I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed how much prices have gone up.  Just to give you an example, last year at this time, we were able to find local apples on sale for 59¢ a pound.  Now, to find them on sale for less than $1.39 per pound is a good thing.  That isn’t even mentioning the cost of organics.

Everything is like that.  Two years ago, we bought half of a steer and had a freezer full of grass-fed beef.  For almost 2 years, I didn’t have to buy beef.  Now, when I look at the prices, I’m just unable to comprehend how much we’re paying for beef.

And, we all know how much gas is now — which is a driving force to the price of goods.  It costs more to ship, so it costs more to do anything.  As gas prices rise, I know that prices of food and goods will just continue to rise.

While the cost of everything seems to be going up, rapidly, I can tell you that my husband’s pay hasn’t gone up in the last year.  NOT that I’m complaining.  I’m SO thankful has has a job, locally, and isn’t having to work 8,000 miles away anymore.  But, health insurance costs doubled (why is everyone so surprised that happened?), and his paycheck doesn’t stretch like it used to.

So, what are we doing to adjust to the higher costs of goods but the same pay?  Here are just a few ideas:

• Quit eating out.  Lunches here and there are no longer a weekly thing.  Date night doesn’t always equal dinner out.  When we’re planning a shopping trip or a journey, we pack the food we’ll need.
• School lunches have gotten healthier with moderately good options, and our high schooler had been buying lunch more than bringing lunch.  That is no longer on the table.  All three kids have lunches packed every day.
• Consolidate shopping into one trip per week.  We live 15 miles from the city where I shop.  I wait during the week, make lists, and consolidate all of my shopping into one trip.
• Make cleaners homemade.  I make my laundry soap, automatic dish washing detergent, glass cleaner, etc., all homemade.  I spend pennies on the dollar doing it that way.
• Buy in bulk.  I can get a 6-gallon bucket of organic rolled oats for $1.50 per pound, or I can buy them at Whole Foods by the pound at $1.99 per pound.  That’s a 25% savings on something I’m going to use up in a year’s time.  Check prices and see if bulk shopping will save you money for what you need to buy.  The out of pocket expense for a bulk amount is worth it if the you have the storage, will use the product, and can save money.
• Menu plan.  Menu plan.  Menu plan.  I cannot stress this enough.  When you don’t know what to make for dinner and you’re constantly running into the store to get what you need for dinner, you spend a lot more.
• Cut way back on meat.  We’re down to 3 dinners a week with meat.  Rice and beans is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than meat, and, realistically, it’s healthier to eat that way.
• Quit buying convenience foods (I will refer back to the “menu plan”).  This will save you money immediately, and in the long run with your health costs.  Instead of buying it, make it.  If you can’t make it, you probably don’t need to be eating it.
• We do not have any kind of cable or satellite television.  We also don’t have a land-line telephone.  We have high speed internet, Netflix, and a Magic Jack phone.  The cost savings is about 60% if you add in a cable bill and phone bill.
• Buy clothing at consignment stores.  Kid-to-Kid, Once Upon a Child, and Platos Closet are my best friends right now.  I can get good clothes for the kids at a fraction of the cost of new.  Everything from Scott gets hand-me-downed to Jeb, so we don’t have to to buy clothes for him.
• Use cloth diapers instead of disposables.
• Breast feed instead of bottle feed.
• Tell your kids, “No.”  Even if you’re just throwing a new magazine, a new cheap toy, a new book, a candy bar — whatever — onto the belt at the checkout at the store and just adding $5 dollars to your bill, at the end of a month, that can add up.
• Tell yourself, “No.”  Make your own coffee, with your own creamer.  Don’t buy that pack of gum.  Don’t get those shoes, regardless of how cute they are (gulp).  You probably don’t need a new shirt.  Just say no.
• Budget.  Budget.  Budget.  Allow for extra spending to a specific amount and then stop.  Track every single penny you spend and see where you’re over-spending, and where you don’t realize your needs are.  I created a Budgeting Spreadsheet for that purpose.
• We have had to seriously cut down on our traveling.  That’s been the hardest thing, especially since the closest parent or sibling is 300 miles away, and many are even further than that.
• Dig a garden!  Grow your own vegetables.  Save seeds from vegetables you’ve grown and you won’t even have to buy them the next year.
• Walk or use public transportation when you can.  I don’t live in an area that has public transportation, but I do try to walk when I can.
• Drink water or tea that you make yourself.  Quit drinking soda, juices, processed drinks, etc.

How are you saving money in this economy?

Hallee

I’m so grateful for your visit, today.
You would bless me if you added me to your feed reader or subscribed via email.
You can also become a fan on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. I would love to see more of you!