How to Live Within One's Budget ©

How to Live Within One's Budget ©

By Arlene Wright-Correll

Trying to be frugal or live within one's budget seems to be almost impossible nowadays. Us old folks have a couple of advantages such as those old enough to have been born in the early 30's were probably a part of a family who experienced the "Great Depression", nowadays we don't seem to need as much as we used to and hopefully our meager savings are not being eaten up by medical bills.

What did they do in the old days? I can only remember seeing a doctor once when I was about 9 years old and he made a house call to my grandmother's railroad flat in Brooklyn. We relied on home remedies.

I suppose we had the same illnesses, same fears, but perhaps we were braver or more pragmatic. We either got better or didn't!

One of the things is we were not bombarded with mass media marketing brainwashing us to buy tons of stuff we do not need. I know women that have 20 pocketbooks! How many does one need? The same with shoes.

As gas prices soar, I find myself having to try real hard to live within the confines of our monthly budget. Here are some tactics that work for me.

1. When our pension or social security checks come in (or even in our working days our paychecks) I sat down and allocated all the money needed for the month and never went over those budgets. Everything was itemized and put where it belonged, food, gas, heat, electric, telephone, etc. We had a rainy day account for emergencies which sometimes did not need to be used for months and months, but was there when we needed it. We still do this to this very day. However, things escalate nowadays at a faster pace than most paychecks do and especially pension or social security checks.

2. I find that we now only go to town or the store once a week to get what we need. We make a list and if we have to go to 5 different stores, we set out the route and do it all that one day. We canceled our P.O. box in the village post office to stop having to drive that 12 miles round trip 6 days a week, week in and week out. That saved a lot of gas. We discovered and use the US Postal service on line whenever we can and print and pay for our labels and stamps and put the packages out in our post box at the end of the drive in order to ride into the village to bring packages to the post office.

3. I have found 4 good salvage grocery stores in our area that things move through quite quickly, so I feel confident that the stuff isn't sitting on the shelves too long. We have an especially good one run by the Mennonites in our area. I can find Progresso soups for 25 cents a can, Progresso white clam sauce for 15 cents a can and Progresso red clam sauce for 35 cents a can. I can find all the leading salad dressing of any kind for 10 to 25 cents a bottle! $2.95 cookies for 35 to 50 cents! At one store I found a leading bread machine mix that was dented but not outdated. This was a $3.95 mix for only 65 cents, and I bought all of them.

4. Another thing we do is we only buy the "lose leaders" a store has. Those are the sale items that are used to bring you into the store to spend your money. Only buy things with coupons that you need. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean it's a bargain. Many times the store brands are cheaper than the name brands who are offering the coupon.

5. We have practically cut meat out of our lives which saves a great deal. We have added 5 to 8 veggies and fruits a day to our meals and that is probably healthier for us. We can get a whole week worth of produce for the price of one roast beef!

6. We like to entertain and we have discovered how to make the simplest meal quite elegant just by the way it is served and our table is laid out.

7. Once in awhile we like to throw a party and we save up for that. We buy things on sale that can be frozen if necessary. We work our way up to it. Say one wants to throw a bash every 10 weeks, then just put aside $10.00 a week and then you have $100.00 to splurge. How about a wine tasting of 6 to 12 couples where everyone brings 1 bottle of white and 1 bottle of red. You add about $15.00 worth of cheese and crackers and a nice desert and you are a very entertaining host and hostess! We throw theme parties that have a sort of ambience to them regardless of the food served.

8. Every 6 months have a yard or garage sale to get rid of the stuff that you have accumulated during that time and take that money to use for something you really have been wanting.

9. Search out yard or garage sales for things you have been wanting or needing. Check the prices. I needed a new shovel, but the yard sale, flea market guys wanted $5 to 7.00 for an old one and I was able to buy a nice new one for $3.98 at Walmart.

10. Learn to say no to yourself and to your kids. They don't need all the things they think they need and most times neither do we. Our kids growing up, got what we thought they needed and had to work to earn money for the things they wanted! We knew they needed good food, good shelter, good education, good work ethics and parents who had no problem saying "No, it's not in our budget.". None of them turn out too bad, they all have good jobs, we like them and love them and apparently the feeling is mutual because they are always coming for visits or calling up to say we miss you and love you.

11. If you live where there are consignment stores, take your children's outgrown clothing there and even the stuff you have outgrown or no longer use. Should you live in an urban area and especially one that is affluent, shop in the consignment stores and you will get real fancy bargains. Remember what Macy's motto was. ... "It's Smart to be Thrifty".

12. It's nice to treat yourself to something grand once in awhile, so do it, but in moderation. An evening out to a modest restaurant is just as entertaining as one that costs 5 times as much.

13. If you have a recycling center near you and the aluminum cans are not returnable in your area, save them up until you have a couple of bags and take them in. That $8 to $12.00 will buy a little gas, a nice lunch for two or whatever. Even do this in an area where your trash pickup recycles. Why should they get the money? Because they do you know!

14. Wash your own car, mow your own lawn, and learn to fix things, use them up, wear them out and make do!

15. Have a small herb garden or kitchen garden to have extra things that you do not have to buy in the summer and perhaps make small window herb pots to keep year round in your home. They need not be large.  If you have an herb garden, dry out your plants for winter cooking use.

16. We recently had a riding mower that we no longer needed. It ran, but needed a little work. We did need 4 new signs (3 big banners and a 16 x 18 sign). We approached the sign making company and did a trade.  They got an extra mower, we got our signs.  Never underestimate the power of barter and trade. 

Hopefully, these will be helpful hints to open your mind towards greater ways to preserve, conserve your cash and resources and live a better life.

“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….Peace, light and love, 

Arlene Wright-Correll