10 Inflation Beating Tips

We are all very aware than increasing inflation around the world is making it hard for people to pay for for their basic living needs.  Salary increases ( if you get one ) are not keeping up with the rate of inflation and many people are forced to choose between eating or heating. 

These 10 inflation beating tips could help you to pay the next bill or lesson the impact of rising prices on your family's budget. 

*  Ring around or do an internet search for a better deal on all your insurances.  We've found that it doesn't pay to be loyal to the same company year in,  year out.   Increase your excess to reduce the premium but please make sure you have that excess amount set aside in an emergency account in case you need it. 

*  Visit your local op shop for clothes,  homewares,  bedding,  toys and gifts.  Find out if your local op shop has a concession / seniors / student discount day,  sale day or offers discount vouchers when you donate.  Over the last 5+ years I've helped both my girls fit out their kitchens with casserole dishes,  coffee mugs,  baking items,  cutlery,  tea pots,  pasta bowls,  utensils and containers at bargain prices.  Most items were new or near new and a classic look so they won't date.

*  Grow a veggie garden.  With floods,  wars,  illness and petrol prices increasing food prices and reducing availability,  it has never been more important to grow your own.  Everyone can grow something and if space is an issue,  even a few herbs or lettuce in  a pot on a ledge,  windowsill or balcony will save you money.  

*  Use up what you already have.  We all have wardrobes full of clothes,  bathroom cupboards with half used makeup / toiletries and a pantry with forgotten about food fads.  Resist the urge to buy more until you use these things up.

*  Mend your clothes.  Sewing on a button or mending  a split seam is quite simple and doesn't require any great skill.  You could save big dollars by threading a needle and making a few stitches.

* Repair your furniture if it needs it.  A screw or nail added in the right place could mean the difference between keeping or replacing.  Does your piece of furniture look out of date ?  Then maybe a coat of paint could be the answer.    Have a look on Marketplace or local Zero Waste Freebie Facebook pages if you really need something. 

*  Ditch the takeaways / meal subscriptions /  home deliveries.    They are luxuries that should be eliminated from your budget especially if you are struggling to make ends meet.   If you have trouble getting food on the table at night then dig out your slow cooker in the morning and throw some frozen veggies,  cut up meat ( or not ),  seasonings and a liquid.  Simple.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day and taking 10 minutes in the morning to put the slow cooker on is all you need.

*  Swap excess items for something you do need.  Maybe you are having a bumper crop in your veggie garden.  Swap this for other foods,  household items,  more plants or a service like a simple home repair.  Ask around your friends and family or put an ad on Facebook Buy,  Swap,  Sell.  I did this when I needed glass coffee jars for my pantry.  I swapped them for handmade greeting cards and had many offers.  I even had a return ' customer '.

*  Don't look at what other people have.  Fads come and go and in the end,  op shops will be flooded with unwanted items.   I see bread machines,  waffle makers,  chocolate fountains and Tupperware in abundance at my local op shops on a VERY regular basis.  Be happy with what you have and more importantly,  use that saved money to pay a bill or put extra food in your pantry.

*  Keep a healthy food,  cleaning and toiletry stockpile at all times.  For example,  buying 4 bottles of dishwashing liquid at 99 cents a bottle is far better than paying $1,  $1.10,  $1.20 and $1.30 each time you run out.  Use this trick for every item you buy to save a substantial amount of money.  Also,  when certain items are out of stock on the supermarket shelves,  use your stockpile until the item is available again.   Then replenish what you used.

   

Op shopping is awesome

Coffee jars received from a swap.

Coffee jars turned into kitchen cannisters

Marketplace find for $40

My makeover

Op shop buys for my girl's kitchens.

What are your best inflation beating tips ?

Frugal February Challenge 2022

Over at The Cheapskates Club,  many members are participating in the Frugal February / Spending Freeze Challenge.  This is a challenge where all non essential spending is halted for the month of February.  After watching this challenge for many years,  Darren and I have decided to give it a go.

During January we had expenses for our trip away to Tasmania.  We also had to buy a new mattress and a new laptop.  None of these expenses could be avoided but our savings has taken a huge hit.  Mattress prices have increased enormously since we bought the last one 10 - 12 years ago.  This time round we only replaced the mattress and kept the old base to save costs.  Let's just say if you want a comfortable mattress,  there's nothing much under $2000 and that's the sale price.  

Darren needs two computer screens for his new job so he took my old laptop that was running a bit slow.  Thankfully laptops were on sale for the ' Back to School ' season and we got a good deal for my new one.

