When we got up this morning and the Farmer suggested a trip, I threw together a quick list, scrambled to cut yesterday’s coupons, and headed out the door. Even with a lack of pre-planning, we did pretty good.

Before coupons, our total came to $100.75.

After coupons, our total was $68.31 or a savings of 43%.

We bought 61 items for an average of $1.11 per item. However, quite a few items when combined with coupons were almost free.

Here’s some of the deals… (By the way, I don’t keep track of what newspaper inserts the coupons came from, but all of my coupons are newspaper, not printables, except for a couple of Krogers’ coupons.)

Diet Coke 2 liter – 5/$5
Since the Farmer drinks this by the gallon, we purchased 10 and used a Kroger coupon for $1.50 off 10 soft drinks.
Final price – 85 cents each (definitely beats the Wal-Mart price of $1.38 each!)

Ritz crackers – $2.50
Buy 1 Ritz cracker, get 1 Wheat Thins free (up to $3.49 value – even though Wheat Thins were on sale for $2, the full value was taken at the register giving me some overage)
Final price – $1.25 Ritz, $1.25 Wheat Thins

Wheat Thins Family Size box – $4.69
Free box of Wheat Thins up to 15 oz.
Final price – Free!

Hillshire Farm Keilbasa links – B1G1 free (store sale)
Final price – $2.24/each (regular price $4.49)

Kraft Salad Dressing – $1.67
$1.50 off coupon
Final price – 17 cents

Kraft BBQ sauce – $1.00
75 cents off coupon (some areas rec’d a $1 coupon making the BBQ sauce free)
Final price – 25 cents

California Pizza – $5
$1 off coupon
Final price – $4 (Purchasing a California pizza also prompts a catalina coupon (a deal that prints out with your receipt))

Hot Pockets – $2.50
50 cents off coupon, doubles
Final price – $1.50

A1 Steak Marinade – $2.50
$2 off coupon
Final price – 50 cents

French’s Honey Mustard – $1.49
50 cents off coupon, doubles
Final price – 49 cents

Dove candy bar – 75 cents
B1G1 free coupon
Final price – 37 cents

Gatorade 32 oz – $1
$1 off 5 coupon
Final price for 5 – 80 cents each

Pringles (large canister) – $1.65
50 cents off 1 coupon (doubles), $1 off 2 coupon
50 cents off e-saver coupon (I totally forgot this was on my Krogers card!)
Final price for 3 – 82 cents each

DiGiorno Flatbread Pizza – $5
50 cents off coupon (doubles)
Final price -$4

Jell-O refrigerated snacks – $2.75
50 cents off coupon (doubles)
Final price – $1.75

Now that the weather is nicer, I purchase convenience foods for those days when we’re outside most of the day or when I’m inside writing and hubby comes in wanting a snack. Lest you think we buy all snack foods, we also got cucumbers (61 cents each), slicing tomatoes (98 cents/lb), cantaloupe ($1.50), Wonder white bread ($1/loaf), cool whip ($1), Campbell’s chicken broth ($1), Starkist Tuna (94 cents), Van Camp baked beans ($1.39), and Quaker Granola Bars ($2).

What deals did you score this week at the grocery store?

Related posts:

1. A Trip to CVS and Krogers
2. Super Savings: CVS & Krogers
3. Super Savings: Bargaining, CVS, Krogers and Bulk Food
4. Super Savings: Krogers, Foodland and CVS
5. Super Savings: CVS

Not knowing how to pay the mortgage or the electric bill can cause a lot of stress. Do you fall behind on this bill to pay that bill for a month?

There may not be one simple solution to your situation, but many little steps can help you survive.

The following posts are ones that I wrote based on our personal experience. They include steps that we’ve taken to make life easier, and steps that I hope you can benefit from.

Surviving on One Income:

Introduction,

Step One: Evaluation

Step Two: Creative Adding

Step Three: Creative Stretching

Step Four: Shopping Strategies

Please let me know if you have additional strategies that you use!

