I need to face it. I will not be a super woman in the frugality and thrift category. My preferred lifestyle just can only sustain so many savings strategies. Granted, I'm sure there are savers out there that have similar work schedules and a similar family structure to mine that would have their percentage of savings blow mine out of the water, so I still try to learn new things and see what I can apply that will stick. If you can relate to my life, but are great at saving, please jump in with ideas and recommendations.
First, let me share my work schedule. I generally leave the house by 6:45 each morning, and am not home until 6:00 p.m, Monday-Thursday. I have every other Friday off. My work Fridays I either telecommute, or work a shorter day, getting home about 5:00. When I telecommute, I tend to work longer, but have the flexibility to throw in a load of laundry, prep dinner, etc. I average about two evening work functions a month.
My personal life has drastically changed since my older kids graduated high school 8 and 10 years ago, but I still stayed busy with one at home, plus a husband that works two evenings a week and Saturdays. Since my daughter is no longer playing club sports and got her drivers license, I spend so much less time car pooling and taxiing her around. My volunteering is more erratic now, no longer the two-four nights a week of running. However, when I do have volunteer commitments, they tend to be all day or 4-6 hour events. Admittedly, these take a lot out of me physically and I find I need sometimes a full day to recover. That's my arthritis, not laziness. Certain times of the year, January-March, I'll not have a single Saturday that I am home. Other months it seems to be two Saturdays a month of all day events.
We have a family cabin that I help with housework on, incorporated into our trips there, 2-3 times a month in the summer, and now that it is year round, monthly in the cooler weather months. I no longer have elder care issues, or at least for now do not, and I know others in my work-life situation are balancing parent needs. I used to be there before my parents died. Looking back, I do not know how I juggled raising three kids (one a baby/toddler, the other busy teens), two elderly parents, a FIL with health issues, full time work, and the multitude of volunteer work I did. I think I was just always on an adrenaline rush, moving from one commitment to another, I just did without thinking. Or, I was insane. Probably both.
Getting back to frugality for my kind of people, I try and make sure I'm using low hanging fruit strategies. I check the adds and stock up on needed household items at lower cost whenever possible. I stack the easy deals-Sunday paper coupons (if the timing is right) with an in store add, and receiving the gift cards or cash back points when offered. I've switched the bulk of my grocery shopping to Aldi's, where for many of the staples I'm spending 20-25% less all the time than the store close to me, but stopping on route rather than a special trip. We eat humbly on soups, stews, chicken, ground beef and turkey and fish. Steak is on occasion. I brown bag lunch most of the time. I'm careful with our clothes, line drying to make things last longer, wearing multiple times if still clean, not over buying clothes that just get worn on rare occasions, or not at all. DH is wickedly good with scouring our bills for hidden extra charges, calling to see if there are better rates, and generally keeps our home items in decent repair. We don't buy, nor want, the latest and greatest of anything gadgety, using things until they are worn out or not working well for our needs. When we replace, we look for the best buy and quality so that it will last.
We could save more if we indulged our child's interests less. We could choose to give less to our church, a few favorite charities, our daughters school programs. Those are not lifestyle changes I'm willing to make right now. We like creature comforts.We like our privacy, so renting out a spare room as I know a few other bloggers do is not an option. Downsizing in the future may be though. We like to travel. We have jobs that require a certain appearance and investment. We are a typical two wage earning, with kids family. While we have time limitations to always find the best buy, I'm always willing to learn new easy ways to shore up the cash flow.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
16 comments:
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I would never rent out a room unless I had to, simple as that, my privacy is worth way too much, although if drowning in debt it is a good way to pay off. We all have choices and some priorities are different for others (we spend a lot of money on travel where others think we are crazy for that, but I've never spent a single cent in a spa - ever)
ReplyDeleteOur privacy is pretty critical, but if we had to, could get creative about housing. owning a home outright gives options though that renting or having a large mortgage does not. We've never strived for housing above our needs, but investing in actvities has been pivotal.
DeleteI think everyone has to figure out what is important to them and adjust their spending accordingly. You do what works for you and to heck with the rest of the world. 2 of my sons live far from us and it is worth it for us to put money into travel. Someone else might think we are being frivolous, but we value time with them and time is the one commodity you can't purchase again.
