More Side Hustles That Earn Extra Money

 Following on from the article I wrote a few weeks ago, I have more side hustles to share.    Earning this extra money has really helped us when areas of our budget were really tight.  Gift giving and holidays are two areas that quite often benefit from my side hustles.   

*  I dig up raspberry plant runners from our garden and sell them in Spring / Summer.  I sell them for $8 but their retail value is $15.  I also give some as presents and the money I've allocated for that present  is put into other areas of our budget.

*  I've been hired for serving food at functions.  I have a cleaning client who has quite a few family occasions.  She hires me to makes sausage rolls,  slices and other treats and also pays me to serve and clean up afterwards.

*  I've done babysitting for friends.  This isn't something I've done often,  but it has paid well.

*  Mending can be a great way to earn good money and isn't too time consuming.  I've hemmed jeans,  curtains and school dresses for friends.

*  There can be a real market for home baked goods.  One of my cleaning client asks for homemade muffins a few times a year.  She has them for her morning teas and gives some to visiting grandchildren.  Occasionally she asks for mini quiches and sausage rolls too.

*  I've sold bottles of Miracle Spray to a few people.

*  I sell lots of handmade items.  These include hand knitted dish cloths,  microfibre / flannelette cleaning cloths,  Christmas decorations,  beaded angels,  bath bombs,  bookmarks,  hanging hand towels ( lots and lots of these over the years ),  decorated hand towels,  gift tags and fridge magnet pegs.

*  I've run craft afternoons showing people how to make the beaded angels.  At these afternoons I also sell the kits.

*  Darren regularly mowed the lawn of a friend many years ago.  

*  Darren has completed online surveys years ago to earn a little extra pocket money.

 LINKS -

Earn Extra Money With Side Hustles 

Hand knitted dish cloths

Mini quiches for a friend

Hand towel and soap gift sets

Homemade relish

Beaded angels.

Do you have any side hustles that earn you a little money ?

Earn Extra Money With Side Hustles

 Over on the Cheapskates Club YouTube channel a couple of weeks ago,  Cath spoke about side hustles you can do to boost the family budget.  Many of these side hustles Cath has done herself when money was tight.  Even today I know she has many little income steams that helps keep her budget on track.

Over the years Darren and I have faced many financial hardships due to insufficient work hours,  low pay rates and our choice to be a single income family while I stayed home to raise our girls.

Having a few little side hustles meant we could save for holidays,  have enough money for groceries,  buy gifts,  replace our ' make do ' furniture for quality items and purchase cars with cash.

Here are some of the side hustles I've personally used to bring in a little extra cash.  Some of these hustles I still do to this day.

*  I polished silverware for a friend who was hosting Christmas at her place.  The silverware was family heirlooms that she wanted to use and display for the occasion. 

*  Some of my cleaning clients needed their ironing done.  This was additional work on top of my cleaning hours so I treated the extra money as a bonus.  Some of these clients enjoyed my ironing so much that it became a regular part of my cleaning visit.

*  Speaking of cleaning,  my cleaning work first started because we were living below the poverty line.  We desperately needed extra money to make ends meet but I didn't want to put our daughter in day care so I could work.  Somehow I managed to fit in a couple of regular clients when Darren had a day off and my work has snowballed from there.  When our girls were school aged,  I would clean during school hours.  When the school holidays came around,  the girls would come to the cleaning jobs with me.

*  I make jam from the fruit we grow.  Most of the jam is put away for our personal use.  I sell a few jars here and there which more than covers the cost of the sugar and gas used in the cooking.  I also give some as presents which frees up some of the gift budget.  This money is then put into other areas of our budget.

*  During the long lockdowns of 2020,  I made and sold many,  many face masks.  This was an unexpected side hustle that kept money coming into our home when I wasn't allowed to work.

*  Making my own greeting cards started out as a money saver for our budget.  The price of greeting cards had gone up from 4 for $2 to a minimum of $1 each in the discount shops. With the basic supplies I had on hand,  I started making very simple cards to put with presents.  Then I helped form a card making group and it turned into a hobby that earns me a little bit of money when I sell them on Facebook. 