Related posts:

1. Ways to Survive on One Income
2. Surviving on One Income
3. Surviving on One Income: Evaluation
4. Surviving on One Income: Creative Adding
5. Surviving on One Income: Creative Stretching

The first meal we made was Pepperoni Lasagna from Chickens in the Road. (If you don’t read Suzanne’s blog, I highly recommend it along with her Grandmother Bread recipe!) I was a little skeptical about the whole lasagna thing because last time I made it, it was a total disaster. Then I remembered that was in the old house with the strange oven. (Some recipes would be done on time, some early, some way later, making for some interesting meals.)

One change from Suzanne’s recipe is I cooked my noodles. I’ve tried the no-bake noodles before without a lot of success. I cooked the noodles until they were almost al dente, and they turned out perfectly in the lasagna.

The Farmer helped me assemble the layers, and 35 minutes later we had a scrumptious lasagna. I know I should have taken a photo but I didn’t want to make you all hungry. Trust me, it tasted as good as it looked.

After the lasagna came out of the oven, I raised the temperature to 390 deg. I put two whole 5 lb. chickens in my large roasting pan.

I slid some butter slabs under the skin and heavily sprinkled rosemary, thyme, and sage on the outside. In the cavity, I stuffed some chunks of onion for added flavor.

All I can say is “yum!” The chickens turned out juicy, moist, and tasty. The Farmer raved about how awesome the meat was.

So, what will we do with the lasagna and two chickens? We had lasagna for dinner tonight, and there’s a small slab in the refrigerator for a snack tomorrow. I divided the remainder into two portions and froze for future dinners.

The chickens took a little more work. I broke off the legs, part of the thighs and wings. I saved 2 legs and 2 wings for dinner tomorrow night. I packaged the others for the freezer. I took 3 large pieces of breast meat and froze those. Then I divided the remaining breast meat for freezing. The dark meat went in a separate container. I also froze the chicken stock.

In about 4 hours of time and with about an hour of work today, we have 9 meals almost ready for the table. Instead of spending a lot of time each day, I can pull the meat out of the freezer, do a little quick prep, and have a tasty meal in minutes.

Do you prepare meals for your freezer?

Related posts:

1. What lives on our farm?
2. Keeping Food Fresh
3. Needing Some Recipe Help
4. Frugal Friday: Freezer Organization
5. Works For Me Wednesday: Food Question

I paid…are you ready?…$15 including tax!!!! I didn’t necessarily need a jacket. I have a wonderful Lands End parka, but sometimes the parka is a little too heavy for the weather or a too bulky when I’m shopping. Don’t you think this jacket will look great with a pair of jeans? Or over top one of these…

Aren’t those sweaters the cutest? I love the colors! There’s 5 sweaters, one tank top, and a nightgown (it isn’t in the picture). So how much did I pay? The cheapest item was $2.49, the most expensive was $7.49. Brand new!

I’m really excited because some of my sweaters are looking ratty after years and years of wearing or buying used. Seriously, I’ve had some of my sweaters for about 10 years. I didn’t think anyone noticed, but when I told the Farmer that I bought new sweaters, he cheered! LOL

So, by now you’re probably wondering how this is Super Savings…

If I would’ve bought everything at full price, my total would have been just under $350! Yipes! My total…drumroll please…was $57! Woot! That’s a savings of about 84%!

Now to clean out the closet and get rid of those ratty sweaters.

Related posts:

1. Super Savings of the Week: Cheap Travel
2. Super Savings: Krogers, Foodland and CVS
3. Super Savings: Bargaining, CVS, Krogers and Bulk Food
4. Super Savings: CVS, Kroger, Wal-Mart
5. Super Savings: CVS Trip #2

Before we moved into our new house, we had an over-the-refrigerator freezer. That freezer and I had a love/hate relationship. My toes, in particular, hated it. Somehow, no matter how hard I tried to avoid it, I could open the door and something frozen would fall on my foot. Ow!