ReplyDeleteVisiting family or helping them come to you is far from frivolous in my opinion. I ust can't see myself with the time or energy though in figuring out all the coupons, and deals, and layering etc. in order to free up money to do so. It may make me stay in the work force longer than I'd like, but that suits me better. More power to those that have that knack.
DeleteIt sounds like you are doing a fantastic job actually, now and in the past taking care of your parents, your children, and coming through all of it without crumbling financially. It's admirable!
ReplyDeleteD.
we've been fortunate to have good jobs, though in the early years of our marriage, the math didn't always pan out, so I know the thrifty skills are buried still in me should they have to come out. Now it is more making sure we save when it doesn't matter, and spend on value-material or experience.
DeleteBefore you give charity and offer to volunteer - check thoroughly! There's a lot of corruption in this field(including religious establishments). There are hundreds of charity organizations in my country, as it seems to be Big Business using and exploiting the free service of good willing people.
ReplyDeleteMy donations and volunteer work are mostly close to home so I intimately know where the dollars are going.I have 25 years of experience in non-profits so also know when we donate to larger organizations/causes, how to find those that have strong ethics.
DeleteEveryone has their own level of comfort when it comes to buying and saving. I would never advocate some of the saving strategies I read about. First of all I love my kids to much to limit them to one glass of powdered milk a day. powdered milk (skin crawling)
ReplyDeleteAgain, my mantra is save when it doesn't matter and invest in things of value. I too will not be buying powdered milk for drinking, but often (but its kind of pricey now though so not sure it saves money)keep it on hand in the winter to save a trip out for cooking and baking. I could get real frugal if I have to, but I won't be dumpster diving either.
DeleteIt's great than DH keeps an eye on your bills/fees etc. I just found out about a month ago that there was a new cheaper internet package than the one I currently had and with more gigabytes. I went on their website just to check and lo and behold. I changed my package and asked the fellow who helped me why they don't let people know when they change their packages - he said there's just way too many people to inform! And I'm sure they don't really want us to cut into their profits!! The new price should kick in this month - it will be about half of what I was paying. It seems kinda shady to me!
ReplyDeleteIt is so frustrating when he finds the billing errors, or hidden extras we never wanted. While he gets them credited and might even end up with a better deal, it feels like the companies are being very dishonest. He always says, what if they charged that extra to 100's of people who didn't call? Very shady.
DeleteOnly you know what is important to you. If one day of volunteering actually means two days may be just volunteer once per month. Being that busy and running around like you are wouldn't be for me but you must enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I volunteer it usually is for things for my children or extended family, and I'm with family and friends. It's just often exhausting kind of work like running a church breakfast, or an all day chaperone gig (with muscle duties)One day soon, I'm not going to be needed and others will take on these roles, but you are right, some of the more physical ones might need to go by the wayside soon.
DeleteI think understanding that there are choices, and accepting responsibility for the choices we make is the essence of frugality. Every choice represents something we didn't choose. You seem quite content with your choices! I knew when I was pregnant if I chose to continue in the job I loved, I would not be able to stay home with my kids. As it was important for me to not farm them out I chose to stay home over my career. I certainly recognize the loss of earning power, but don't regret my choice. I am probably a bit meaner to my kids than you. I know life is a give and take, and I want them to recognize that. Often I have said things like " You can buy your school picture, or the yearbook, not both.". Or, "you can do summer camp or fifth grade outdoor Ed., Your choice, but we won't pay for both.". Also, as time I'd an important resource, they are allowed only one non-school activity/year. I would do this even if I had an only child. But, you nailed it...recognizing what is valuable to you, and spending your resources in a way that is compatible with those values is, in my mind, frugality. Granted, I couldn't bear all the running around you do, but you seem to thrive on it!
ReplyDeleteMy kids probably wouldn't always say I am nice! While financially, we have more means than we did with our older kids, we still try and force some choices-both for time and financial consideration because life is like that. She had to make the decision to stop playing organized sports when music became her passion. I will admit, I am a bit of a time junky-need to be doing stuff, being involved. Then, I'll take my down time.It is great that all of us are different-would be pretty boring if all the same.
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