*  I sell unwanted items on Marketplace.  Darren and I have always been wise with our purchases so we've never really had much to sell.  Still,  I've managed to sell DVD cases,  spare yoghurt makers, pet items,  a snow suit from my teens,  small electrical appliances,  Tupperware and pieces of furniture.

Jam has been a good seller

Some of the cards I've sold over the years -
   

                                                 

                                            

                                       

What side hustles have you done to earn a little extra money ?

Cost Of Living Crisis Series - Have Your Say.

 Quite often I get messages from people asking about how the cost of living crisis is affecting us.  I've also had others asking how do we keep our costs so low.

So I thought I'd do a series with a new topic each week.  So far,  here are the topics I thought I could  write about -

*  How to do laundry cheaply.

*  How to make clothes last longer.

*  Cleaning your home for under $1 a year.

*  Buying petrol as cheap as possible.

*  Budget busting gifts.

*  My frugal grocery shopping list.

Are there any areas of your budget you need to tighten ?

What topics would you like me to write about ?

How has the cost of living crisis affected you ?

10 Slightly Unusual Ways To Save On Electricity - Part 2

 Saving money on electricity does take a little time and effort.  Thankfully none of the tips I written about need a huge sacrifice on your part.    Have a look around your home to see what's plugged in.  Do you need it ?

Here are another 10 tips to help lower your electricity bill - 

*  Turn off your Google Nest or other smart home displays.  You know you don't use them too often.  We turn ours on when we want to play music.

*  Turn off your Wii,  xbox and other gaming consoles at the power point when not in use.

*  Defrost food in the fridge over night instead of using the microwave.

*  Close ducted heating vents in Summer and cooling vents in Winter.  If they can't be closed,  see if you can slip in a piece of cardboard.

*  Close heating / cooling vents in rooms not being used.

*  Use blankets,  doonas or sleeping bags over windows to keep heat in a home at night and heat out in Summer.  Before we had evap cooling I pegged all spare blankets and sleeping bags over our lounge and dining room windows during heatwaves in Summer.  It really did make a big difference.

*  Match your saucepan to the right sized cooking element on your stove top.

*  Don't use delay start functions on your washing machine,  dishwasher,  dryer and other appliances like slow cookers and all in one pots.  Fill up the washing machine when you get up and if need be,  turn it on when you get home.  

*  Turn off your pool / spa lighting when not in use.  There's no point in impressing your garden with a light display.

*  In Winter ( especially ) eat dinner at the kitchen bench if you can and utilise the kitchen lighting you have on .  This is instead of turning the dining room lights on too.  

Close vents when not in use

Use the sized right pot and cooking element

Have you used any of these savings tips ?

Here are more electricity savings tips I wrote about in 2016

Cutting The Electricity Bill

10 Slightly Unusual Ways To Save On Electricity.

 The cost of living is going up everywhere and it feels like we are being squeezed from all directions.  Residents in the UK are facing electricity increases of 54% with people choosing to heat or eat.

Here are 10 slightly unusual ways you can save a little bit more on your electricity bill

*  Cook with lids on your saucepans.  If you do this you might not need to use the exhaust fan.  I've tried this and it works.

*  Ditch the electric clock radio and use a battery operated one.  If you need an alarm,  use your phone for this function.

*  Use solar garden lights as night lights,  to light a dinner table or to give enough light to safely move around a room.

*  Use a timer to cook rice and pasta.  Don't rely on your memory.  You might get side tracked with other cooking tasks.

*  Wash your clothes on the quick cycle function on the washing machine.  Generally this is only for small loads but sometimes you can't wait until the machine is full ( especially if the clothes are wet or smelly ).  The quick wash on my machine is 20 minutes.  The next quickest cycle is 47 minutes.  Some loads go for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

*  Use the quick wash cycle on your dishwasher.  Mine goes for 30 minutes and washes the dishes really well.  If you do have baked on food then either soak before washing or handwash.

*  Don't leave your front porch light on automatic ( or on at all if you are not expecting anyone ).  It uses power even when it's idle and trees blowing in the wind can also activate it.