I battled that war for about a year or so until I came up with a great solution – besides wearing steel-toed shoes.

My other problem with the freezer was I never knew what was on the bottom of the pile or in the very back. I would get frustrated with taking everything out of the freezer to find one thing. And usually during an emptying episode I would find something that was well past its prime and had to be thrown away.

So what was my solution? Home improvement stores and Wal-Mart sell small, free-standing wire shelves. Their purpose is to expand storage capacity in cabinets, which is why I originally bought a couple.

One day I realized that I could use the same shelf in my freezer! Since the shelves are wire (metal) I didn’t have to worry about them cracking etc.

The simple addition of a 12 in x 6 in shelf in the freezer offered tons of organization! I put my frozen meat underneath the shelf since the meat was the heaviest. On top I put frozen vegetables and some other miscellaneous items like cartons of ice cream. Next to the shelf I still had open space where I was able to put larger items. Honestly, it was like my freezer capacity doubled.

I could open the door, see 90% of what was in the freezer, and efficiently take out what I needed. I didn’t have to worry about items spoiling or buying something I already had because I could see what was in there at a glance.

While the shelf probably cost about $5, I’m sure it saved us far more in the long run.

For more Frugal Friday ideas, click here.

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Don’t miss out on my giveaway this week!!!

Related posts:

1. Frugal Friday: Homemade Pet Food
2. Frugal Friday: Organized Coupons
3. Keeping Food Fresh
4. Works For Me Wednesday: Food Question
5. What’s cookin’?

I haven’t shopped at CVS in a couple of months because we haven’t needed anything. However our stockpile is getting low and I wanted to start again. This week was perfect because the larger ECB (CVS money) items were something I could use – chocolate and laundry detergent.

Because I haven’t shopped at CVS in awhile, I didn’t have any ECBs to use initially. I purchased the above items in 3 transactions, starting with the deal that would give me the most ECBs.

Transaction #1: Buy $20 worth of Hershey’s candy, get $10 ECBs
3 bags Hershey’s Miniatures (18.5 oz each)
3 bags Hershey’s Bliss (9.6 oz each)
1 Reese’s Christmas Tree (needed this as filler because my total came to $19.50!)
Total before coupons: $20
Coupons used:
$1.50 off 3 bags of Hershey’s holiday candy
$2.50 off 2 bags of Hershey’s Bliss
$1 off Hershey’s Bliss (CVS coupon)
Total after coupons: $15 plus $10 ECB earned
Since this was my first transaction, I paid $15.57 out of pocket (OOP)

Transaction #2:
1 Tide original, 100 0z
1 Duracell AA battery, 4 pack
Total before coupons: $15
Coupons used:
75 cents off Duracell
I wish I had a Tide coupon, but couldn’t find any.
Total after coupons: $14.25 plus $5 ECB earned
I paid with $10 ECB from transaction #1 and $4.55 OOP

Transaction #3:
1 Always pantiliner
1 Colgate toothpaste (6.4 oz)
1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (8.5 oz)
Total before coupons: $7
75 cents off Colgate
$1 off Colgate (This CVS coupon printed at the bottom of my 1st transaction receipt.)
Total after coupons: $5.25
I paid with $5 ECB from transaction #2 and 27 cents OOP

I didn’t think through Transaction #3 as well as I should have. I forgot to deduct my original Colgate coupon, and my total was too short to use the $5 ECB. I grabbed the bag of candy and used the extra Colgate coupon too. If I had planned better, I would have added something practical like shampoo. But chocolate is always good.

So all total, I spent $20.38 OOP for 7 bags of candy, laundry detergent (average retail price is $12), toothpaste, pantiliners and batteries. According to my receipt, I saved $42.17. And while the manager was ringing up my transactions, he commented that this was the smart way to shop. He also told me that if I didn’t get back to the store before my ECBs expired, I could still use them as long as they weren’t horribly out of date. (That made my day since we don’t travel that way very often.)