As you know,  we are very frugal ( most of the time ).  We are not perfect with our spending and do like to have morning tea or a lunch out every now and then.  This spending freeze challenge has got us excited about increasing our savings account.  

The rules for this challenge -

*  Continue to pay all household bills as per usual.  This includes gas,  electric,  water,  rates,  insurances,  medical ( if needed ),  food,  petrol and mortgage / rent if you usually do this.

*  Only spend money on absolute essentials

You can't spend money on - 

Takeaways

Eating out

Going to the movies

Buying magazines

Entertainment

Clothes / shoes

Toys

Homewares  

Here's our plan of attack for a successful challenge -

* For us personally we will not be eating out at all for the entire month of February.   We are just going to resist the urge.  I'm happy to make hamburgers,  nachos,  pizzas and fish and chips at home all from scratch with what we have on hand.  

*  Making sure we take water bottles and muesli bars wherever we go as a back up for hunger pains.

*  Combining errands in one trip and when we are already on the road for cleaning jobs.

*  Using the seeds we already have to plant more veggies and flowers instead of shopping at Bunnings.

*  No birthdays fall in February but I will be looking ahead to future months to try and make the presents.

*  Using the homewares we already have and perhaps rearranging them for a new look.  

*  When the urge strikes us to go shopping at department stores, we will be writing a list of what we THINK we need and revisit the list at the end of the month.  Maybe we won't need that item after all.

*  I will only be buying essential food items.  My stockpile is very healthy.  Now is the time to live off it.    

I hope to give you a weekly update of how the challenge is going for Darren and I and how much money we are saving or spending.

We hope to have lots of this at the end of the month.

Using what we have.

Making our own takeaway / fast food

Baking from scratch.

WHO WILL JOIN ME IN THIS CHALLENGE ?

Grocery Blowouts

Do you ever get " I want, I want " in your house ? Do your kids or spouse put an order in  for you to buy a particular grocery item that is out of the ordinary, too expensive or not overly healthy ?  How do you handle the situation ?  Do you automatically write it on the shopping list and just buy it ? 

When the girls were younger they'd ask for Uncle Toby's Sports Plus cereal. This was ( and still is ) a yummy cereal, but I must admit, it cost a lot more than the usual no name Rice Bubbles or Corn Flakes they ate. My trick was to never say yes or no straight up. . I'd always wait to see if it came on sale over the next few weeks. Then I'd look at my grocery slush fund to see if there was enough money to cover the extra cost.

Another way to prevent your grocery bill from blowing out on these unusual requests is to include these treats in their birthday present or Christmas present when possible. For many years I've been putting together Santa sacks for my girls, Darren and I each Christmas.  In the sack was a box of requested cereal ( when the girls were younger )  as well as other yummy treats. The only problem I had was finding room in my pantry for the extra cereal boxes after Christmas.

So, as the requests start coming in,  write a list of items wanted by the family so you'll remember them all for their Christmas stockings. The bonus is, it gives you plenty of time to find things on special. You could use money you've put away for presents, therefore leaving your grocery money just for buying the usual items.

No more grocery blowouts. 

How do you handle grocery requests from the family ?

Getting Your Year Into Gear - Emergency Budget

Life can throw unexpected challenges our way.  Being prepared as much as possible is the key to surviving those challenges.

Darren and I have lived with varying work hours our entire married life ( 23 + years ).  We've always had a baseline budget to work with and any extra hours has always been a bonus.

At the start of the year when I was doing all the budgets,  I thought it would be a good idea to write out an emergency budget just in case we are faced with the unexpected like job loss or illness.  When the unexpected  happened in the past,  we've  scrambled as soon a possible to cut our expenses.  Having the emergency budget written out has given us peace of mind.  We feel prepared for anything now.

The emergency budget is a bare bones budget that only includes the day to day expenses like food,  petrol,  chemist, and  haircuts etc etc.

A starting point was to look at our usual budget that includes the above items as well as direct debits for our new car,  Cook Island holiday and  local holidays   As I went through each item / category,  I either cut it out of the budget or cut the alloted amount down to the bare minimum we could survive on.

Of course our holiday and car direct debits could be cut it we need to.  There will always be another chance to go on a holiday.  My new car is not needed for a few years so we'll have the time to save.

The emergency budget included a heavily slashed present / gift budget.  If times were tough,  I'd bake biscuits for presents,  make items from my material stash or make boxed sets of greeting cards from my paper stash.  I've always had an overflowing gift cupboard that could supply presents for a year.  Of course there is my jars of jam and bars of soap I could give.  This is an area I feel in control of.

