Frugal living for large families on a tight budget

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JACQUE_D

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I would dearly like to hear any ideas and tips for budgeting, domestic skills, good wholesome recipies and gardening ideas. There must be a wealth of knowledge in our Catholic communities around the world. My Aunt, who had 10 children, managed very well, but unfortunately passed away before I realised what treasures she could reveal.
I am hoping that people of all walks of life can share.
Hope to hear from you soon. I will also share what I know. I am a mother of 6.
God Bless.
Jacqueline in New Zealand.
:coffeeread::newidea::signofcross:
 
Never buy anything for full price. It will either go on sale or you can buy it on Ebay.
My wife is the master of making our money go far when she shops. I joke that she can leave a store with $50 in merchandise and they end up owing her money.
 
If you can find the book “The Tightwad Gazette” book, it has a lot of ideas in it. It originally came out in three volumes, but I think they condensed it into just one. It started out as a newsletter, now out of print, by a woman who had six kids. Some of her frugality was a bit labor intensive, but worth thinking about.
 
JACQUE_D said:
I would dearly like to hear any ideas and tips for budgeting, domestic skills, good wholesome recipies and gardening ideas. There must be a wealth of knowledge in our Catholic communities around the world. My Aunt, who had 10 children, managed very well, but unfortunately passed away before I realised what treasures she could reveal.
I am hoping that people of all walks of life can share.
Hope to hear from you soon. I will also share what I know. I am a mother of 6.
God Bless.
Jacqueline in New Zealand.
:coffeeread::newidea::signofcross:
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My bf’s parents shop in warehouse stores, or large wholesale stores. They don’t have young children any more but with social security being cut short for them now, well they have to try and stretch their dollar even further. They like to buy in bulk, lasts them a little longer and they can have full course meals without spending much. They also try to go with store brandnames rather than buying known brand names.

I do that too…I mean the worst that can happen is that it will have a slightly different flavor, but I saved money on the product, it’s not a big deal you know? I like to look at the items on sale at the supermarkets…helps make the trip easier and save some mula!!! LOL

The next thing, I like making things from scratch…Pancakes from scratch, pasta sauce from scratch, tacos from scratch, etc…The flour, eggs, etc lasts a while so I can make pancakes more often, and make plenty for everyone to eat. The pasta sauce can last us up to a week and we can use it with pasta or sandwiches, so it doesn’t go to waste, our tacos always give us left overs and it’s a good way to finish up a week-weekend… Not to eat every day but if you have a night or 3 of left overs then you have a couple of choices to choose from and gives the kids a choice they enjoy…
 
JACQUE_D said:
I would dearly like to hear any ideas and tips for budgeting, domestic skills, good wholesome recipies and gardening ideas. There must be a wealth of knowledge in our Catholic communities around the world. My Aunt, who had 10 children, managed very well, but unfortunately passed away before I realised what treasures she could reveal.
I am hoping that people of all walks of life can share.
Hope to hear from you soon. I will also share what I know. I am a mother of 6.
God Bless.
Jacqueline in New Zealand.
:coffeeread::newidea::signofcross:
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Skipping the convenience food! I love this site for copycat recipes recipes.robbiehaf.com/Copycat.html

Going to the library for books, movies, music instead of buying them.

Second hand shops (Goodwill, all they way!) instead of buying new. Not just for clothes, either. Dishes, furniture, etc. can all be found here.

Canning/freezing what you garden. Fresh herbs instead of buying them from the store. Also, buying local when you can. We buy bulk meat from a local farmer, and in the summer there are no shortage of roadside places to stop and buy fresh veggies and fruits.

Making one big meal, and turning it into three throughout the week. Roast in the crockpot today – tomorrow is hot roast beef sandwiches, Saturday will be BBQ beef. You can do the same with a large roasting chicken – the possibilities are endless! lol

Tied to this is making out a menu. My master plan is to have all our dishes written down and switch them in and out. bwahahahaha That doesn’t work so well, so I settle for a two week menu. I try to only shop once every two weeks. By doing that it cuts down on those in between trips and saves me money.