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Next up is Krogers…

I love Krogers for two reasons – they double coupons and allow e-saver coupons (the kind you put on your shopper’s card).

Oh, and the best reason? You can get free and really cheap food! Honest!

On this trip, I scored the following free items:

• 2 – 8 oz containers of Daisy sour cream
• 1 – Betty Crocker pouch potato (with 5 cents overage)

I scored the following really cheap items:

• 3 – Fleischman Yeast 3 packs for 10 cents each
• 1 – Swiss Miss hot chocolate 10 oz box for 45 cents
• 1 – Pillsbury Crescent roll dough for 27 cents
• 1 – Pillsbury Crescent roll dough for 77 cents

Besides some basic fruit and veggies, I purchased diet coke ($1), bread (88 cents – $1 loaf), spaghetti sauce ($1 jar), Kraft shredded cheese ($2), Creamette pasta ($1), Dole canned fruit ($1), Gatorade ($1), OJ, Velveeta, turkey lunchmeat, refrigerated pie crust, Lipton tea bags, and parmesan cheese.

(That might sound like a bizarre list but the only meat I need to purchase is chicken since our farm supplies us with beef, pork, and venison. Plus our freezer and the farm cellar house are well stocked with corn, potatoes, onions, green beans, jellies, and more.)

Before coupons were deducted, my total was $99.36. After coupons? $79.60

By purchasing sale items and using coupons, I saved $51.52.

This trip finished stocking our pantry and freezer so I probably won’t return to the grocery store until mid-January except for a few basics like orange juice and a couple of fresh veggies.

Related posts:

1. Super Savings: Krogers, Foodland and CVS
2. Super Savings: Bargaining, CVS, Krogers and Bulk Food
3. A Trip to CVS and Krogers
4. Super Savings at CVS
5. Super Savings: CVS, Kroger, Wal-Mart

The key to saving money through shopping strategies is to not be brand specific. Does it make sense to pay $8 for a pack of toilet paper just because you like the brand when you can get an equivalent quality brand for $5 on sale with a coupon?

For our lifestyle, shopping strategies cover 4 areas – clipping coupons, shopping sales, reducing shopping trips, and avoiding “big box” stores.

• Clipping coupons. Some people bemoan the idea of coupons – they’re for processed foods, take too much time, and require the purchase of a newspaper. In my opinion, all of those excuses are invalid.

  By spending one hour every couple of weeks clipping coupons, organizing them, and planning my shopping trip, I routinely save 45% on our groceries. That means if I put $200 worth of groceries in my cart, I pay $110 instead of $200. Is an hour of my time worth $90? You bet!

  Purchasing a Sunday newspaper (or whatever edition for your local paper) for $1.50 will offer a lot more in coupon savings. Do you eat out? If not, would you like to? At least every other week, I find coupons for chain restaurants in the coupon fliers (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, IHOP, Chuck E Cheese, Coldstone Creamery, Baskin Robbins, McDonalds). My personal favorite is the IHOP coupons because my husband and I can both have a huge meal for a total of $8. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a meal out occasionally? It’s possible with coupons! (And remember that $1.50 we spent on the paper to get the coupons? Even if we use only the IHOP coupon, the savings of $8 is worth the $1.50 invested.)

  Did you know that stores are now offering “electronic” coupons – the kind that you add to your shoppers card? In the last couple of months I’ve used $40 worth of electronic coupons on my Krogers’ card (that extra $40 sure comes in handy too!). The great thing about electronic coupons? You can sometimes use the electronic coupon plus a paper manufacturers’ coupon!

  Coupons aren’t just for processed foods like so many naysayers complain about. I buy all of our toiletries and household products with coupons. Do you use deodorant, shampoo, toilet paper, razors, diapers, hair spray, etc.? If so, you can save money with coupons.