Our wardrobes have plenty of clean, well looked after clothes and shoes with new socks and  under things bought on sale and stored away.  We could easily go a year without needing new clothes.  If the emergency budget had to be put into action,  clothing would not be included.

Our food budget at the moment is about $120 a month for the three of us.  It sounds impossible,  but if we needed to we could cut it down to $100 a month and grow more food and eat really basic meals and snacks.

Thankfully we are pretty healthy and rarely need to buy anything from the chemist.  Sometimes we have too much money put away for chemist expenses.  So if needed this area could be cut down.

We'd cut pocket money right down to the bare bones.  In other words,  just enough to buy one morning tea per month.

Once I'd written out the emergency budget I'd slashed over $1100 for our monthly budget with a possible extra $200 slashed if it meant the difference between sinking or swimming.

Do you have an emergency budget you can fall back on in hard times ?

Will you consider writing out an emergency budget in the near future ?

Getting Your Year Into Gear - The Gift Giving Budget

As part of my  budget revising  time in January each year,  I like to take a look at the gift giving budget.  For me,  January is a quieter time of the year with fewer cleaning jobs to go to,  weather restricting some outings / housework and fewer social commitments.

My gift giving list is written into an exercise book ( one of those 5 cent ones ).  On one page I write the birthdays and occasions in order as they happen throughout the year.  For example,  Megan's birthday is in January so her name is always first on the list.  Then Valentines Day in February,  my Dad's birthday in March and so on.

On the opposite page in the exercise book I write a list of all the people I give Christmas presents to.  This list  includes Kris Kringle gifts for Darren's work,  my card making group and extended family gatherings.  The Kris Kringle names might not be known until very late in the year but I like to have a spot to fill in when the time comes.

After the lists are written out,  I draw up a budget for each person and occasion on a separate page.  For example,  on Valentines Day Darren and I only spend $5 each.  This might not seem like much but it's enough to buy a little chocolate treat.  I make cards so we know to grab one from the box.  Easter we spend $20 in total.  For extended family members we might spend $5 - $10 each for birthdays and Christmas.

Once the budget is written out,  I try to reduce it here and there.  Some people we don't see any more so a gift is not really needed.  Sometimes the people on the list say they don't really need ' things ' to fill their house.  If that's the case,  I reduce their budget and make a jar of biscuits,  or give a jar of jam.  Both presents cost next to nothing yet the receiver absolutely loves them.

Once the budget is written out,  I add it all up,  then divide it by 12 to give me the monthly amount I need to put aside.  I shop all year round so I need the money all year round.  Not just in December.

Getting back to the names on the lists,  beside each name on both pages,  I write in any presents I might already have on hand.  These can include fantastic op shop finds ( new or near new items ),  regifted presents ( when appropriate ) and other goodies I've bought during sales all year round.

Sometimes I look at the list and shop from home to fill in the spaces.  For example Aunt Bertha ( not real ) would love some new hanging tea towels.  So I write it in because I can make it or I already have them made up.

Remember,  budgets are not set in stone.  They should be flexible to suit any occasion that arises.

Here's a quick guide for the gift budget -

*  Write a list of names and occasions.

*  Write a budget for each person / occasion.

*  Check your present cupboard for gifts already purchased.

*  Make or bake what you can.

*  Reduce the names on the list if possible.

*  Reduce the amount for each person where possible.

*  Regift or op shop if suitable to reduce the budget. 

Getting Your Year Into Gear.- The Family Budget

I love the start of a new year.  January is my time to plan the year ahead,  to rewrite the family budget and to start allocating gifts for upcoming birthdays.

Having these systems in place gives me great peace of mind and a sense of purpose for our family  I'm more inclined to view the year ahead with great anticipation knowing i have a plan and goals to work towards.

A great place to starting planning is to look at the family budget.  Here are some questions I ask myself when revising a budget -

*  Did last year's budget work for us ?

*  Are we spending too much money in certain areas ?

*  Should we be putting more or less  money into certain areas ?

*  Are we earning enough money to cover our household running costs ?

*  Can we be more thrifty ?  If so,  how  ?

*  What is our savings goal this year ?  *  How will we achieve this ?

*  Can we eliminate certain spending categories ?

*  If our income was reduced dramatically and unexpectedly,  would we be able to pay all our bills and eat ?


