ without too much effort. We heard on the morning news recently that the average 35-45 year old eats out 220 times a year (about 4 times a week!). Wow! Besides getting costly, that probably isn't the best for your health lol. We have nearly removed eating out from our budget right now but I still need a break. I try to make a double dinner on Saturday so we can eat leftovers on Sunday. Then my other favorite things to do for a "break" is use my crock pot. Fajitas in the crock pot were last nights dinner and it was so nice to have it prepared in the morning (dishes included) so I just had to cook some beans and rice on the stove and voila! Find a recipe that will help you have a dinner-time break! I also know friends who do freezer meals so they aren't prepping dinner every day.
2. Trade this....
For That....
One study showed that the average American worker spends $1,000 a year on coffee! Now you may not think of your $4 coffee as being that much but it does add up! With $1,000 you could....pay off a credit card, take a family trip, sponsor 2 1/2 kids in India through Gospel For Asia for a year, or whatever your heart desires! Remember that there are tons of flavored creamers and "extras" to emulate your favorite coffee drink out there.
3. Trade this.....
Don't get me wrong- hotels are great. But paying for a family-size hotel room is costly! We stayed one night at the beach this summer in a simple hotel and it was $150 for the family suite! So if you need to save a few bucks see below....
For that....
A yurt!! What a magnificent invention! In Oregon they only cost about $39 per night. Yurts are what enabled our family to take a couple of mini "vacations" (aka camping trips) this summer. Granted, not everybody is an outdoorsy camping sort of person, but give it a shot! If you can't fathom walking to the bathroom or cooking outside, find a "deluxe" yurt that has bathrooms and a kitchenette. We are going to try one out for the first time this fall!
4. Trade this....
For that....
St. Vinny's is one of my all time fav. thrift stores from my home town. There are many others out there. Goodwill, Value Villiage, children's consignment shops, etc. Try one out! It's not too terrible. And, bonus: used clothes are pre-shrunk! Double bonus: you won't feel as bad when your kids stain and destroy their clothes when you spent less on them haha. Oh, and don't forget garage sales, though seasonal, to be a good resource!
5.Trade this...
For that....
Last summer our goal was to visit every school play ground and park on our side of town and it was a blast! We still have some of our favorite spots to play with our little guys. Taking little kids to busy theme parks and fairs can be fun, but it can also be expensive and exhausting and if you really need to save some pennies, then why not skip it all together and find a free play gorund, park, neighborhood nature trail, etc. to explore. My dad calls our boys "good little explorers" adn I think that's true! They love just visiting new places where they can run free and be outside. I think they have more fun at parks and outside than many other places.
Other free fun could include picnics, library activities, playing in the yard, etc.
6. Trade this...
For that....
Yes, it takes more time, but little things like peeling and cutting up carrots instead of buying them already prepared does save money. If you can swing the extra time, try cutting out some "convenience" foods.
7. Trade this....
For that....
So this one is kind of a joke, but really- a lot of little kids have more fun playing with something like a box than fancy toys from a store. I think, as parents, we tend to think that we need to get fancy stuff for our kids. And yes, our boys have plenty of toys, but they also spent a large amount of time this summer playing with sticks, rocks, and random things they found outside.
8. Trade this...
Tivo/DVR/Cable/On Demand
For this...
I don't even know all the cable and on demand options out there to be honest sine we've never had it in our married life, but I know they can be costly. We used to have Netflix streaming for $8 a month and there were plenty of options. Right now we've even cut out Netflix to save a tiny bit more and since we really don't watch much TV it just made sense. That said, I can totally see us getting Netflix back in the future some day. It's only $8 and you can cancel and start it up whenever you want. The other Netflix option is getting movies through the mail for an additional $8+ a month.
So whatever your situation, think of things to trade out, ways to be creative, ways to spend less so you can meet your goals. Think big and think little. Everything adds up.