• Shop sale prices only. This applies to food, clothing, toiletries, pet supplies, office supplies – everything! I have a really hard time paying full price for items. In fact, many times even if I “need” whatever it is, I’ll let it sit on the shelf until it goes on sale.
  Food: Grocery prices have been rising over the past six months or so, but you know what? Sale prices are still the same as a year ago. I’m not paying any more for my groceries now than I did last December. The key to food shopping is stocking up. If an item that you use is on sale, don’t buy just one. Buy two or three (or more).

  Think of it this way – normal price is $2.50, sale price is $1. Technically, you can buy 2 on sale and still spend 50 cents less than buying 1 at normal price. Not a bad option. But let’s stock up! If you buy 5 on sale, you’ve spent the equivalent of 2 at normal price, but saved $7.50 in the long run. (This scenario applies to items that won’t expire by the time you will use them.)

  Clothing: Shopping at thrift stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army are great ways to get good clothing at decent prices. However, my personal favorite is department store sales, specifically the “end of season” sales. I love JCPenney’s $1.75 racks. They offer good, quality clothing at really reasonable prices. The “end of the season” sales usually happen in the middle of the actual weather season so the clothing is completely wearable and fashionable. And, by the way, department store clothing is far superior in quality than “big box” store clothing and sometimes what you can buy at thrift stores.

  Toiletries / pet supplies / office supplies: Look around for the best price on your item. If you know that the cat food is getting low, check all of the Sunday sale fliers for the best price. Don’t buy a bag of food at full price just because you need it. Learning the CVS game comes in handy too for purchasing toiletries and other basic household supplies.

• Avoiding “big box” stores. Guess what? Shopping at Wal-Mart won’t save you money and they don’t necessarily have the lowest price. A little over a year ago, Wal-Mart was the only place I shopped other than an occasional grocery store trip. Then I learned the CVS game, how to use coupons effectively, and how to strategize. Now I save way more money than I ever did at Wal-Mart. Don’t believe me? Read this post.

  If you are a big Wal-Mart fan, I know I won’t be able to convince you in one blog post that Wal-Mart isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Their fluctuating prices drive me crazy and make it really hard to budget. Here’s one example from this past week. We didn’t need cat litter but I wanted to get a back-up container for when we did. About three weeks ago, I paid $6.13 for a 14 lb. jug of Tidy Cats at Wal-Mart. Last week, the same jug was $8.49. What?!?! That’s an almost $3 difference! I couldn’t bear the thought of paying that price even with a $1 off coupon so I left the jug on the shelf. We stopped at the local grocery store for a few items and guess what? They had the exact same container for $6.32, not on sale. Guess where I bought my cat litter?

  Another area of Wal-Mart and big box stores that bothers me is the discrepancy in prices. The indiscriminate buyer may not notice, but a lot of times it is cheaper to get 2 smaller items than one big item. Not too long ago, my mother-in-law was making jelly and needed more sugar. She asked us to pick up a 10 lb bag. I don’t remember the exact prices, but it went something like this… I spotted the 10 lb bag for $6, reached down to pick it up, and then realized that a 5 lb. bag was $2.50. Hmmm…interesting. $2.50 x 2 = $5 for 10 lbs., definitely cheaper than a 10 lb. bag for $6. After that episode, I pay attention to prices a little more and at least 50% of the time, 2 smaller items are cheaper than one big item.

  One advantage to Wal-Mart is price matching especially if it is difficult for you to visit multiple stores. We do this frequently on weeks that we aren’t grocery shopping. However, price matching only works on advertised specials. And you can use coupons on the price matched items, but remember that Wal-Mart doesn’t double coupons like most grocery stores.