*  Unplug the drinks fridge.  Give your regular fridge a good clean out and store your drinks in there.  If you have too many drinks on hand,  only refrigerate a few at a time.

*  Unplug / turn off your doorbell at night.  No one wants to be disturbed when sleeping.

*  When going on holidays,  turn off everything at the wall except the fridge and freezer.  I go around our home and systematically turn everything off in each room.

Old school clocks

Use the quick wash cycle

Have you used any of these tips ?

 Here are links to a few articles I wrote about saving on heating bills. -

Saving on heating bills part 1

Saving on heating bills part 2

Saving on heating bills part 3

Frugal February Challenge 2022 - Week 2

We've just finished week 2 of the Frugal February Challenge for 2022.  This week started off really well with no spending for 4 days.  

I've been dropping in the Savers op shop to donate unwanted goods and to have a quick look around.  I haven't found any knitting cotton yet but I've found cotton doona covers to make tea towels.  I've tried to stay focused when I'm in there and only look in sections where I can find things on my ' wanted ' list. 

The main objective of the Frugal February Challenge for Darren and I is to only buy essential items using our general household bank account  / debit card.  At the end of the month we are hoping to transfer a large amount into our  savings account.  We still get our monthly pocket money and can use this as we see fit.  The gift fund is fully saved for for 2022 so if I see something on special then I can buy it.   At the same time I'm trying to be really wise about what I'm buying and making sure it's the best price possible. 

Here's how our week looked -

Day 8 -  No spending 

Day 9 -  No spending

Day 10 - No spending

Day 11 - No spending

Day12 -  Spent $12  in Savers on a doona cover

Day 13 -  Spent $4 on Cruskits biscuits on sale for $1 a box. 

Day 14 -  Spent $12.20 on a Valentine's Day morning tea.

                Spent $16.20 in Big W on beach towels

                Spent $6.99 in Coles on salad ingredients

NOTES -    

*  The doona cover was paid for out of the gift fund.  I'll be cutting the doona cover up and making tea towels for presents.

*  The Cruskits are an essential grocery item.  Darren eats them often for his lunch and they were a bargain sale price.

*  The Valentine's morning tea was paid for out of our pocket money.

*  The beach towels were on clearance and paid for out of the gift fund.  They will be made into hooded beach towels for presents and to sell.

*  The salad ingredients will be used for at least 3 dinners.  

How is your Frugal Challenge going ?

Are you finding it easy to halt the spending ?

Frugal February Challenge 2022 - Week 1

 Week  1 for our Frugal February / Spending Freeze Challenge has been fairly easy for Darren and I.  For the first few days I didn't go anywhere except to cleaning jobs.  Darren did go out to lunch with his sister but he paid for it out of his pocket money.

I have 3 exceptions ( other than bills ) for the challenge -

*  If I see grocery items that are bargain / clearance prices then I will be stocking up.  Otherwise I will be limiting grocery spending to essential items.

*  I'm looking for knitting / crochet cotton in op shops to make more dishcloths.  This is something I'm always on the lookout for and it's much cheaper than buying retail.

*  Buying presents or items to make presents that are bargain prices and cannot be made by myself. These are paid for from the gift fund which is fully saved for for the next 12 months  I've been waiting for beach towels to go on clearance so I can make hooded towels for Luka and Bryson. 

Here's a breakdown of how our week panned out with spending -

Feb 1 -  No spending

Feb 2 -  No Spending

Feb 3 -  No spending

Feb 4 -  Petrol for Darren's car $39.00.  

Feb 5 -  No spending

Feb 6 - No spending

Feb 7 -  Petrol for lawnmower to mow our lawn and Megan's $10.96

             Hooded towels x 2 and a toy truck  on clearance ( presents ) $19.00 

             Doona cover at op shop $14.99

NOTES -

*  It worked out cheaper to buy the beach towels already made into hooded ones instead of me making them.  They were on clearance and needed for a present.  Towel stocks are so low in department stores it's hard to find anything that is suitable for little boys.

* The doona cover was a surprise find.  It's a 100% cotton waffle doona cover that will make lovely tea towels for presents and to sell.

Large truck for $7

Hooded towels $6 each.

