10 ways we have saved money or earned extra money
1) I took part-time jobs when I could. They were jobs that still let me pretend to mostly be a stay at home mom. I have worked as an administrative assistant, a field trip teacher, and a receptionist. Bonus: I found out I loved teaching field trip classes.
2) Cut every budget we could. The first year we didn't buy any new clothes for Ryan or I. We had to buy them for Rachael... kids still grow, even when you are pinching your pennies. But I rarely pay full price for clothes.
3) Took vacations with miles and hotel points. Ryan and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with a four day trip to the Bahamas for under $600 thanks to airline and hotel points.
4) Redbox and Little Caesars. Family pizza and a movie night for six dollars.
5) Craiglist. I sold everything I could think of that we didn't need. (This is my old mixer. I bought a new factory refurbished one that I love, and I don't really need two mixers.)
6) Eating at home. We eat out (or buy pizza) less than once a week now and it has saved lots of money. I expect that we will still eat at home even when we decide there is more money for eating out.
7) Ryan takes his lunch at least four days a week. Sometimes five. He has some spending money to get out of the office once in awhile, but most days he east leftovers or ham sandwiches.
8) Cancelled subscriptions. At one point we had subscriptions to four different magazines. Although it's not a lot, it probably saves over $100 a year. (We still subscribe to the Ensign and Friend).
9) Stopped adding to food storage, and better learned to use the storage we have. I learned a lot about what I want to build back up in my food storage. Dehydrated refried beans are not it. (Black beans, however, are a go!)
10) Grocery shop with the calculator. No nasty surprises at the end. Usually.