• Reducing shopping trips. Is it advantageous to grocery shop every week? Some think it is; some think it isn’t. My personal preference is to do one large shopping trip per month. Our large trip averages about $75 per month, and then during the other weeks we might spend another $25 if there is an exceptional sale or we need an item. Having $100 to spend on a large trip makes it so much easier to buy sale items and plan a variety of meals. And there’s no stress of staying under budget of a smaller amount. Another bonus is that the less you frequent the store, the less you will spend.

  I also try to plan our large trip around a good sale week – typically the 10 for $10 sale. With the use of coupons, I always walk away with free food during a 10 for $10. Who doesn’t like free food?

What shopping strategies do you use?

Series posts: Introduction, Step One: Evaluation, Step Two: Creative Adding, Step Three: Creative Stretching, Step Four: Shopping Strategies

Related posts:

1. Check Out GroceryGuide.com
2. I Went Krogering!
3. Surviving on One Income: Creative Stretching
4. Surviving on One Income
5. Super Savings: CVS, Kroger, Wal-Mart

The next step to creativity is figuring out how to stretch your income. Here are some ways I’ve stretched our income:

• Calling utilities and insurance companies. Are you getting the best rate or the best package deal? Calling your phone company, television service provider, or internet provider may yield you a small monthly savings.

  Back in 2007 when I started my own business, we shopped around for new car insurance. We were very satisfied with the current company, but felt like we might be able to get a better rate. (When we signed on with that company, they were the best rate around.) We called every insurance company in our area and compared apples to apples (same deductibles, same coverage). We were able to save…are you ready?…over $50 per month! In fact, with the savings, we added life insurance policies (something we didn’t have before) and were still paying less than at the previous company.

  Update 3/28/09 – Another example of savings happened recently on our phone/high speed internet/satellite TV bill. I noticed the amount of our monthly bill was changing by a few dollars here, a few there. Eventually those dollars added up. We were supposed to be part of a package deal (all three services combined) so I didn’t understand why our monthly amount kept changing. I called the company and after much discussion determined that the culprit was the satellite TV company. Their prices weren’t “locked in.” However, I found out we were eligible for another deal for the remainder of 2009. With this deal we’ll save $53 month! Add that with our insurance savings from above, and we’re know saving over $100 per month just by making phone calls and seeking the best rates. It definitely pays off!

• Growing vegetables. A summer garden is a great way to have fresh produce for an incredibly reasonable price. Initially the cost of putting in a garden won’t seem practical, but in the long run, the savings and delicious fresh vegetables are well worth it. If you eat organic vegetables, this is definitely the best alternative to paying the high prices in the grocery store. Is your space limited? Consider growing herbs and basic plants like tomato or pepper – all will do well in containers on a patio. For small garden ideas, visit the Garden Vines blog.

• Investing in meat. This option may not be possible for everyone, but consider supporting the local farming industry. Most farmers will offer half of a cow or pig for purchase. You’ll pay for the butchering cost and a price per pound to the farmer, but overall the investment of $300-$600 per year for delicious roasts, t-bones, lean ground beef and more is well worth it. The selection of prime meats (the ones that cost $8+ per pound in the store) will melt in your mouth. Many times the local farmer operates organically too.

  Deer hunting is really big in our area, and venison is a great addition to our freezer. For an investment of time and the cost of a shotgun shell, we have a well-stocked freezer of roasts, tenderloin, steaks, and ground venison. This year to reduce our pet food cost, we’ve reserved about 60-70 lbs of venison as dog food. About two or three times a week, we’ll prepare a cooked meal of veggies and meat for the dogs – they love it!

• Reducing what you don’t need. When it comes to living on a low income, you need to evaluate what you do and don’t need for survival and happiness. Areas to consider are television channels, cell phone vs landline phone, magazine subscriptions, club memberships, and extra curricular activities. Don’t go overboard and discontinue everything. Just ask what is practical for your lifestyle and location.