How is your Frugal February Challenge going ?

Is it hard to stay away from the shops or internet ?

Getting Your Year Into Gear - Family Goals

I'm not one for New Years resolutions but I do love to set new goals.  At the start of each year amongst all my planning and budgeting,  Darren and I talk about what we'd like to achieve over the next twelve months.

Sometimes we plan a few years in advance if the goal is a big one.  For the last two years we've been saving for a new car for me.  That's two years of saving with another three years to go.  My car is working just fine but it is almost ten years old and won't last forever.  When we get to our goal in three years time,  if my car is still running trouble free,  we'll just keep those savings locked away and start saving for Darren's new car.  To achieve my ' new car ' goal,  we've worked out how much we want to spend on a car,  when we might need it,  then divided it into a monthly savings goal.

Next year is our 25th wedding anniversary and we'd love to go to the Cook Islands with a short stop over in New Zealand on the way back.  We've decided to go all out and stay in luxury accommodation when at the Cook Islands.  This comes at a large cost so we've been saving for the last three years with another twelve months worth of saving to go before we reach our goal.

Home renovations and repairs are usually ongoing.  Each year we work out what needs replacing and what is the most urgent.  As we save,  we do our research along the way to find the best deals / brands and to make sure we are saving enough money in the allotted time.

Family goals could include children's activities and sports.  Your children might be involved in too many activities that it's harming the family budget or encroaching on quality family time.  Re-evaluating what's important and if it's working should be done before the new season / term begins.

Maybe this year is the year to start your children in sports,  clubs or a new hobby.  Ask around,  do your research and do the sums.  There can be extra costs for costumes,  competitions,  travel,  equipment,  camps or extra training.  Can your budget cope with this ?

Using the first couple of months of a new year to set your goals gives you a great chance of achieving them.  Talking about doing this or that one day is not a plan,  just a dream.  Dreams are great,  but making a plan to reach those dreams is far more satisfying.

Here are some of our previous goals -

Any excuse to post another photo of my new kitchen 2016

Brisbane holiday 2018

Darren's car 2015 - from memory

New lounge suite was 2018's goal.  Arrived last month

What are your goals for this year and how will your achieve them ?

Links to the other posts in this series -

Getting Your Year Into Gear - The Family Budget

Getting Your Year Into Gear - The Gift Giving Budget

.  .

Slashing Your Laundry Costs

If you feel your grocery bill getting out of control,  have a look at what you spend to keep your clothes and home clean.  Product marketing can be very persuasive and before you know it,  your laundry cupboard is full of bottles and wipes.   Why don't you go and have a look in the laundry ?  I'm sure you'll find something you thought would solve all your cleaning / stain / germ problems.  You were tricked weren't you ? 

I've been cleaning homes for almost 20 years.  I've used just about every wipe,  spray, powder and deodoriser under the sun.    A few work quite well but most are just expensive versions of what soap and water will do.

Here are some items your laundry could do WITHOUT -

*  Fabric softener.  Are our clothes and towels really that hard that we need to soften them ?.  Fabric softener is NOT good to use in the washing machine.  It eventually coats the machine's pipes and hoses leaving a sludge and smell. Microfibre material cannot be washed with fabric softener.  It coats the fibres.  A good drizzle of no name white vinegar in the final rinse will keep your clothes soft. 

*  Washing sanitiser.  I personally have never used it.   A drizzle of disinfectant in your washing will help to kill germs when sickness invades your home.  Drying your washing in the sun also kills germs.

*  Washing pods. You know,  those little pods of premeasured laundry liquid.  For starters they cost approximately 50 cents per load.  Compare this to home made laundry powder costing 3 cents per load.  That could be a saving of $244 per year based on 10 loads of washing per week.  With a family to keep clean,  10 loads of washing is not out of the ordinary.  Also,  are we so time poor we can't scoop out a little laundry powder into the machine ?

*  Dryer sheets.  I've never used them but I know people who do.  From my understanding they are not good for the dryer.  I worked for a lady who used them.  Her dryer broke down and the repairman said the dryer sheets were the reason..  Another option is to dry your clothes on the line,  on a clothes horse or on hangers in the shower.  Or,  put up with a little static.

