We are a one income family. That is two adults, one child, another due very soon and a dog. I worked until October 2003. My departure from the working world was sudden so there was not any savings to fall back on. I am interested in any ideas to spend less, save more, be frugal etc. I like to think I am already doing a good job but I want to do better. I shop for groceries at Walmart and buy quite a few of their Great Value foods. I turn off the lights when they are not in use, don't go out to eat, don't have cable tv or a dish. We don't have call waiting or caller id. We currently owe on our house, 2 vehicles, a small loan and a credit card. Things are tight here now to say the least. Any pointers would be appreciated.

One of the best things to do is to read some of the threads here, especially some of the challenges in the homespun frugal tip and challenges forum . Read as much as you can because you'll find some really great tips. http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=5

You can join any of the challenges anytime you want.

A couple quick tips:

~make all your meals from scratch. If you go out for meals, cut way back.
~start a change jar and keep all your change. It adds up quickly.
~try to get your credit card paid off.
~use your vehicles as little as possible. If you can walk to the store, etc. do that a couple times a week instead of using your vehicle.
~watch for good loss leaders and great sales. I know our Walmart is higher in grocery prices than our Superstore. Watch the flyers and compare prices.

It looks like you've already cut back in a number of areas. Well done. Remember to stay focused and you'll succeed. Good luck with the new baby and keep us updated on how you progress towards the end of your pregnancy.

My only suggestion is to read the archives of posts here. You'll find a lot of very helpful information there. You should start with this thread.......
http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45649

High five, CJ, we were posting at the same time. :)

I am taking a look right now at what you suggested.

We don't live within walking distance of anywhere so that is out. Our choices of stores within a reasonable driving time are very limited. I know we should pay off the credit card but at this time I am just trying to keep the bills paid.

sounds like you're on the right path....we have 9 kiddos and live on one income. the walmart here seems to be higher priced in the grocery department, so we shop at nother grocer's..also buy our fruits& veggies at a local fruit stand (cheaper than the grocers). for other things that we need, we shop the dollar stores first..walmart is our last resort. we have 1 vehicle and combine errands, hang laundry outside to dry, wash laundry in cold water,never waste anything..everything has a 2nd or 3rd use..buy garage sale clothes..never buy new unless its absolutely necessary...there are other things that we do, but that's all that i can think of right now...hope that helps.

Hi! I started shopping at the thrift store for my clothing. I have saved a fortune shopping there for myself. I really do find nice name brand stuff. It's AWESOME! Before finding this website, I would walk right by the thrift store without a second thought, now it is my favorite place to shop. I do buy my groceries at Wal-Mart also. I like the great value brand too. It is cheaper to shop there than at other stores in my area. I try to watch for sales at the other stores though also. Another thing to bring in a little extra is selling on ebay. Good luck and Congratulations on the baby!

oh yeah, forgot to add...have you ever considered a homebirth? I thought that it was a little strange before I tried it...it turned out to be the most wonderful experience ever! We had our youngest 2 at home with a midwife...the cost was $900...campared to a $7,000 hospital birth...and i honestly feel that we were given better care. Even after a c-section w/#6 we were still able to birth at home.

What a great suggestion, houseapes! Homebirths are very popular here and quite safe. You'll already have an idea about how difficult your labour will be from your first birthing experience. If you had no problems with your first, you'd be an ideal candidate for a home birth.

I don't have children, but WOW I never realized there was such a difference between a midwife and the hospital! :eek:

I don't really buy myself clothes. I am still wearing things from the 90's. My daughter's clothes are mostly from garage sales. We have a consignment shop in town but it seems pricey for used clothes. I have gotten her some stuff on clearance at Walmart if it is cheap enough.

I don't know about the homebirth. We do have health insurance with BCBS and with my daughter going to the emergency room and having stitches in her face and my ultrasound we have the deductible paid for the year. I was due with her on Dec. 24. On Dec. 25 at 8pm I felt some amniotic fluid leak out so we went to the hospital. By 5:47 in the morning I had a 9 pound 8 1/2 ounce, 21 inch long baby. I had no warning she was going to be that big! No episiotomy and no epidural. I was literally begging for the epidural. I did not get any stitches either. So I guess I could have done all that at home. Not sure that my family would approve. To tell you the truth I am kind of looking forward to going to the hospital and spending some time alone! Closest thing I am ever getting to a vacation. :smball:

i know alot of ladies that prefer the hospital, but with the experiences that i've had with some of the doctors left me questioning hospital births. and it seems that everytime that i had a baby, they were always doing things differently. i guess too, that it would depend on where you live as to what kind of care that you get. when we lived in wis. I had a wonderful doctor and we had most of our kiddos in a small town hospital...we moved to texas and they did things like barbarians! The doc induced...i thought that she would take me off of the pitocin once my body kicked in...noooo i had that stuff going all the way through labor..doc was mean & pushy, wouldn't let me birth the way that i was most comfortable...i hated that experience....man made contractions are hell compared to natural. when we had the youngest ones at home, it didn't hurt as much b/c I was more relaxed & had an easier time of it...youngest ape(Sam) weighed 9lbs. 10oz. although I had apes #1-5 natural in the hospital...it seemed to hurt more there than at home.