Lots of people bake their own bread. Me? Not so much. I can’t jump that hurdle. No matter what recipe I try, I mess it up 😛 And trust me, I’ve tried lots!

When do you have to buy big ticket items, buy quality. It will last longer, and that is a better investment over time.

Some people do the Grocery Game thegrocerygame.com/ But I couldn’t get it to work well for me because of where we live. So I can’t vouch for it 😉

Hang clothes on the clothes line from May to Sept. Every single load. If it’s raining, I don’t wash clothes. But I live in a climate where I can do that.

These are a few I try to implement. Don’t always succeed, but I do try! It’ll be interesting to read what other people do as well 🙂
 
I bake cookies etc. Its cheaper and it doesnt have all the nasty additives that ready-made stuff has. I work all week, so on Saturday, I cook about five different meals that would feed all of us and a spare mouth. I make spaghetti bolognaise(cheap), lamb casserole(lamb neck chops), beef stew(beef neck chops), curried chicken, lamb with noodles, and I freeze it all. After a hard day at work, I can just put rice in the cooker and heat up what ever I feel like. Sunday, after mass, husband cooks roast chicken with what ever. I relax. Later on, I use the chicken carcass to make soup from scratch. We have that for late tea with toast.
I shop at the Sallies family stores for clothing, bedding, kitchen things. I just steralize the kitchen things, and theyre as good as new. I grow veges and preserve whatever fruit is in season. We are just coming into winter down here in NZ, and husband works in a timber mill. He brings home all the untreated fire-wood we need.
Thanks to God for the many blessings.
Jacqueline in New Zealand.
:yawn::juggle::signofcross:
 
Look up frugal living online, there are sights that show you how to make your own laundry detergent or dishwasher soap for cheap. Use vinegar and water to clean lots of things. Join your local freecycle yahoo group–I have gotten lots of free stuff instead of buying new.

when i go grocery shopping, I buy what is on sale for the week and plan my menus around those items. The cashier is often surprised how much food i get for the money I spend.

shop at salvation army/thrift stores–some of the stuff is in great shape for cheap. My boys buy their t-shirts and work jeans there–they get very dirty at work.

Buy only what you really need–there is so much that is out there that we think we need, but don’t really need after all.
 
Hi! I haven’t posted in quite a while but I thought I would add my ideas here. I would definitely agree with all that the others have said. We are a family of 9 soon to be 10 and I use all of these ideas. Plus, I make almost everything homemade. It almost always tastes better, it is much cheaper to make and I can make larger batches of it for our larger than average family. You can find recipes for just about anything on the web. Another thing we do is to unplug appliances when they are not being used. We even turn off large appliances at the breaker box and believe it or not, we are saving anywhere from $50-$100 a month in energy costs. Alot of our friends and neighbors have started doing this and they are ALL saving a lot!

Good luck and happy saving!

Shari Clark
 
Teachinmine said:
Another thing we do is to unplug appliances when they are not being used. We even turn off large appliances at the breaker box and believe it or not, we are saving anywhere from $50-$100 a month in energy costs. Alot of our friends and neighbors have started doing this and they are ALL saving a lot!

Good luck and happy saving!

Shari Clark
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Wow, that’s pretty cool, I am going to try that out. We spend a lot on energy.
 
2 good sites for thrifty meals are hillbillyhousewife.com/ and frugalabundance.com/

The latter one is currently more devoted to reducing gluten intake, but her archived recipes are excellent. And HHW has tons of good info.

I would also like to offer up my own (:p) favorite low cost casserole recipe. It uses up leftovers, or takes advantage of specials at the market:
mycce.org/monroe/nutrition/Create%20Your%20Own%20Casserole.pdf

I do realize that it will need “sizing up” for very large families, but the ability to feed hungry people with what is in your pantry can be a lifesaver.
 
JACQUE_D said:
I would dearly like to hear any ideas and tips for budgeting, domestic skills, good wholesome recipies and gardening ideas…
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Gardening advice: gardens may or may not save money. It depends on what you grow and a variety of other factors.