A budget should not be set in stone due to circumstances changing on a regular basis. Bills go up,  children eat more as they grow or incomes can increase / decrease.  So too should the family budget adapt to the changes that life brings.

When writing out the family budget for a new year,  make sure you use the previous year's budget as a starting place.  Get out last year's utility bills and add them up for each category.  Add an extra 10% for any increases the companies like to add at the start of the year.  When you have a total amount,  divide it by 12 for a monthly amount,  divide by 26 for a fortnightly amount or divide by 52 for a weekly amount.  This should be direct debited into a bank account set aside for bills.

Keep in mind,  a budget is there to help you achieve goals and to live a great life.  

How do you revise your family budget ?

Do you revise it at the start of the year or another time ?

The Frugal Life - Is It Worth It ?

For those of you who are thinking of starting the frugal life,  there are two questions you are probably asking yourself.

*  How do I start my frugal journey ?

*  Is it worth all the fuss and hard work ?

In this post I'll answer the second question and leave the first question for another time.

Of course I'm going to say YES  it's worth all the hard work but you probably want to know why ?  For my family there are many reasons why we live the frugal life.

Money -   We like money,  we wish we could get our hands on more,  we like spending and saving it too.  But the reality is we don't earn very much.  Our income is lower than what the government calls a low income.  Far lower.  Our low income is not from lack of work either.  Darren works so hard to provide for us.  Unfortunately the hospitality industry doesn't pay a lot and hours are cut when it's not busy  I clean a couple of homes each week. Yes that pays well but I can't do cleaning work full time.  I don't have the energy for such hard work.  Living the frugal life gives me the chance to make the dollars we earn go a long way.

I don't have to work full time - Infact,  I've never had to work full time.  Being frugal gives me choices about my life.  I chose to stay home to raise our daughters.  I also chose quality time with my family feeding them home cooked food.  Both Darren and I chose the smaller house,  local holidays,  keeping our cars for a long time,   restaurants and  movies are a rare treat and we love growing our own food.  This lifestyle might not be for everyone but Darren and I didn't want to work long hours to support a lifestyle we didn't have time for.

Time - It doesn't take too much time to do the frugal tasks I do each week.  For example

*  Making Miracle Spray takes 5 minute from start to finish,  costs about $1 - $1.50 for two litres of cleaning product.  I make it a few times a year and it saves me well over $100.  I don't need to buy toilet cleaner,  stain remover,  spray and wipe,  carpet cleaner,  shower cleaner,  stainless steel cleaner,  fridge cleaner,  sugar soap,  dishwasher cleaner or  floor cleaner.

*  Making laundry powder takes 5 - 10 minutes to do a quadruple batch.  It saves me another $100 ( or far more if I used those pods at 50 cents a wash ).

*  Baking a batch of muffins takes 15 minutes and costs about $2 for 24 muffins.    Supermarket muffins cost about $1 - $1.50 each. so I'm saving $22 - $34 each time I bake them.

Debt -    Being frugal can fast track debt elimination.    Making our dollars stretch allowed us to put extra money on our mortgage.  With our frugal lifestyle and low income we were able to be completely debt free just after I turned 40.

Food -  I'd much rather spend my time cooking a meal my family will love,  saving us money and our health.  The alternative is mass produced,  calorie laden,  salt and sugar rich,  preservative drenched rubbish food.  It really is a no brainer.

Savings in the bank -  A frugal lifestyle reduces waste ( of all kinds ) and allows our savings to grow.

If your current life is not what you want for yourself and your family,  give the frugal life some serious consideration.  The benefits are huge and the rewards are ongoing.  You could change the course of your family's future for generations to come.

Is the frugal life for you ?
What benefits have you found from being frugal ?

10 Ideas To Save You Money This Week

Are you looking for a bit of extra cash ?  Is your budget feeling a little tight ?  Then try some of these dollar stretching ideas.  Together these ideas could save you a few hundred dollars depending on how you value things.

*  Keep your curtains closed when you turn on the air conditioning.  I know this is common sense but you'd be suprised at the amount of homes I've visited or cleaned over the years with the Sun streaming in on a hot day.

*  Mend an item of clothing. Sew on a missing button,  mend a hole in a pair of socks or even take up a pair of trousers.  All these tasks don't require sewing skills except threading a needle and pushing it in and out of the item.  This task alone could save you $2 on a pair of socks,  $20 for hemming trousers or the $$ amount on the item you would otherwise throw out.

