On my bed lays a quilt of brightly colored squares, hand sewn by my great grandmother and full of too many memories to mention.  The squares were hand stitched from rags or aprons well used as she cooked hearty meals for a house full of hungry mouths.  The aprons made from a dress worn until it was dirty enough to deserve cleaning.  This was frugality and stewardship at its best.  A repurposing of things with value until all value was gone.   

A more contemporary way of saving is in finding a deal, couponing or stocking up at the $1 section.   While there is nothing wrong with saving a buck when you would have spent more you may find yourself wondering if all that stuff really saves you anything.  Much of my extra time is spent moving all that stuff from one corner to another rather than simply enjoying life.

The Big Stuff

In a world of credit cards and second mortgages, living within our means becomes difficult.  Being patient and waiting for a good deal can often make the difference in what you can afford when it comes to your home, car or the other big things in your life.  For us, being frugal doesn’t mean being cheap.  A realistic look at our wish lists means saving until we can afford exactly what we want.

Food & Entertainment

A Penny Saved is a Penny earned.  ~Benjamin Franklin

When you are living within your means in every other area its easy to allow for over spending on eating out, grocery shopping and entertainment.  This is what I struggle with the most.  The envelope system and sticking to a list always keeps me on track.  Re-thinking our food is another way to live lighter (possibly literally).  Not only is a large amount of the food we purchase wasted and even thrown in the trash, it is often covered in tons of paper and plastic that overflows from our trash cans.  Making smart purchases, buying in bulk or shopping for locally grown foods are ways to save money, increase health and cut down on waste. 

Entertaining Ways to Save

~Using the library is a great way to get free books and movies.  Returning them when you are done helps cut down on clutter! 

~Host a weekly potluck meal for family and/or friends.  It’s cheaper and can be a lot more fun than going out.

~One thing our family has been able to do is turn hobbies into extra cash when we need it.  From harvesting Ginseng to arranging flowers, we have made an effort to add to our income, especially in leaner years.

Not Buying New

One of the best ways to save money is to stop buying things.  This sounds a little too easy but it worked for us.  Making a commitment to stop buying new for a year opened up a whole new world to our family.  When we needed drinking glasses we started using mugs and mason jars collecting dust.  Our comforter became too worn and we brought out grandmother’s quilts. There is so much stuff out there sitting in consignment stores, Goodwill and your own garage just waiting to be used.  We keep a list of things we need and keep our eye out for them.  It does require some creative thinking and time spent in thrift stores but we believe it’s worth it.  We continue to be amazed at how our needs are met so graciously and in perfect timing.

Simplify

Giving things away has become a new passion in our lives.  Not buying new has taught us that if we haven’t used it in the past year, it should find a new home.  We are finding ourselves enjoying more quality time with one another rather than trying to get control over our stuff.   Many things we buy today, especially clothing and toys, are made to be disposable and thrown away in a short period of time.  Re-thinking our purchases to include made to last items pay’s off. Considering the hidden costs to our environment and overseas workers reminds us that just because it has a cheap price tag, may not mean it didn’t cost someone a lot!

The Boy’s Shoes

There are moments that not buying new has been difficult.  It is easier for us to sacrifice our own needs than to ask that of our children.  One particular need was a pair of brown shoes for our son.  Our routine for new needs is to write it down on a post it note and wait a few days.  A couple of days later he reminded me about the shoes and my heart did ache to go buy him a new pair.  After talking about it for a moment we agreed that if we hadn’t found them in a week we would discuss buying some online.

Later that afternoon I was out running errands and decided to stop in Goodwill.  I quickly scanned the store and ended at the shoe rack.  As soon as I turned the corner I spotted a pair of brown shoes.  My heart sped up and I knew that they would fit my sweet son.  The clerk probably spotted by ear-to-ear grin and wondered why I was so happy to be buying a pair of shoes.

My son greeted me at the door when I returned home.  He doesn’t forget things once they are on his mind and I knew he would be hoping I would come home with his shoes.  I explained that through our patience we had been given these shoes as a gift.  God still wants to surprise us with the desires of our heart.  Most often we take that from him by hurriedly buying things as soon as we feel the need.  He took the shoes and sat by himself for a while.  Watching him hold and touch his “new to him” shoes reminded me that these life lessons are the reasons to live with less.  Living with less so we can give our family more.

Having a baby doesn’t have to break the bank.  In fact, bringing a sweet baby into the world can be a time of great reflection that encourages you to evaluate what really matters in life.  How we spend our time and money is a direct reflection of what is in our heart.  The best way to teach your child about matters of the heart, including stewardship over the things we’ve been given, is to make informed decisions.  I’d like to share some ways we’ve saved money while growing our family.