Fruit trees (if you have the space) generally are excellant investments. They take time to establish, but once established usually yield an abundance of food for virtually free. They usually look nice and have nice smelling blossoms too.

If you have taste for expensive foods, gourmet vegetables can usually be grown much cheaper at home. (as long as they grow in your climate.) Fresh herbs are much cheaper to grow at home than to buy at grocery stores. Herbs can be dried too for cooking or crafts–those craft projects can make nice gifts.

Many plants grow very easily from seeds. Other plants are more difficult to start from seed. Learn the difference, unless you want to try growing difficult seedlings just for the fun of it.

Many plants can start from cuttings or divisions. Some plants need to be regularly divided to stay healthy and this is a great way to generate more plants for your garden. (Gardeners don’t always even have space for the extra plants–you might be able to get plants free from friends and family members who garden.)

If you don’t have a lot of space for a garden, vegetables, fruits and herbs can be added into other parts of your landscape or maybe grown in pots.

Knowing what specific plants are likely to grow well in your area can save you alot of time, money and frustration. Look around and see what others in your area grow, paying attention alsot to what grows in the non-perfectly manicured yards.

Libraries are great sources for gardening books. The internet also has a wealth of free gardening information.
 
JACQUE_D said:
I would dearly like to hear any ideas and tips for budgeting, domestic skills, good wholesome recipies and gardening ideas. There must be a wealth of knowledge in our Catholic communities around the world. My Aunt, who had 10 children, managed very well, but unfortunately passed away before I realised what treasures she could reveal.
I am hoping that people of all walks of life can share.
Hope to hear from you soon. I will also share what I know. I am a mother of 6.
God Bless.
Jacqueline in New Zealand.
:coffeeread::newidea::signofcross:
Click to expand...
I work in Accounting so budgeting comes relatively easy to me.
I set aside money from my tax return for expenses I know I will incur throughout the year.
I shop at second hand stores, love garage/ yard sales. I’m a coupon mom. I got a folder in my favorites titled coupons. We have a garden in our backyard, several fruit trees, and some grape and berry vines. I could go on and on.
 
Teachinmine said:
We even turn off large appliances at the breaker box and believe it or not, we are saving anywhere from $50-$100 a month in energy costs.
Click to expand...
Tell me about this, what do you unplug?? I’m trying to think of what we have we could do this with. I’m curios to hear more 🙂
 
My first advice: use coupons.
Second, build your weekly menu around what is on sale.
Third, find a way to use leftovers in different recipes.
Fourth, do not buy it simply because it’s on sale, unless it’s a non-perishable staple (i.e. paper towels, toilet paper, some canned goods).

Here’s a two-main menu plan. (If I’m feeling ambitious I will throw in pork chops and prepare them different ways, every third night):

Get a pot roast and a large chicken on sale, and stock up on the veggies you like that go with each dish below. This is good for up to 9 or 10 days, if you prepare ahead, freeze, and alternate nights:

First night: Pot roast with vegetables
Cut, cube, and separate the meat. Freeze half.

Second night: Baked Chicken (stuffing on the side so a) it will cook faster and b) you can separate the meat without much of a hassle)

Cut and section the chicken, separate the meat into 2 batches, one for soup (off the bone) and one for cacciatore (either on or off the bone).

Third night: stroganoff (egg noodles are good and cheap, get the packaged stroganoff gravy for a dollar)

Fourth night: Chicken Soup with Dumplings (Dumplings made with flour, baking soda, and salt)

Fifth night: Beef Stew (your choice on veggies, gravy, etc)

Sixth night: Chicken Cacciatore (simmer chicken with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and garlic, over inexpensive pasta). Or, bake the chicklen with cream-of-whatever soup for an hour in a 350-degree oven. Serve with a side of pasta or over rice.

Seventh night: Splurge a little. Try making canned salmon patties. Use leftover bread for breadcrumbs. Or, whip up a biscuit-topped tuna casserole in under an hour – it’s always a hit.

Eigth night: Beef Pot Pie - the Jiffy Pie Crust in the box is still under a dollar!