  In our area of the Appalachians, we have to have satellite TV service because there’s zero television reception. The satellite TV also provides our radio stations since we can’t pick up those either. However, we don’t have a monthly cell phone plan because coverage is very limited in our area. We use Tracfone mainly for emergencies and invest in minutes when necessary. We have unlimited long distance through our local phone company since many of our family and friends live out of state. It’s great to pick up a phone at any hour of the day and not have to worry about the minutes ticking away or if it’s after 7 or 9 p.m.

  As far as magazine subscriptions, I get about 10 magazines a month. Two are professional magazines that I pay for, but the others are all free subscriptions to quality magazines like Hallmark, Rachael Ray, Kraft Food & Family, Country Living and others.

  My husband maintains his NRA membership and receives the monthly American Hunter magazine as a benefit. Yes, we pay for his membership, and it has already reaped rewards on us when we had to take an unexpected trip to Florida earlier this year. His membership gave us discounts on car rental and hotel rooms saving us over $200 for our trip. When we had car trouble a few months ago, we were able to upgrade our rental car to a larger model that was more comfortable for my husband. The cost? Less than the smallest car at regular price. Definitely worth membership dues in my opinion.

When it comes to reducing the things around you, think practically. Don’t get rid of everything. You’ll only make yourself miserable. Allow yourself a few “luxuries.” These luxuries are possible by not only adding to your income, but also stretching it. While the above ideas will save money and stretch your hard earned dollars, the best stretching comes from shopping strategies.

In the next step, we’ll go over some great shopping strategies that will save you lots of money each month – I guarantee it.

Series posts: Introduction, Step One: Evaluation, Step Two: Creative Adding, Step Three: Creative Stretching, Step Four: Shopping Strategies

Related posts:

1. Surviving on One Income: Creative Adding
2. Surviving on One Income: Evaluation
3. Surviving on One Income
4. Ways to Survive on One Income
5. Surviving on One Income: Shopping Strategies

Each family is unique and there’s no cookie cutter solution to survival. Evaluation will show you the scope of your situation. Creativity will show you what you can do to improve the situation.

Creativity breaks down into two parts – adding and stretching.

Here are some creative ways that I’ve added to our income to make things easier.

• Read this article about legitimate work at home job possibilities. (These are legitimate companies.) A friend sent me this article in August 2007, which is how I found my job as a tutor with Tutor.com. I’ve worked for them for 14 months now and can honestly say that working at home is the best thing I’ve done for my family.
• Monetize your blog or website by adding advertisements. Join BlogHer, Logical Media, Google AdSense. You won’t get rich quick from these places, but an extra couple of dollars each month adds up over time. Plus you didn’t have those extra dollars before.
• Do odd jobs. Do you know people who operate their own business? Sometimes they could use an extra set of hands during a busy time. Before we moved to our farm, there was a huge ice storm. As a result our farm was filled with dead, seasoned trees. With a bit of labor, my brother-in-law started selling firewood to add to their income.
• Be willing to trade services. Don’t always demand money for those odd jobs. A friend of mine is a hairstylist. She has another friend come to her home twice a month to clean. In exchange, she gives that friend’s children haircuts as necessary. Trading services keeps your cash in the bank where you need it.
• Consider starting your own business. Have you dreamed of working for yourself? Can you offer a service that others would benefit from? If your evaluation from step one shows that you can survive a couple of months, take the leap of faith and pursue your dream. And, by the way, depending on what your dream is, you can start a business without a huge amount of money. In W.Va., I paid $125 for my licensing and was able to open for business. My work doesn’t require peripheral materials so I didn’t have a huge investment. What would it take to make it work for you?
• Use your talents. If you have the ability to make things, I know quite a few people who make a decent living selling through eBay and Etsy. If you’ve dreamed of being a writer, check out Associated Content, Suite 101, eHow and other sites that pay for articles. These are great sources that provide passive income (money that continually comes in even after the work is done).

In March 2007, I left the corporate world to start my own company. People thought I was nuts because I was our main (and only) source of income. But I wouldn’t have done it differently. I had skills and talent that I wanted to make available to others.