*  Avoid having drinks out with the girls,  coffee out with the mums or beers with the mates.  Drinks can lead to dinner,  coffee can lead to cake or lunch as well and beers can lead to food.  If you enjoy these activities then perhaps invite your friends around and share the cost. 

*  Try buying a generic brand of food for the first time.  You might be suprised how good the quality is.  The price difference will surprise you too.

*  Turn your fridge leftovers into a tasty casserole or pasta bake.    Anything with grated cheese on top is a winner.  This could be the making of a new family favourite.

*  Eat out of the fridge,  freezer and pantry for a week and only buy milk.  I'm sure you've got plenty of food on hand.

*  Turn the lights off and have a candlelit dinner for the whole family.  Dig out all those candles you've been hoarding.  Yes,  the ones your family and friends give you every birthday and Mother's Day.

*  Watch the petrol price cycle and only fill up when it's cheap.

*  Carry a  bottle of water with you when you go out.  Refilling at home costs less than 1 cent.  Buying a bottle costs up to $4.

*  Pick a flower ( or two or three ) from the garden instead of buying them.  You don't have any flowers ?  Then pick some green foliage and place it in a vase.  Wrap a bit of kitchen twine around the vase and you have yourself a boutique looking arrangement.  

Morning tea at home

Flowers in a pasta sauce jar.

Goals For 2017

Over the month of January I've had time to think and plan our goals for 2017.  I always feel more at peace when I know where we are heading for the year.  Planning ahead gives me a better chance of succeeding and prolongs the enjoyment of reaching our family's goals.

Garden goals -

*  Plant the grape plants when the time is right.  We'll need to nurture the plants with the hope we can pick grapes next year.

*  Prune and nurture our mandarin tree.  It's been in the ground for 5 - 6 years and just doesn't seem to grow.  We feed it when we are meant to but to no avail.  Thankfully we have a few mandarins that look like they've set ( for the first time ).

*  Grow a few more veggies and plan succession planting.

*  Get the front garden into order.  It tends to be left for most of the year because we don't look at it as often as the back garden.  Plants need to be pruned and new plants need to be bought or struck to fill in the gaps.

*  Plant out the boysenberry bush in front of Darren's garden shed and put up a trellis of some description.

House goals -

*  Install canvas awnings on a few windows before next Summer

*  Paint all the timber door trims to match the new skirting boards.

*  Continue decluttering.  My goal is 500 items by the end of the year.

Budget goals -

*  Save for the canvas awnings

*  Continue saving for a new car.  Mine will need replacing in the next 5 - 7 years.  I'd like to pay cash when the time comes to buy.

*  Save for our next holiday.

*  Reducing our spending in a few areas without feeling deprived.  For example - finding ways to have free outings instead of spending money.

*  Investigate ways of increasing our income.

Craft goals -

 *  Research new craft items to make and sell in my Etsy shop.  These items need to be fairly light and flat so that postage is kept to a minimum for the customers.

*  Make new greeting cards to sell in my Etsy shop.  I'd like a wide variety that appeals to everyone.  Maybe I'll concentrate on more children's / teen cards.

*  Dedicate  X amount of hours per week to crafting.

Would you like to share your goals for the year ?

   

Frugal Reading Links

Here are a few links to articles that are relevant to this time of the year.  Happy reading

Saving money and getting the kids back to school
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/starting-school-year.html

Beating the heat in Summer
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/keeping-cool-in-summer.html

Saving money on water usage
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/februarys-theme-being-water-wise.html

Budget planning for a new year
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/getting-your-budget-in-order-for-new.html

Our family's menu plan
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/my-menu-plan-thursday-20th-nov-thursday.html

Easy card ideas
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/hand-made-card-ideas-january-2016.html

A favourite Summer salad
http://myabundantlife07.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/creamy-pasta-salad.html

Coping With Financial Storms

Some of the most commonly asked questions I get is -  How do you cope ?  How do you plan for the unexpected ?  How do you keep going ?

There are times when I've wondered " why us ". We've never had a comfortable income to live off.  It might seem that we are comfortable but it has taken so much hard work to get where we are. We've seen more financial challenges than most people we know.  Our income gets cut when most people's go up even if it's just in line with CPI. We lived for years and years with no pay rise and the cost of living increasing. And again I've wondered - why us ?

I get through these times firstly by praying. God knows our needs and they are always met, sometimes in the most miraculous of ways.  After praying about our situation, I start planning. There is nothing better than tackling a hard situation as soon as possible by putting pen to paper and finding a way out. Trying to ride out a storm hoping you will cope just doesn't work.  Every time we've had a income cut,  straight away I rework the budget. Of course we don't waste money but we always seem to do without something else. At the moment I'm able to start my Summer stockpile shopping on the $200 a month allocated grocery money. It sounds like a crazy amount but I'm doing it.