*  Stain remover sprays.  Sure,  they might work but so does Miracle Spray and a light scrub with a toothbrush.  Soaking the soiled item before washing improves the chance of removing the stain.

*  Full strength laundry liquid.  We are lead to believe we need to use it at full strength to get our clothes clean.  Try diluting it by 1/3 for starters and see if you notice a difference.  If not, dilute it 50 / 50 with water.  You'll still get clean washing with a hint of fragrance.  There have been times when I can smell our neighbour's washing on the line approximately 10 metres away. 

 

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.

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.

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 ?

Creating Your Own Mini Economy

Do you ever have the feeling that money is leaking out of your home left ,  right and centre ?  Do you feel that your shopping habits are making everyone else rich and your purse a little poorer ?  Do you cringe when large companies post their yearly profit reports ?

If you are answering yes to any of these questions,  I have a solution that will make you feel a little better about your money situation.

Create your own mini economy at home.

Here's how it works.

Buying presents for family and friends all year round can cost a fortune.  If you're like me you have a present / gift  budget.  I always like to beat the present budget and have money left over at the end of the year to buy treats.  Yes I can buy presents on sale and that will save me money.  If I go one step further I can keep most of my present fund within my home instead spending all that money at the shops.

Making presents is a great way to save money and results in a lovely present to give for just a couple of  dollars.  Because I have a well stocked pantry, when I make biscuits for presents,  I just use what I have on hand.  I estimate that  a jar of biscuits costs me $2 for the jar and less than $1 for the biscuits.  Ribbons and gift tags cost zero because I use free supplies to make my own.   The present looks like it's worth much more,  maybe even $10.  I take $10 out of my present / gift budget and put it into my food / grocery budget ( envelope ) to pay for the ingredients.    By doing this,  my food budget has made a profit of $7.

The savings doesn't stop there.  I might have budgeted $15 for a present for a friend.  By only taking $10 out of the present budget to pay the food budget,  I've saved $5 on the present budget.

Here's another example.

I made a couple of tote bags late last year to be given as presents.  The material cost $4 in total for the two bags and I paid for it out of my clothing budget.  That was the envelope I had with me when I was in Spotlight looking around.  Tote bags cost about $10 in the stores if paying retail  Using this valuation,  I took $20 (  $10 for each bag ) out of the present budget and put it into my clothing envelope to reimburse for the material costs.  My clothing envelope has just made a profit of $16. I usually budget $15 for each present so if I chose to give the tote bags on their own,   I've just saved my present budget $5 on each present.   Everyone wins.  I gave one of these tote bags to Darren's sister for her birthday recently and she loves it.  She's already used it too.

Here's one final example to seal the deal -

I love making jam.  I also love eating it because it tastes so much better than anything I can buy.  I also know exactly what's in it.    If I make raspberry jam using our own home grown berries and lemon juice from our own lemons,  the only cost is sugar.  I have a few friends and family members saving jars for me,  so no cost there.  When I make a batch of raspberry jam,  I might use one kilo of sugar ( for example ) which cost less than $1  That batch might yield 10 jars of delicious jam.   If I put a retail price of $3 on each jar ( they are small / medium jars ) then the total retail value is $30,  yet they only cost me $1 to make.  I could be technical and add in the cost of the gas to cook the jam.  I give lots of jars of jam as presents so each time I give one,  I take $3 of of the present budget and  put it into my food budget

You could use this idea for all sorts of presents.  If you take cuttings of plants or grow seedlings from seeds,  they make wonderful presents.  Put a retail value on them and boost your gardening budget as well as saving a little money on presents.

Make some cards and give them in packs of ten wrapped on cellophane with a ribbon.  Put a retail value on it and boost your craft budget.

Make soap,  wrap it in tissue paper or cellophane with a ribbon.  Put a retail value on it and boost your toiletry / make up budget.  Or boost your food budget (wherever you took the money from to buy the ingredients ).

Yes you are still spending money at the shops.  You are still helping businesses but you are not giving all of your hard earned money to make the rich richer.

What gifts do you like to make ?