The journey to a simpler approach in raising children came quite by accident.  Before the birth of our second child my husband and I had decided that we would take the leap from two incomes to one.  It became a priority to make some changes in order to make ends meet.  Through my daughters intolerance to bottles and disposables my world opened up to a simpler way of meeting my baby’s basic needs.  Exclusive breastfeeding, making our own baby food and cloth diapering became our new norm and was followed by many other changes in our home.

 

 Feeding Baby Naturally

Breastfeeding

The research proves it and professionals all agree that breastfeeding is best for both mom and baby.  Connecting to your child while providing the absolute best nutrition makes breastfeeding rise above all options for feeding your little one.  Whether you plan on being with your baby from first breath to first steps or if you will be returning to work in a couple of months you can make breastfeeding work for your family. Finding the right help at the right time is most important. 

 

Finding Support for Breastfeeding…

La Leche League Meetings-Second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-7:45 @ the ALIVE Center

The Medical Center (Breastfeeding Classes and Lactation Consultants)-Contact the Medical Center’s OB Patient Educator at (270) 796-2495 or the Baby Hotline at (270) 796-BABY

TJ Sampson (Breastfeeding Classes and Lactation Consultants)-Contact the OB Educator at 270-651-4295

Barren River District Health Department (Breastfeeding Support, Breast Pumps, Peer Counselors, Classes)-Call (270) 781-8039

 

Starting Solids

We are not the absolute healthiest family in town.   It’s true that we’ve been caught driving through a fast food place a time or two! But creating healthy habits early will encourage your child to eat healthy for the rest of their lives.  Making your own baby food is the best way to ensure that your little one has a nutritious, gentle start to eating.  It’s quick, easy and very frugal!  You will probably find that serving up healthy choices to baby encourages the rest of your family to eat more fruits and veggies!

1.     When starting solids you should keep in mind that breast milk (or formula) is nutritionally complete and continues to be babies main food source.

2.     Avocados make the perfect, portable first baby food.   Their creamy texture and excellent nutrition are ideal for baby’s first bites.

3.     Ground or blended beans and brown rice make excellent additions to baby’s first foods.  They are much more nutritional than boxed, flakes of rice.

4.     Once baby gets a feel for eating solids you can consider adding some color such as peas, squash, and sweet potato.  Simply cook the fruits and vegetables down, blend and freeze in ice cube trays.  Store food cubes in a zip loc bag for convenient portions as you need them.



Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are making a comeback.  And these aren’t the diapers of the past held together with giant pins and a plastic cover!  These are diapers with style, convenient to use and will save you money.  I’ll be first to admit that cloth diapers can be a little overwhelming.  If you are interested the best thing to do is just start trying them! 

There are a lot of options out there and you may want to research what is available and try one of each style of diaper.  We have chosen to go with pocket diapers because they are easy to use (go on like a disposable), dry quickly, and you can stuff them with extra absorbency for naps and bedtime.  They also have a great resale value, yes; you can make money on your cloth diapers!  My favorite place to buy and resell diapers is www.diaperswappers.com 

 

Our Cloth Diaper Collection

21 Pocket Cloth Diapers (allows us to go several days between washes)

30 Wipes (baby washcloths)

1 Large Wet bag (for storing dirty diapers)

2 Small Wet bags (for storing during outings)

Detergent (we use ALL Free & Clear or Charlie’s Soap)

 
Reflections from a Dad
By Ben Kickert

A year and a half in, we are very happy with our decision to go with cloth diapers over disposable. We occasionally use disposable diapers, like when we travel, but have never run into any problems. Early on I thought the extra work of cloth (stuffing diapers, washing them, etc.) would get cumbersome, but that is not the case.

Whether you are on a tight budget and need to save some money, or you are an environmentally conscious consumer, I think you will find cloth diapers are worth the investment and in the end provide the best option for diapering.
 

Everything Else

Have you seen the TV shows where homeowners flip their houses in order to make money and become debt free?  That is what we do with all of our baby and children’s things.  We sell one season’s clothes, toys and other items in order to buy the next (saving only the best items for the next child). I have learned to buy low and sell high, and to only buy what we need! Interested in making this work for you?  Become involved in a wonderful consignment sale and doing something good for the community at the same time.  The Lil’ Angels Attic sale is a great place to sell your like new items, get excellent deals and 30% of the proceeds benefit children’s charities right here in southern Kentucky.