forgot to add some more ideas for making ends meet.....We sell on ebay,raise bunnies to sell to pet shops and do craft fairs when we can..also do hold garage sales 1-2 times a year and do a little freelance work for craft magazines...hey Dee!...i should be hearing from them soon..sent out those designs a litle over a week ago. wish me luck b/c it's chicken one day and feathers the next!

LOL Debra, can't wait to hear they accepted them all! ;)

My daughter was born at a small hospital in Wisconsin. They have two labor rooms and two recovery rooms. There was one other mom and baby during the three days I was there. This baby is scheduled to be born there, also. My daughter's birth seemed to hurt quite a bit. I couldn't sit directly on my rear. I had to eat in my hospital bed leaned to one side or the other.

I could never stand to give up a baby bunny. :( Ebay is definitely not for me. We had one garage sale last year and I plan on having one around Memorial Day. My husband does woodworking but the craft shows have been a real let down so we are getting out of the business. I did try an at home business. I won't say which one but I turned into a money loser.

oh my goodness...wisconsin??? we lived in Tomah, loved it except that the high property taxes and lack of job opportunities around the area forced us to relocate. i'm sorry about your businesses...i know that from what i do, we could never survive on what i make...ebay is a big gamble..had some success but i don't understand how anyone can claim to be able to live off of what they make..unless its big ticket items....the bunny business does pretty well(when the does cooperate) and the freelance stuff;i've had some success, but i've had alot of designs returned as well.....you just have to do what you can to survive...even if you make a dollar profit, that's a dollar more than what you had to begin with....that could buy 2 cans of tuna or 3 boxes of mac&cheese...or it could mean that you have just enough down to the penny to pay your electric bill....sorry for rambling....Dee--if they dare send those designs back-after how long it took me to get them altogether--you're gonna see me having a double donald duck fit!!!!lol. Naaaa. just kidding, but i would be disappointed..hey if the house of white birches doesn't want them, then i'll go over to annie's attic or crafts n' things.

I do know someone who sells bunnies. Some are pets and some are to eat. :( I have never been to Tomah. I doctor at Franciscan Skemp in Prairie du Chien and have been a couple time to the hospital in La Crosse. Not a lot of job opportunities around our way but at least our kids will grow up near my husband's family and in a very small, safe community. My husband has had lots of compliments on his stuff but nobody here can afford to buy it.

Do you have an Aldis store close by? I save a lot of money by shopping there.

twirlingrainbow--I know how that feels...you spend your time making things and you know that they are worth far more than you ask for them, yet people just look. I had some advice from someone who does the craft fairs consistently...she said that if you sell closer to the big cities, you'll sell more, mostly b/c people don't have the time to sit down & learn a craft (don't know just how true that is). where i'm at now it seems that craft fairs are a rare occurrence...i live in a big place, but its all backwards....it seems that I was doing more craft fairs when we lived in Tomah....i hate it here. about Aldis..when we went back for a visit in 2003, Tomah finally had one..I know that Milwaukee did.We've also doctored in La Crosse...that's also where I had my tubes reversed..dr. Paul Silva..he's very good. Well, I'd better get on w/ my day...have alot of baking to do.

Have you tried to cut back on things like your credit card monthly amount? Insurance premiums? Phone service extras?

When we hit a rough patch one time, I negotiated a Visa payment in half for one year. It made a big difference for us. Lower the coverage or raise the deductibles on your car insurance and you could save a great deal as well. I know you don't want to worry about that wreck that MAY happen one day, but it's better than having to worry about your coverage being cancelled if you can't cover it one time.

The biggest thing for us was making all foods from scratch and shopping loss leaders. I would say that I started spending $200 less a month when I focused on saving money.

Go to the library and get a copy of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace or his most recent book The Total Money Makeover. He has a great way of laying out your budget and attacking debt. He also has a radio show via his website - www.daveramsey.com and you can call in or e-mail in your situation and he will advise you.

