SAHM tips....Money saving tips??

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https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3424
just found this- see post #2

Ok that pretty much answers my question and I guess if I feed it to them then I best not put fertilizer on the grass. Does anyone have any recommendations for an organic fertilizer that is safe for chickens? I wouldn't fertilize but we live in a desert climate and it's hard as it is to get grass to grow and with the wind it blows weeds in all the time so in order to have a nice lawn I have to regularly use weed and feed. Guess if I am going to be a SAHM mom I could get out there and weed it myself!
 
Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3424
just found this- see post #2

Ok that pretty much answers my question and I guess if I feed it to them then I best not put fertilizer on the grass. Does anyone have any recommendations for an organic fertilizer that is safe for chickens? I wouldn't fertilize but we live in a desert climate and it's hard as it is to get grass to grow and with the wind it blows weeds in all the time so in order to have a nice lawn I have to regularly use weed and feed. Guess if I am going to be a SAHM mom I could get out there and weed it myself!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6426926#p6426926
Here's a thread where I mention white vinegar and bleach as weed killers.
 
While I am not knocking careful coupon use..be careful not to get in the trap of feeling like you HAVE to use a coupon because you spent time and money on ink to print them out. I have found that most of the time, generic is still cheaper, or, I don't want to be buying all the processed food anyway nor driving to 15 different locations. Your time = money..so does the gas and wear and tear on your car.

Buy what is on sale and KNOW what a good deal is. Use discount stores like Grocery Outlets, Entenmann's bakery Outlet, etc.

Know where your money wasters are. Do you HAVE to use really expensive razors? What hobbies or addictions can you let go? Starbuck's, smoking, yada yada.

Firsts things first..we buy $2500or less cars. We never buy new cars. Our insurance is $14 a month, our registration like $65. When something does go wrong, which is rare, we can fix it ourselves..it usually is not that hard and when you have to hire someone else, old cars are cheaper to fix. This is the biggest money saver right here. People are always amazed how good our older cars look but if you watch, you can find really well kept cars for so little money.

We don't need multiple cell phones, we don't need cable, we pay $10 for netflix, that is where we watch movies. We don't need manicures and pedicures every two weeks, better half does not have expensive hobbies, nor do I..WE are each other's hobby. We grow what we can veggie wise.

We eat more simply..5 ingredients or less most of the time. Set a dollar amount per meal and stick with it for the most part. Oatmeal, eggs, etc for breakfast, keeping breakfast under 50¢ a person. Leftovers always get eaten at lunch time. We homeschool 3 teens so they clean out what needs to go.

I bake a lot of our own bread and my 3 teens prefer the homemade pizza to the bought.

Find mom and pop places that are fun to eat at that have larger portions that you and better half can split. We love hitting those types of places in town and we have found many where it will only cost like $12 for us to go out together AND we still bring food home for one lunch.

On a side note, we have been in the antique business for about 13 years. We hit hundreds of sales monthly. Unless garage sale hopping is fun, it usually isn't worth it to most people becuase you end up buying stuff you don't need..but thrift stores etc are great for clothes. Just the other day I got 6 American Eagle, Hillfiger, Polo shirts for $4 for the kids - all like new. I haven't walked into a dept store and bought clothes in I don't know how long.

The first and foremost is to ask yourself where the largest chunks of money are going. Keeping these but being happy about saving 50¢ on a coupon ultimately means nothing. Then once you fix those leaking holes of things you really don't need...start working backwards to the other decisions that will affect your income the most, with as little time spent.

As for the work market, thousands of people are without work and looking for something to do at home..it starts with re evaluating what one spends..that can produce hundreds right there.

While ebay can be great...know what the fees are..know what the shipping is..the better half has been a silver level power seller for years. We don't even waste out time on items that don't give us at least a $50 profit margin..our time is worth more than that and when you add up everything, you can easily break even..VALUE YOUR TIME!
 
I am a SAHM and have become pretty frugal -- I think anyways!

I think FoodSaver is a good investment if you use it. I use it for doing up meat and freezing veggies/fruit from the garden.

Grow a garden and can! It saves me on groceries in the winter months, especially. We also pick in season fruit like blueberries or strawberries and freeze them for use later. It takes some work, but it is so nice to have them year round! Last year myself, my then six year old, and then 2 1/2 year old picked 25 lbs of blueberries at the blueberry farm! Make it a family affair. I do frequent the farmer's market, too. It tends to be pretty reasonable.

I buy flour and butter (if a good deal) and freeze it, just as someone else mentioned.

I don't make random trips to town. I go to town once a week and get all my errands/grocery shopping done. It saves on fuel big time!

I shop at Sam's Club for certain items -- baking items, spices, white vinegar (waaayyy cheaper at Sam's and I use it for cooking and cleaning), butter, whipping cream, tea bags, peanut butter (if I am not making my own), laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, fabric softener, dish soap, TP, and paper towel. My thought on Sam's Club is to only buy items there that are cheaper than when on sale at the grocery store.

I cook/bake from scratch on most items. Rarely do I buy cookies, treats, chips, pop, or processed foods at the grocery store.

Think about every purchase you make -- whether it be food, clothing, etc. Do you need it or want it?

Limit the amount your family eats out. We probably eat out as a family about 8-10 times a year.

Pack your children's lunch for school. It is far cheaper and is usually healthier.

Just a few ideas -- I could go on and on. Sorry!
 
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you mentioned netflix for $10; if you have a game system; you can get netflix for $7.99 and it comes through your game system...no need to wait for movies to come in mail/mail back etc..

<3 it!
 
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Several of these things we already do! We have never owned a new car and probably never will. My husband works on all of our cars. He did some work for a friend and traded him the work for a little 92 Accord which gets much better gas mileage than my van so planning on driving it and selling the van.

I have went to several couponing classes and did find that some of these people drive to a hundred different places to get these deals. I don't have the time or patience for that. We have WalMart and Safeway here and that's it unless I want to drive another 20 miles. Our tax is also cheaper here.

I plan on cancelling cable when the contract is up in September. Wish it was up before then. I also make lunches for my kids as it is $3.50 per lunch at school. Take that times 2 kids and it adds up. I do pay for my kids to go to private school and that is one thing I won't sacrifice. I do not have the patience to homeschool. I wish I did but I don't!!!

You sound just like my sister. She is very passionate about being frugal and being a SAHM. Her email to me sounded just like your post. She actually apologized for the email being so long. I didn't care as I was just soaking up all the info.

I know this will take some serious adjustment but I know if I set my mind to it I can do it. I am working on becoming a certified signer for the National Notary Association. It will allow me to bring in extra money according to my schedule so I can work as little or as much as I want and I can work it around my schedule. The hardest part about this is the feeling that I am really letting my boss down. I pretty much run the office and do everything for him. I struggle with that the most but know that I have to do what is best for me and my family.

I think my sister put it very well when she said, "You never hear older people say they wish they had spent less time with their kids. They always say how they wished they had spent more time with them." They grow up fast and I realize I only have 12 more years before they are gone!!!
 

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