Search results matching tag 'expenses'

Watching the lessons learned come to life!

Millers Grain House — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Sometimes we wonder if this frugal lifestyle of homesteading has been worth all the hard work. It isn't easy and it isn't typical. However, the fruits of our labor may not always be measured in income vs. expense, but in lessons learned as we watch our own children coming into adulthood.

Yesterday I had the joy of combining a business trip (an hour and a half away to pick up supplies which took all of 8 whole minutes) with a 'Girls Day Out' with our adult daughters. These are the two women in my life that I love to spend time with the most!

We sat at Olive Garden and had a nice, calm lunch. We talked of ideas, crafts, and plans and of course, boys. That was a treat! They voluntarily, as they usually do, ordered water and split a meal. The whole thing cost less than $20.00 for the three of us.

We then window shopped all the way home. We stopped at Pier One, Michaels, Target and more....just looking, oooing and aaahhing and loving being together. We went in all the shops that Daddy and brother would have said - "Uh, what? No WAY!" to... and browsed, dreamed and giggled (when I dropped little smelly bouncy balls all over the floor and had to scramble to pick them up).

I watched them from afar, pointing and calling each other over, often taking pictures of things they wanted to have in their own homes some day (special plates, lamps, art work), cataloging what they 'liked' so they could find it at a yard sale or someplace used. They looked at items from all angles to see how they could make it themselves. They conversed as the best of friends with each other and with me, Mom......not just mother, but friend.. .

Seeing how they choose to live and think as adults fills me with great respect for both of them. It gives me pause to realize that being frugal has not deprived them of anything, but in fact has empowered them to not feel the need to ‘fit’ into the status quo of consumerism and frivolous spending, just to find security in who they are. These two newly adult women are showing signs of lessons learned and better yet, lessons enjoyed and embraced!

Donna Miller is an author, teacher and work-from-home wife and mother with three home-school graduates. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.

Expenses...

Hofmama — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:04:00 GMT

Every career has its own expenses. For me, some of the more substantial ones include:

*Bar dues

*Malpractice insurance

*Suits

*Marketing

Unless you're a lawyer practicing solo, your list looks a little different, but the principles behind cutting those expenses probably aren't. Some expenses (for me, bar dues) are pretty well set in stone. If they're a non-negotiable necessity (which keeping my bar membership active is, just like keeping one's driver's license current is for a trucker), all you can really do is sigh and stick it in the budget. But those immutable expenses are the exception, not the rule, I've found.

Instead, I find that most things you need, even for your career, can be gotten more cheaply, or even done without. It's just a question of what you're willing to do to save that money.

Ex: malpractice insurance. Even in KY, there are at least two providers who would LOVE to take my premiums...and this is the way with most products/services that you're going to need in this life. Yes, it takes more time to shop around and get quotes, but the $250/year I save makes it worthwhile to my mind! A lot of things come down to that choice, it seems: do you spend more money or do you spend more time to get what you need? For me, it's usually a pretty easy choice: I do the math. Let's say you earn $10/hr. If it takes you 45 minutes to find a way to cut your bill by $20, it's completely worth it to invest the time. On the other hand, if you make $10/hr, it's probably better to buy a new $10 shirt instead of spending 3 hours trying to fix the one you already have (in case you can't tell from that example, I am a genuinely awful seamstress).

Suits (and clothes in general) seem to be one of those categories where people easily transform a need into a want, much like food. Yes, you need clothing, and if you happen to be a litigator, like I am, you need suits. What you don't need is the latest suit from the runways of Milan (just like you business casual folks don't need the coolest, fanciest thing on the rack either). If you're a suit-wearer, find a good tailor, and then take any nice but too big suit you can find (Goodwill, garage sales, hand-me-downs) and your tailor can make you look like a million bucks. I have ten suits, for which I paid a total of $200 with tailoring. Especially women. Hate to tell you girls, but even if you lost that last ten pounds, clothes off the rack would still look awful and fit funny. Even for biz casual clothes, I think a good tailor is worth his/her weight in gold. Plus, a couple of beautifully tailored outfits are much less expensive than a bunch of ill-fitting clothes, even cheapies.

Marketing is key for any working person, even those who have traditional 9-5 jobs. The most important part of marketing you can do for absolutely free: be outstanding in your field, seek out opportunities to show your excellence (volunteer for high-visibility projects, pursue leadership positions, etc), and develop relationships with all kinds of folks. Talk about your work at the store, at synagogue/church/temple, at the kids' soccer games...not in an ostentatious or pushy way, but the way you'd talk about anything you're passionate about. These relationships are the real reason, in my opinion, that those super-involved community leaders tend to also be successful professionals: they have the network to draw on to help them get where they're going, and they've invested the time and energy in the community whose support they need. If you are going to invest money in marketing, think about putting it where your heart is--part of my marketing budget goes to my brother's high school band, because it's a cause I believe in and because the potential clientele there knows who I am. People often want to buy from someone they feel they "know." And a little goes a long way with local organizations, too.

Having a career has expenses, but they don't have to break you, as long as you're thoughtful about it.

2008 Challenge Ideas

Brandy — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:50:31 GMT

I am making a list and checking it twice, gunna find out who's saving or not
The challenges are coming to Dollar Stretcher community
I see you when you're reading, I know when you're logged in
You better save some money, you better not waste
The challenges are coming to Dollar Stretcher Community

Ok, that just proves I drink far too much coffee, lol! I am indeed making my lists for topics to cover in the upcoming year. What challenge ideas would you like to see presented?

Re: Tracking expenses

joan of ark — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:36:03 GMT

I hate writing everything down. Money or points for weight watches! I find the best way for me is to cash my grocery ck for the week $100 ( that feeds the 10 of us) and then as I spend I put the receipts back in the envelope with the remaining money from the bank. I can see what I spend by the receipts and if I'm styaing on budget by how much cash I have left. The goal is to not spend it all. Lately I've only gotten $90 in bills and $10 in a roll of state quarters. I'm trying to save better and I hate to spend my quarters :)

blessings, joan of ark