Recently God showed me that, as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom, one of my jobs is as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of our finances. My husband works hard, but his salary leaves us on a tight budget. He absolutely detests trying to figure the finances and bills. So, I do my best ensure his salary stretches to provide for our family of 5 (it was seven, but the two oldest girls have moved on to college).
I began, recently, to look at areas of weakness in my life to see where the money leaks are. Money leaks are those times or places where you spend money without a plan. For me, one of the biggest leaks is at the store. The little area where I live only has a few stores nearby unless I want to drive 45 minutes away. While making that drive a time or two a month to stock up is usually worth it, making that drive and spending the gas money is not worth it for smaller purchases.
The store I find myself in the most is Walmart. The Walmart that is only about 20 minutes from me is just a regular Walmart, not a Super Center. So, groceries are limited in this Walmart. However, I can usually get the majority of the things I need for non-grocery items.
My money leaks come when I just spend too much. Even with a list, I am often tempted to purchase items I didn't plan. And, despite all my cost-cutting measures, it always seems that the total at the register is at least $50. Even on visits that are only for a few items, my total is still $50.
I began going through my receipts to see why I was spending so much. Most of my purchases, with the exception of the times I need printer ink, are for household and health and beauty items. Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, contact solution, laundry items, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, floor cleansers, etc. The dollar for this and two dollars for that add up very quickly. If I go into the store with a list and a plan, and refuse to let myself get sidetracked, I usually can get out of the store without a bunch of extra items. (The key to this is to shop alone, not with kids or the husband. They tend to add to the cart.)
Aggravated, I began researching ways to cut back on household goods. I mean, if all this stuff is adding up to at least $50 week, sometimes more, I am spending at least $200 a month on stuff that pretty much just goes down the drain! Some of it is necessary, but some of it could be done less expensively.
First, I went back to homemade laundry soap. I had stopped using it when we had some issues with our plumbing. I went back to it, however, with the determination that I would make sure all the powders were dissolved completely, whether I used the powdered recipe or the liquid.
Second, I determined to research cheaper, more natural cleansers and beauty products. Discovering that most items in the house can be cleaned with vinegar, water, baking soda, or a touch of Dawn dish soap has truly enlightened me that most of the other things aren't needed. I don't mind occasionally purchasing some specialty cleaners, but I've discovered that the generics at the dollar store usually clean just as well.
Third.... and this one was the most difficult for me... I began researching other beauty products. First, with my naturally curly, dry hair, I came across article after article that talked about how drying shampoo was for my hair. So, I have been researching washing my hair with silicone-free conditioner, or baking soda and apple cider vinegar, or just plain water. It's a scary step when a person has been used to using shampoo and equates it with clean, then has to load on the conditioning sprays and mousse just to control the dry, frizzy mess left behind. And yet, a beautician I know says she only uses conditioner to shampoo her hair, and it has never been healthier! And her hair is thin and straight, not curly. Shampoos often have the same ingredients in them as harsh detergents, and yet it would be unthinkable to wash our hair with Tide. The more I research and learn, the more I see that most of us have been conditioned by advertising to think we HAVE to have certain items, and most of those are so filled with chemicals covered up with perfumes that we don't even realize how dangerous they are!
My sister makes homemade soaps. This was some thing she began this past year. For Christmas she gave us a bunch of soaps. I LOVE them! They don't have harsh chemicals, and are great for my skin. I use them sparingly because I tend to have dry skin, even with the wonderful, natural moisturizers my sister puts in them.
Lastly, the easiest way I have found to save money is to avoid Walmart! Oh, I still have to go in occasionally to pick up items that are more expensive elsewhere, such as contact solution (Won't do this one homemade). Just avoiding Walmart saves me money. For some reason, that store and I just don't get along. My total at the register, even when I add everything with a calculator, is always higher than I plan. My goal is to only go into Walmart (except in an emergency, like for medicine I don't have) once a month, with a strict list. If I can go into the store when I make my big trip to the town with the Super Center, the selection is always better. In the bigger city there are more stores where I can shop around. If I still end up with sticker shock, at least I've limited my run to once a month instead of weekly.
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