Subscribe to some of the e-mail newsletters that are available from frugal websites. I get two great ones from www.stretcher.com and I'm sure you could Google many more. If you don't like them or the content isn't for you, cancel them.

Other than that, search this site for some wonderful ideas.

We currently have three credit cards. One we never use. One with a balance that lately I have only been able to pay the minimum and one we pay off everytime we use it. They are in my husband's name so I had him call and see if we could get lower rates. Discover and MBNA were absolutely worthless. Chase agreed to move a portion of our balance from 9.5% to 3% which is better than nothing. I looked into getting a card with a better interest rate to transfer the balance and the credit limit they are willing to give us is soooo low. :bang:

speaking of insurances....we are w/ allstate and we have found that if you have your house and vehicle covered by them, there is a discount for dual policies...also they offer discounts if you have a burgler alarm on your home, if you don't smoke or if you don't have a fireplace...and for discounts on the auto part of it, they have discounts if you take a defensive driving course, have a car alarm and if you have airbags. Living in Texas, the insurances are very high, and the highest rates in the state are right here in the city where we're at...lucky us,huh? But i would look into your insurance and see if they offer discounts.

Also, Allstate used to offer a discount if you had deadbolts on your home.

I would keep trying with the other two cards - if they realize the tight situation you are in, they may be more willing to help. Keep looking for the cards that will allow you to transfer. Even if you can get a 0% for 6 months, it will allow your money to work harder for you and you can pay your debt down faster. Kudos on the 3% as well.

could you survive with having 1 vehicle? would save on gas, upkeep, payments (if there are any) and insurance. can you believe w/9 kiddos that we're down to 1 vehicle??...but we also live in the city..the older 2 kids can walk to work & dh has the van to drive to his work....if you live out of town,it might be harder to have just 1 means of transportation

We have insurance with American Family. We are supposed to have a discount because we have home and autos insured with them.

I have been trying to not drive that much. I drive my daughter to pre school twice a week and then pick her up afterwards. It is a short drive but too far to walk. We go out of town once a week for groceries. I don't think we could do the one vehicle thing. My husband takes the truck to work on Monday mornings at 3am and does not bring it back until Friday or Saturday before bedtime. That would leave me stranded at home without a vehicle all week! :bang:

Aside from milk & other perishables,maybe you could go out of town once a month to buy the other stuff (canned goods, etc.) and do the shopping for the perishables on a weekly basis locally. I wouldn't want to be stranded for a week either.lol.When dh has to be out of town for the day the company gets him a rent a car, that way, the van stays w/me.Have you considered home schooling? That would also save on the gas & the hassle of "having to get there in time"...HS is very flexible and more than likely you would give your dd a much better education..also it would cut down on how many times a year your dd would get sick...saving some misery and doctor bills. We've been doing this for the past 7 years and our kids are very thankful that we chose to do so. Do you use the hair dryer & curling iron?Maybe you could cut down on the time spent using them. I know that I couldn't live w/out either. My hair is where I can almost sit on it and instead of using the hair dryer & curling iron on all of it, I just use them for my bangs and let the rest dry on its own, also instead of expensive hair care products to keep my hair in good health, I apply a little olive oil on the ends while it's still wet(it doesn't turn out greasy..trust me)..I can find olive oil at the dollar tree store here for $1. I'm just throwing ideas out here for you as they come to mind. In the art of frugality, you just have to see what works for you and what doesn't...some of these suggestions may help you, but others you may find,won't meet your families needs. A book that really got me started is the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. This lady has 6 kids and she is incredible.

I am a very low maintenance kind of girl. I don't get all done up for pre school and the groecery store.

I don't think of myself as someone who is smart enough or disciplined enough to try homeschooling. I do stuff with her at home already but if I don't send her to school for a couple hours a week then I don't get any time by myself. Then I would go crazy!!!!!

I had wrestled w/ the same feelings as you about HS..in fact, it took me 7 years to finally just jump in and do it. I'm not very good at math or chemistry, but my dh picks up the slack and we work together as a family and it is working. We now have 2 graduates; ape # 2 graduated just a few days ago. There's all sorts of support out there...even if there is a neighbor that is a math wiz and could help out over the rough spots. I suppose what i'm trying to say is that at first HS looked really scary to me, but now that we're doing it, it's really not how I thought it would be. As for low maintenance.....so am I...I just remembered when my kiddos went to a school (5 at the time), all of the hussle & bussle...heck..who has time for makeup??lol. I hope that you didn't take the hair care thing the wrong way...I wasn't trying to tie it in w/HS or anything else. Just some other suggestions---stuff that I do---things that I have learned to do to save money anyway that I can...no offense meant at all.