Life is hard. That is true for everyone at times, and for a single mother those words are tantamount. Huge. Looming. Ok, so maybe a little melodramatic, but true, nonetheless. The very nature of my personal business means that I may or may not have income at any given time. Luckily I usually do, but there have been months (yes, plural) that I had to support a family on approximately $500 (or less). Ouch, right? You might be wondering how ( I know I often do!). There are lots of ways.
I cut corners and shop at thrift stores as much as possible. This is true for both my business and my home. I am a crafter by trade, so thrift store finds are a great source of my inventory. Old wooden furniture and picture frames, materials and supplies, you name it. That's not to mention the name-brand (with tags still on) kids clothes and shoes I've found, the nike baseball cleats, the books, the absolutely EVERYTHING. You have to dig. You have to be prepared to leave empty-handed, and you have to be willing to open your mind to possibilities. For example: One thrift store here in town has $2 rag bags. They are plastic shopping bags stuffed full of "junk" material to be cut up for rags. At least, that is how they are advertised. I bought three one day, just because, and ended up with at least 10 brand-name new-condition shirts that fit my son. Aeropostale, Abercrombie, and Old Navy, to name a few. So, thrift stores are a must for the budget-conscious parent.
Coupons. Lots of people have seen the extreme couponing on television. All I can say is I wish, but you CAN go to Couponmom.com and sign up for a free account. That gives you a world of help when it comes to saving money. They have a page that matches coupons from the Sunday paper with sale prices at your local stores in order to find you the largest savings possible. I have some in my list right now, with one coupon, that I will get $ back on. That's right: a refund on a coupon to help me save even more money, as well as a free product, and the best part is that the site does all the work. It even tells you what day the coupon you need came out, and which insert it was in. All you have to do is buy a Sunday newspaper and clip the right coupons. Awesome, right? Wal-mart is where I go, because it is available in my area when not much else is. They don't double coupons, but they do allow you the overage . . . that means they give you the cash back that is left over after your coupons. Awesome!!!!
Last summer we took advantage of our local library's summer reading program. My kids loved it. It was cute to see them curled up on a carpet with all those other children, and the best part?? It was free entertainment in an air-conditioned room twice a week! No complaints, here.
Mailing lists. These are biggies. Pampers. P&G. Loads of others. All you have to do is sign up and get free samples, coupons, and much more delivered straight to your door. Enough said.
Buy/Sell/Trade sites on Facebook. Search for groups in your area that allow you to list old items you have for sale. It's like a yard sale without all the hassle. You figure out what you have and what you want for it, and agree to meet in a safe place. There is also Craigslist and Ebay, and you can even sell on Amazon. Find a way to get money for the things you were going to throw out anyway. Kids old clothes are a hot seller as long as they are gently used (or very cheap... either works). Baby items also sell very well!
Upcycle and re-purpose. I have a whole kitchen pantry full of things that used to be something else. Old spaghetti jars have been de-labeled, painted, re-labeled and filled with things I hated seeing in ugly boxes. They are gorgeous lined up on the shelf. (I will do another post on those later). I have completely re-done a dresser, turning it into an entertainment center filled with homemade storage bins created from old boxes, some glue, scraps of fabric I had lying around, and my sewing machine. There is very little in this life that is absolutely necessary to our survival. I find ways to make my "wants" to save my $ for my "needs". You can too!
And lastly: Karma.
Do good things, and good things happen. Find a friend and do them a favor. Chances are it will be returned. Donate what you don't need and can't sell. Someone will be happy to have your old things, and guess what? One day . . . all that goodness, all those smiles given to strangers, all that you put out into this world will come back to you.
Life is full of ups and downs, it is full of joy and sorrow, and the only thing that never changes is the fact that EVERYTHING changes. Sunshine will come again, and the rain makes for some beautiful flowers.
I cut corners and shop at thrift stores as much as possible. This is true for both my business and my home. I am a crafter by trade, so thrift store finds are a great source of my inventory. Old wooden furniture and picture frames, materials and supplies, you name it. That's not to mention the name-brand (with tags still on) kids clothes and shoes I've found, the nike baseball cleats, the books, the absolutely EVERYTHING. You have to dig. You have to be prepared to leave empty-handed, and you have to be willing to open your mind to possibilities. For example: One thrift store here in town has $2 rag bags. They are plastic shopping bags stuffed full of "junk" material to be cut up for rags. At least, that is how they are advertised. I bought three one day, just because, and ended up with at least 10 brand-name new-condition shirts that fit my son. Aeropostale, Abercrombie, and Old Navy, to name a few. So, thrift stores are a must for the budget-conscious parent.
Coupons. Lots of people have seen the extreme couponing on television. All I can say is I wish, but you CAN go to Couponmom.com and sign up for a free account. That gives you a world of help when it comes to saving money. They have a page that matches coupons from the Sunday paper with sale prices at your local stores in order to find you the largest savings possible. I have some in my list right now, with one coupon, that I will get $ back on. That's right: a refund on a coupon to help me save even more money, as well as a free product, and the best part is that the site does all the work. It even tells you what day the coupon you need came out, and which insert it was in. All you have to do is buy a Sunday newspaper and clip the right coupons. Awesome, right? Wal-mart is where I go, because it is available in my area when not much else is. They don't double coupons, but they do allow you the overage . . . that means they give you the cash back that is left over after your coupons. Awesome!!!!
Last summer we took advantage of our local library's summer reading program. My kids loved it. It was cute to see them curled up on a carpet with all those other children, and the best part?? It was free entertainment in an air-conditioned room twice a week! No complaints, here.
Mailing lists. These are biggies. Pampers. P&G. Loads of others. All you have to do is sign up and get free samples, coupons, and much more delivered straight to your door. Enough said.
Buy/Sell/Trade sites on Facebook. Search for groups in your area that allow you to list old items you have for sale. It's like a yard sale without all the hassle. You figure out what you have and what you want for it, and agree to meet in a safe place. There is also Craigslist and Ebay, and you can even sell on Amazon. Find a way to get money for the things you were going to throw out anyway. Kids old clothes are a hot seller as long as they are gently used (or very cheap... either works). Baby items also sell very well!
Upcycle and re-purpose. I have a whole kitchen pantry full of things that used to be something else. Old spaghetti jars have been de-labeled, painted, re-labeled and filled with things I hated seeing in ugly boxes. They are gorgeous lined up on the shelf. (I will do another post on those later). I have completely re-done a dresser, turning it into an entertainment center filled with homemade storage bins created from old boxes, some glue, scraps of fabric I had lying around, and my sewing machine. There is very little in this life that is absolutely necessary to our survival. I find ways to make my "wants" to save my $ for my "needs". You can too!
And lastly: Karma.
Do good things, and good things happen. Find a friend and do them a favor. Chances are it will be returned. Donate what you don't need and can't sell. Someone will be happy to have your old things, and guess what? One day . . . all that goodness, all those smiles given to strangers, all that you put out into this world will come back to you.
Life is full of ups and downs, it is full of joy and sorrow, and the only thing that never changes is the fact that EVERYTHING changes. Sunshine will come again, and the rain makes for some beautiful flowers.