Living Simply

I shared earlier that Carl's salary was reduced by nearly 25% this fall. It has been good because it forced us to buckle down and be a bit more disciplined about spending. Basically, all of our disposable income was wiped out. I don't always like it...but it is good. I was asked about what we have done specifically to curb spending, and so I've put together a little list.  I'm sure none of it is new and revolutionary, but if anything it may just help you to see that we are all cutting back in some form or another.

 
(sunrise earlier this week)

*I cancelled our housekeeping service. Boo.

*The kids gave up piano lessons, swim team, and gymnastics. We currently are unable to afford any extra-curricular activities. (the kids haven't complained at all, and it is nice not to have to do all the running around.)

*I did not send Laurel to preschool.

*We do not have 5,000 TV channels, just the basic cable package (I could even do without that, but the troops here may revolt if I go that far.)

*We almost never eat out.  If you do happen to see us out in a restaurant with all FOUR of our kids, it is because we are celebrating something or have a gift certificate.

(one of my favorite Christmas decorations made my Emma when she was 4)

*We do not drive new cars.

*I cannot remember the last movie I saw in the theatre. It's netflix for us.

*We are not skiing this year or signing kids up for lessons.

*We make coffee at home and hardly ever buy lattes in town.

*On that same note, everyone packs a lunch. Even Laurel and I take snacks and water bottles when we run errands so that we are not tempted to pick up something to tie us over.

*Apart from short weekend trips to visit family around our state, we do not take expensive vacations.

*I keep the thermostat at 70 degrees (I could go lower but Ian's nose turns into a Popsicle at night!)

(another outtake from our weekend family photoshoot)

*I make a menu plan for the week, write up a list, and stick to it.  Day to day trip to the grocery store just add up too quickly. I typically spend around $150/wk for groceries and make 1-2 trips to costco a month spending about $100 per trip. I also tend to spend a lot less if I am paying with cash.  It is super embarrassing to get up to the checkout and not have enough money to pay for your excess. I've never let it happen more than one time.

*We don't really buy any soda, beer, or wine save for a special occasion.

*Carl's commute to work is approx 15 mins, and I don't go into town unless I have to. Our gas bill is minimal.  We talked about going down to one car, but the bus route near our house was dropped.

*Laptop lunches  have been wonderful for the girls.  I do not miss all those plastic sandwich bags. In fact, there aren't very many disposable things around our house at all. No paper plates, no paper towels, no swiffer mops.

*I make all of our household cleaners.

*I make all of Ian's baby food.

*He also wears cloth diapers.

(Hannah has all kinds of new teeth coming in!)

*I've spent very little on clothing this year.  When I was pregnant last spring I realized that having a limited wardrobe is not a bad thing. I started taking better care of the things that we did have, and the laundry was considerably less. Emma has two pairs of jeans- which get washed a couple times per week.  The other kids have what they need thanks to all the hand-me-downs that we've had in our own closets and also from friends.

*Family entertainment is usually enjoyed by doing one of the following: playing a game, doing a puzzle, taking a walk together, sledding, whipping up some sort of craft, baking, cozying up to a good dvd, taking trips to the library, or visiting friends. We do have a family gym membership that allows us to get out and play tennis, or go swimming.  There are also lots of free extra activities going on at the gym that are open to members.  It feels like we get a lot for our membership fee. (I could do better at frequenting the gym.  I cannot bare to leave Ian in the daycare there...so I haven't been in a long time.)

*Pedicures are done at home with a foot spa and our own polish.  I get my hair highlighted and cut about 3x/year.

*Most of our friends are finding themselves in the same boat this year.  We don't have any pressure to "keep up with the Jones". It is also nice because our kids rarely say things like, "well Sally has a Nintendo Ds...why can't I?"

*We do not have an overabundance of toys around here.  I am loving this concept more and more.  At first it didn't make much sense to me.  I thought, "Well what will they play with? How will they busy themselves." But in reality, (Ian especially) they do so much better with just a few nicely made items. We just got done purging a bit more to make room for upcoming Christmas gifts.

(He is just so yummy)

*I used to have a clothesline inside my laundry room. It broke and I really miss it.  I'd love to come up with something to replace it.  I really felt like it cut down on dryer usage.

*Our power is really, really cheap here.  It is all hydro electric. Our utility bill ranges from $80-$150 every other month depending on the season.

*I didn't do a very good job of preserving fruits and veggies this year-- but next year I plan to do better with that. I may even skip the garden all together (no soil amendments, no seeds, no irrigation costs) and just use that money to buy into the local CSA subscription.

*We eat at least two meatless meals per week.  One night per week we eat eggs for dinner (quiche, scrambled, breakfast burritos, homemade egg mcmuffins, baked eggs with cream, etc.) and the other meatless night is usually a pasta of some sort.

*When we do eat meat/fish is is usually in smaller portions.  For example, there are six hungry mouths in our family, but I usually cook only 3 chicken breasts, or 2 salmon portions.  Veggies, grains, and the now beloved bread fill in the gaps.

(she is always creating some sort of lovely)

I'm sure there is more, but you get the idea.  We aren't always perfect about sticking to our budget, if anyone is the worst about being disciplined- it's me.  But I've slowly come to understand that living beneath your means brings more simplicity and peace. It can be stressful at times, but having less has somehow fostered a feeling that we are pulling together and working as a team to steward the things that we do have. That is worth a lot don't you think?