Being prepared for the storms of life makes it easier to cope. Having a monthly menu plan reduces stress if I get sick or something else happens. Weekly and fortnightly menu plans don't give a lot of wriggle room. If the monthly menu plan runs out and I don't have time or energy to write another one, we just repeat it. Because it's monthly, there are approximately 25 - 30 different meals on it so we don't repeat meals too often.  Constant repetition leads to boredom and boredom leads to eating out.

Having a healthy stockpile in the pantry, fridge and freezer gives me peace of mind. When I talk about a healthy stockpile, I'm talking about 4 - 6 month's worth ( except milk, fruit and veg ). My veggie garden is always there as a back up. I grow silverbeet and lettuce all year round and it saves us a fortune. If I can't get to the shops, I know I have greens to pick to go with a meal. Those greens are some of the most healthiest things to grow.

We all have unexpected bills arrive. Dental, car and appliance repairs are the most common. A way to get around this is to build an emergency account that covers these items. $5000 should be a minimum to set aside. This might seem like an unachievable goal but it can be done.   Holidays, and  luxuries such as gym memberships,  magazines,  coffees out etc etc should be avoided until the emergency account goal is reached.  If the emergency account is dipped into, it should be topped up as soon as possible.  Having that safety net at all times is so important.  It eliminates the need to use the credit card.

My family doesn't always understand my hard approach to saving, but they support me and certainly appreciate it when they see the fruits of our labour.  Then I remind them of why we saved.  My kitchen is a fine example.  The kitchen took almost two years of hard saving and 20 years of dreaming. Sure, I could have bought a cheap kitchen or taken out a loan. But it wouldn't have lasted the distance and I wouldn't have liked it.

Are you prepared for financial storms ?

How do you cope with the unexpected ?

Running Out Of Groceries Or Grocery Money

Running out of food can be a scary situation to be faced with. What to do ? What to do ? I guess the first question you need to ask yourself is " Have I really run out of food or do I have food but don't know what to cook ? " If you have run out of food just because you didn't buy enough,  then it's time for a new plan of attack. Writing a menu plan for the week might be a good place to start. Then write your shopping list from the menu plan. Don't forget to include breakfasts, lunches and snacks as well as the main meal.    Once you've mastered shopping for a week then you could try fortnightly or monthly shopping.

You might be in the situation where you haven't run out of food but feel like the food you do have isn't going to make great meals. This is the perfect time for experimentation. Grab your cookbooks or use the internet to try something different. There are websites where you can search for recipes with certain ingredients. This could be the making of a new family favourite recipe.

If you have run out of grocery money for whatever reason, you have a few options. Can you make meals out of the food you DO have ? Can you find some extra money from another area of your budget ? I'm not talking about hundreds of dollars. $20 or $30 could last a week or two with a carefully planned shopping list if you have basic ingredients on hand like herbs, spices and a few baking ingredients like flour and sugar

Once again a menu plan will help you through a tough time until money becomes available again. A packet of quick oats will give you a filling breakfast for a week. Two loaves of bread will be enough for lunches. Buying one piece of the cheapest fruit available per person could be a snack. In Winter apples, pears and citrus fruits are very cheap. In Summer it could be stone fruit or grapes.

Dinner doesn't have to be fancy if money is tight. Here are some cheap meal ideas -

* Boiled potato with steamed veggies, seasonings and a little grated cheese on top is very yummy and cheap.
* 300 grams of mince can be bulked out with rice, rolled oats and cheaper vegetables like beans, cabbage or carrots.
* Eggs, baked beans or spaghetti on toast
* Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese
* Pasta with a tin of tomatoes and grated vegetables
* Fried rice without any meat.
* Pancakes

Remember,  water is free ( or almost free ) so drink lots of it.  If you are after a hot drink,  then tea is cheaper than coffee.

Have you ever run out of grocery money or groceries ?  What did you do in this situation ?

Cutting The Budget When There's Nothing Left To Cut - Part 3

Making ends meet can be a challenge when you don't have a lot of money in the first place.  Here are eight ideas that might put some money back into your purse -

*  Mend your clothes instead of buying new ones.   Buttons are easy to sew on and only takes a couple of minutes.  Many tops and cardigans have spare buttons sewn inside the item of clothing.  Torn seams are easy to sew up.  Just turn the clothing inside out and sew a few stitches.  It really is true that a stitch in time saves nine ( and it saves some money too ).