Ninth night: Chicken Salad (your choice on prep)
 
Great question! My husband and I are only on number 1 right now(she just turned 12 months) but we still try to stretch his paychecks.
Not sure where you live, but I live in New England on non-farming soil(more clay and rock). It’s the home I grew up in, so I know what grows and what doesn’t. Basic big-boy tomatoes always do well. As well as beans, peas, eggplant, blueberries and herbs. We spent $100 this year on a good wire fence to keep out the critters, fertilizer, seeds and plants. From that $100 we plan to get anywhere from $500-$700 in produce.
I’ll make sauces or broil the veggies and then freeze them for the winter. Herbs freeze well, too.

I also do a lot of baking. Most baked goods freeze well and one all out day of baking will provide cookies all summer.

And try to bulk up your meals with healthy fillers- grains, brown rice, lentils, beans ect.

And unplug your computers, tvs and chargers when not in use! It really does make a difference. Good luck!
 
What really helps me is NEVER spending a dollar bill. I read it from the Neal Boortz book, and at first, it seemed kind of silly. After enough time though, I realized I was saving huge amounts of money! What happens is that you decide what is really important, and what isn’t (for example, you use a 5 for coffee, get change back, your not buying lunch with that change anymore).

Give it a shot!
 
Ali_formerJW said:
Tell me about this, what do you unplug?? I’m trying to think of what we have we could do this with. I’m curios to hear more 🙂
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I would like to know this too! All I can think of large appliance/breaker wise is turning off the washer and dryer breaker. Anything else? Stove/oven? I will have to go check which breakers do what, but I would love to try this out. With us gone from our home, and only having a lamp on once a day for a couple of hours, we spend about $75 on electricity (our AC is prolly on 82 or something, but I don’t know if it has had to kick on at all).
Rascalking said:
What really helps me is NEVER spending a dollar bill. I read it from the Neal Boortz book, and at first, it seemed kind of silly. After enough time though, I realized I was saving huge amounts of money! What happens is that you decide what is really important, and what isn’t (for example, you use a 5 for coffee, get change back, your not buying lunch with that change anymore).

Give it a shot!
Click to expand...
Ok, I will blame this on pregnancy brain, but I need you to explain this better to me. Do you mean you have like 5’s, 10’s, 20’s in your wallet, and only use those when you need to buy something? What do you do with the 1’s you get back, a piggy bank at home? I use a card (use credit to get points and pay it off immediately, might be switching to check card after reading David Ramsey, and depending on how my bank reacts to Obama’s new cc bill), so for it to work I would need to switch to cash? I like having some cash in my wallet for traveling, but use card whenever possible for the points.
 
Hehehehehe. “LifeisBeautiful” it it’s probably my fault, and I can’t blame preganancy!

Yes, never spending a dollar bill means just that-spending only 5’s, 10’s, etc. And then, when you get the change, putting the ones aside. With the one dollar bills, I put them in my glove department, then at the end of the week in a shoebox! But a piggy band would be fine!

As for the card issue, your right-if you like to use the card, then this is fruitless. But I leave the card at home most days, because I tend to go overboard when I have it.

Hope this helps!
 
Ali_formerJW said:
Tell me about this, what do you unplug?? I’m trying to think of what we have we could do this with. I’m curios to hear more 🙂
Click to expand...
Well, at the breaker box we turn off the stove, ovens, dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer. We unplug the microwave, computer, toaster oven, can opener and never leave a charger (i.e. cell phone, Nintendo DS, etc.) plugged in after the item is finished charging. I have read that anything that uses a remote, such as a t.v., dvd player, cable, box etc. uses “vampire power” because it is waiting to be turned on. Definitely unplug those. The little things such as the clocks really add up too. You can check your meter then go unplug or turn off the breakers and check your meter again to see quite a difference. Some of our friends turn off their hot water heaters and a/c units overnight as well. I had heard of doing this on Oprah one afternoon. We tried it and were really surprised at how much we saved. I am a sahm and my husband’s work has really slowed down so we were looking at ways we could save to make what we have stretch. Let us know how this works out for you.

Shari
 
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