How do people live on one income? A list. 1. Live in a safe neighborhood that feeds into a marginal school. Its safe, relatively inexpensive, and youre not sending them to school so it works. Housing is an expense you cant really get out of unless youre living in your camper. Which some people do, quite happily. Also, some people rent a house with an extra room or in-law suite and take in a boarder. Or they get a house with a fence, pay a pet fee, and set up a pet sitting business. Some families take in their elderly relatives and they share expenses. 2. Grow a garden and can the produce. We froze ours but it saved a lot of money. Or pitch in with other families and you grow two crops, they grow two crops, the others grow two crops, and someone without a lot of land grows herbs. Alternately, grow nothing and go to the farmers market and offer to buy their culled (damaged, bruised, imperfect) produce. Also, when you drive in the summer keep an eye out for berry brambles and fruit trees. Pick the fruit. Glean at local farms if thats an option. 3. Buy inconvenience foods. Dried legumes. Tough cuts of meat for the crock pot. Flours and grains in bulk instead of breads/cakes/cookies/crackers/pastas. Fruits in season--lots of them-- and freeze them. Set up a buying and cooking co-op with friends. 4. Get to know your neighbors and barter. Dog sitting. Yard work. Babysitting. Tutoring. Hair cutting. Sewing. Special meals. Housekeeping. These are things you should not pay for. 5. Goodwill. Consignment stores. Church sales. Paying retail for clothing only happens if you have people in your house that have size 13 feet. 6. Homeschool Day at the museum. They all have something going on. A free day. A special. Group discounts. Figure it out. 7. YouTube. Everything you ever wanted a lesson on is there. Everything. 8. Work with your children. Start a money-making small business and do that with your children. 9. Drive the wheels off your car. Drive it until its more expensive to drive it than it is to get a new (used) car. 200,000 miles is middle age. 10. Put on a couple of sweaters in the winter. Hang out at the library. Take your showers at the Y (you paid for it, theres nothing in the contract you signed that says you cant or wont use the showers). Hang out your clothing to dry. Dont use the dishwasher. Make your own detergent. Patch your clothes. Patch them again. Eat rice and beans for dinner twice a week every week. Use cloth napkins, dish rags, and dish towels. Turn leftover meals into frozen dinners. Make inexpensive fruit into smoothies and frozen treats. Make your own snacks. Make your own convenience foods. Share lessons with other homeschoolers. 11. Find a group of families who are already doing this. Hang out with them. Learn from one another. Listen to one another. Hold one another accountable.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 18:42:21 +0000
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