Honestly ask yourself if you or your spouse would benefit from working at home. The dynamics of our home totally changed the day that I quit my corporate job. Are things always easy? Definitely NOT! But the ability to control my own schedule, pursue things I enjoy, keep our home clean and organized, provide healthy home-cooked meals, and work in my pajamas make it all worth it!

In fact, after working at home for about 3 months, I turned down a job offer. If people didn’t think I was nuts before, they thought it then! The job paid in excess of $50K and was work I know I would have enjoyed. The downside? I wouldn’t have been home. Like hardly at all. I would control my own schedule, but traveling large portions of the state to work with the schools meant I would leave home early and sometimes spend the night in hotels. It just wasn’t worth it.

The key to surviving on a low income is to do what matters most to you. If you are performing a job that you enjoy, you will be happy. Things, including your bank account, look so much better when you’re happy!

Do you have any ways that you’ve added to your income?

Series posts: Introduction, Step One: Evaluation, Step Two: Creative Adding, Step Three: Creative Stretching, Step Four: Shopping Strategies

Related posts:

1. Surviving on One Income: Creative Stretching
2. Surviving on One Income: Evaluation
3. How to Survive on One Income
4. Surviving on One Income
5. Surviving on One Income: Shopping Strategies

The first step in surviving on one income is to evaluate your situation. When you find out that your income is being cut dramatically, totally disappearing, or just not enough, you have to evaluate.

Evaluation is the point where you prioritize and decide what is important and necessary and what isn’t.

Immediately after you find out that your income is decreasing, stop spending. Pay your bills and purchase necessities like gasoline. But if it isn’t necessary for survival, don’t buy it.

Trust me, if that bag of potato chips isn’t a necessity (which it probably isn’t), don’t buy it. When you need that $2.50 later, you’ll kick yourself for buying that bag of potato chips for a moment of self satisfaction. A meal out isn’t necessary for survival either.

Don’t be tempted to sustain your life by using your savings account either. Stop all spending for now!

Creating more debt (credit cards, home loan, etc.) to get over this bump in the road is never a good option for the future because you don’t know what the future holds. Did you know that you would be suddenly on one income or have a lower income? Probably not. Be prepared and don’t take on more debt.

Once you freeze your spending, look at your budget. What?!? You don’t have a budget? Make one immediately. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just list your income and expenses. For your expenses, list your bills – the things you are obligated to pay (phone, mortgage, electric, tuition etc.). Skip anything that you don’t owe to someone else.

Making a mini-budget will tell you what money you have left over for fluctuating expenses, such as food, gasoline, toiletries, eating out.

Now that you have a budget, sit down with your spouse and determine how long you will be able to make ends meet given your current situation. Does that fluctuating expense money seem sufficient for your family?

Ask these questions of each other:

• Can we survive one month? three months? six months?
• Will our lifestyle need to change dramatically to survive? (For example, instead of eating out 3 times a week, can we eat out just once? Instead of buying lunch in the cafeteria, is it okay to take leftovers from dinner the night before? Can we carpool?)
• How long until one of us needs to obtain more income?
• Are we both willing to abide by the budget and not dip into the savings account every week?
• Can we cut any expenses? (If you have credit card debt, seek credit counseling to help eliminate this financial burden.)
• Do we need to seek temporary assistance? (food stamps, family help, etc.)

A successful evaluation now will save much heartache later. Trust me, been there, haven’t evaluated, regretted it later.

Living on one income, even if temporarily until a spouse finds another job, is very possible, and it can be done successfully too.

Series posts: Introduction, Step One: Evaluation, Step Two: Creative Adding, Step Three: Creative Stretching, Step Four: Shopping Strategies

Related posts:

1. Surviving on One Income
2. Surviving on One Income: Shopping Strategies
3. Surviving on One Income: Creative Adding
4. Surviving on One Income: Creative Stretching
5. How to Survive on One Income