*  Throw out all the junk mail before the family sees it.  Having junk mail lying around the house fuels the urge to spend money.  Of course,  take the time to have a quick look yourself in case there are some grocery or clothing bargains.

*  To avoid all the unnecessary spending give yourself and your spouse a little bit of pocket money each week / fortnight or month.   Up until about four months ago I'd never had pocket money in the 20 years I've been married.  I'd never really needed it as I was just happy to spend money on groceries and household items when needed.  When our family budget had to be slashed late last year, we switched to a cash budget which meant we couldn't afford to put anything on the credit card except petrol ( too hard to carry that money around ).  To avoid denying ourselves completely Darren and I now get $15 a month each to spend any way we choose.  It might not sound like much but it's enough to buy a food treat / cuppa or in my case,  a small craft item.

*  Cancel magazine and newspaper subscriptions.  Many of these are available for free at your local library.  Maybe ask for a subscription as a birthday present instead.

*  Clean and declutter your home.  When your hands are busy you'll forget about the need to spend.  Having your home in order will give you peace and a longing to enjoy time relaxing in your nest.

*  Avoid overpriced restaurant meals. Instead,  invite your friends and family over for a meal where everyone brings a plate.

*  Read a book instead of turning the tv or computer on.  Reading doesn't cost anything and can be quite relaxing.  If you need something new to read,  go to your local library for inspiration.

*  Buy fruit and veggies in season to save lots of money.   Buying in season is when the food is at it's nutritional  best too.

Cutting The Budget When There's Nothing Left To Cut - Part 2

Cutting the family budget can be a challenge.  Sometimes there's just nothing more to cut - or is there ????  Here are some budget busting tips that can save you small or large amounts of money.  Combined,  they could really make a difference to your hip pocket.  I personally use all these tips in my everyday living.

*  Dry your clothes on the line or clotheshorse.  This might seem obvious but so many people tell me they still use the dryer for everything.  I also know lots of people who dry their towels in the dryer to make them soft.  An alternative is to partially dry the towels on the line and finish them in the dryer.

*  Avoid buying bin liners.  Use grocery bags,  fruit bags and bread bags to line your bins. These bags are free and can save you a few dollars each month.

*  Cut your gift giving budget.   Do you need to give presents to your great aunts,  aunties and uncles and other friends and family you don't see too often ?  It's wonderful to bless others but not if you can't make ends meet.  Maybe send a card instead.

*  Put a timer in the shower and set it for 5 minutes.  Play a game and see if you can beat the timer.

*  Revise your grocery shopping list before you leave home.  You might be amazed at how many items can wait for another week / fortnight or month.

*  Make your own fish and chips at home for under $2 a serve. Crumbed fish can be bought quite cheaply and making chips is as simple as cutting potatoes into desired shapes and sprinkling with a little seasoning or olive oil.  This could save a family of four $10 - $30 a meal.

*  Give up renting dvds and dig into your own collection at home.  Cook up some popcorn using the stove, microwave or popcorn maker and you'll  have a wonderfully frugal night for about 50 cents.

*  Instead of buying plants for your garden,  take your own cuttings from what you have or ask family,  friends and neighbours to take cuttings for you.

Stay tuned for more budget savings tips throughout the year.

Cutting The Budget When There's Nothing Left To Cut - Part 1

Towards the end of last year,  we saw our family income drop significantly.  I started losing some of my cleaning jobs due to clients selling their homes or not needing me any more.  I always think our budget is tight and well planned but somehow we always find ways to trim the budget.  For the last year we've been saving to get a new kitchen and flooring for our home.  To maintain these savings on our lower income we've juggled a few things around in our budget and cut our spending.  Not everyone has the luxury of monthly savings to play with so I thought I'd give you some ideas to cut your costs.

Please keep in mind that not all these budget cuts will suit your family.  You might already be doing these things.  By reading my tips it might remind you of something similar you can change or do.

*  Revise your mobile,  home phone and internet packages.  Do you really need unlimited everything ?  Are you paying for services you don't need or use ?  Phone providers are always changing their packages but don't necessarily advertise better deals.  Make the call to get the best deal you can.

*  Cut pay tv.  Yes I'm sure it's great to have and some cost as low as $10 a month.  Could you use that extra money to feed your family or pay a few bills?  Save pay tv for when you are debt free and still really, really need it.

*  Start making your own presents.  By doing this you are keeping more of your money within the budget.  See this post about creating your own mini economy..

*  Pay your bills on time to get the discounts and avoid late fees.

*  Ring your utility providers to make sure you are getting the best discount available.

*  Cook a couple of meatless meals a week.  Fried rice,  chunky veggie soup,  pasta and sauce,  toasted sandwiches,  eggs on toast  and  baked / stuffed potatoes are all very tasty and super budget friendly.

*  When the weather gets warm,  use an electric fan to cool down the room you are using instead of turning on the cooling / air conditioning.  If it gets too hot,  turn your cooling on low and keep your electric fan on.  Electric fans cost about 2 cents an hour to run.

*  Grow your own lettuce.  You can grow it in a pot or in the ground all through the year.  By purchasing a packet of seeds for about $3 you'll have enough seeds for the next couple of years. This can save you up to $100 a year based on buying one lettuce per week at $1.99 each. I like to grow the salad mix variety and pick as many leaves as we need per meal.

Stayed tuned for more budget busting posts throughout the year.

Getting Your Budget In Order For A New Year

Starting the new year with your budget in place can help you achieve so much more.  January is a little quieter in my home so I try to make the most of it and plan for the year ahead.

A great place to start is to review last year's budget.  Here are some questions I ask myself when looking over the family budget -

*  Did we over spend in any areas ?

*  Did we waste money on unnecessary purchases ?

*  Did we buy too much of something ?

*  Can we cut back in some ( or all ) areas of our budget ?

*  Do we need to increase some areas of the budget ?

*  What are our goals for the coming year ?

*  Did we reach our savings goal for the items we wanted / needed ?  If not,  how soon can we save for it ?

Asking these questions gives me a chance to review and adjust the budget where needed.  Budgets should not be set in stone.  They need to be flexable to accomodate the needs of the family ( within reason ).  Take some time over the next couple of weeks to set up your yearly budget..  Remember to include all categories to reflect your spending habits.

When it comes to household bills,  it's always good to increase the amount put aside each week / fortnight / month.  Many utility providers increase their charges in the new year. To keep on top of thses increases,  putting an extra 10% aside is a great place to start.  Maybe this is a great time to set up direct debits for each category.

The new year is the perfect time to review your present / gift giving budget.  Things change through the year.  Friends and family come and go,  extra special occasions come up that require a bigger present.  Maybe you would like to give to certain charities.  Building this into your present budget ensures that you have the money available to bless others.

I write all the occasions to buy for in an exercise book.  One page is for birthdays,  anniversaries,  father's and mother's days etc etc. They are all written in order of the date during the year. The page opposite is for the Christmas presents I need to buy. When I review the present / gift budget,  I look over the presents I gave the previous year. By doing this,  I'm reminded of the presents that were well received and the bargains I found.  It's also a good way to avoid buying the same thing year in year out for the same person.

Just recently I went through all my stored up presents.  Everything was placed in order of giving on the present shelf.  Post- it notes were put on each present with the receiver's name,  occasion and year.  Because I buy a couple of years in advance,  I need to record the date to be given.   Once I've gone through the presents and recorded everything in my exercise book,  I write out a list of items I still need to buy.  This list goes into my handbag,  ready to snap up those fabulous bargains.

A new year could mean a new food budget.  If you were spending too much money on rubbish food,  a new budget could be in order.  Taking the time to review your eating habits could set you up for a healthier year.  Remember,  a budget is not set in stone so if you need to make adjustments,  now is the time to do it.

If you have a savings goal in mind,  how will you reach that goal ?  Do you need to set up direct debits into an online bank account ?  Working out the weekly,  fortnightly or monthly amount then setting up the direct debit will ensure you reach your goal.  We all want financial success so a little planning goes a long way.

Do you have an emergency account ?  Do you have the money set aside to replace the washing machine,  fridge,  freezer, car tyres,  heating and cooling ?  You know these things don't last forever so saving for them needs to be a continual part of  your budget.  Work out how much it costs to replace the items.   Then work out how much you need to save for them in 1,  2,  5 or 10 years time. 

Do you have a savings plan to replace your car / s ?  Buying a car can be the second biggest expense other than buying a home.    Car savings also needs to be a continual part of the family budget.  That's how Darren and I have been able to buy our cars without ever having a car loan or paying interest.

Now is the time to gather your family around and plan your year.  Plan your goals,  plan where you are heading and plan for financial security.  An hour or two spent in planning could save you months of stressing out about money.

How do you plan for the year ?