If you ask me, I’ll tell you that my family is living high-on-the-hog considering we are a one-income household. Without going into detail, it’s important to understand that I am speaking from the position of a homemaker with four children and several pets living on an income that would classify as “below the poverty line.”
It might also be important to note that half of us have food allergies or sensitivities and are limited in what we can eat. Also, I’m somewhat of a health nut and feed our family as much organic and grass-fed food as possible.
In spite of all this, we basically live on less than $30,000 a year. So there it is! Our business for all to see!
As I write this, I look out the kitchen window at a lawn that needs mowing and a broken push mower sitting next to the front walk and wonder how we are going to manage to get a new one. My creative juices flow as I think of places I’ve seen used ones for sale. Maybe the cow skull that I found, cured for free, and painted will sell for enough money to buy a new push mower from the local lawn care store.
You see, though we plan well and prepare for expenses ahead of time, creativity is the number one way to make it on our budget. How do we do it?
First, we prioritize our entire lives. We could not afford to homeschool or live the way we do if we did not give up what we consider nonessentials.
- We don’t have television.
- My husband and I use track phones at thirty bucks each plus fees.
- The kids don’t have phones of their own.
- Our internet is discounted because of a special program for low-income households with students in the home offered by our local internet company.
- Our house is a little warmer in the summer and a little cooler in the winter than the average home.
- Every year we enlarge our garden to keep the organic veggies coming with a very low price tag.
- I’ve learned to can foods or freeze them in a used freezer we picked up for $200.
- Either I cut my own children’s and husband’s hair, or—since I’m not that skilled at it—sometimes I barter with a friend and help her daughters with their homeschooling while she cuts my kids’ hair. (My daughter prefers my friend to cut her hair!)
- We have a credit card for emergencies only. We pull it out if we break down on the side of the road and have to pay for repairs. Then we spend the rest of the year counting toilet paper squares and cutting out anything we can to pay it off as soon as possible.
- We make lists of the necessities and go shopping only when we have the money. (I do consider a “new” toy or book as something essential once in a while.)
- We make it a habit to shop at yard sales and thrift stores.
- We rarely eat out, which is better for our food-sensitive family members anyway.
- We make a month-long plan for meals so we can limit grocery shopping, as well. That’s right, each month the kids and I sit down and think of meals we’d like to eat. We throw in something special each month so we don’t feel like we’re missing out too much.
- When we wake up each day, we already know exactly what we’re having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So there are few days that we are standing with the frig door wide open trying to figure out what to eat. Yes, we deviate from the list at times. But we only have the ability to do so because we’ve got thirty days’ worth of food to choose from.
- I limit grocery shopping to once a month. This keeps me from buying all the extras that I would notice if I were in the store more often. It also keeps me on track with my tight food budget and makes meal preparations for each day easier.
We’re also creative with our extracurricular events! With a little ingenuity and work on their parts, I can provide for my kids and give them things outside of our financial means.
- My kids and I love horses and are blessed to own one horse and one pony. Since we don’t have the land to keep them ourselves, we found a nearby barn that was willing to barter our work in exchange for their keep. This has been a great opportunity to teach my kids responsibility and to show them that they can’t have whatever they want without working for it.
- When my oldest son wanted to purchase his pony, he worked picking up sticks and doing other outdoor jobs in order to earn the $500 his little guy cost.
- My daughter apprenticed under a farrier to trim horse hooves. She trims our horses’ feet herself, saving us $70 a month. She also has a skill she can use to make money herself.
- My son made a deal with his aunt to supply her with 10 math problems per month and to be in charge of keeping our home table and counters cleared and wiped off in exchange for $25 per month, which pays for food and wormers for both the horses.
- As we’ve grown more serious about our hobby, my daughter and I learned to make horse tack and sell it online. This way she has extra money for supplies that she wants or needs for her horse showings.
- We bartered for a horse trailer and looked around until we found a $1000 vehicle to pull the trailer.
- I paid for the vehicle and trailer with money I made tutoring other homeschooled children. Now we can get to 4-H shows and the local saddle club which charges as little as $5 per class—and, yes, my kids pay the fee themselves.
To prepare for living on one income, I kept track of our bills for several years to see exactly how much we paid each month and season for certain things. I bought a little journal at the dollar store and wrote in each month of the year. Then I listed all the bills due in those months. A little math work helped me determine the average amount of money needed per month. From that average amount, I pay whatever bills are due and save the extra. I stuff the extra cash into envelopes labeled for each expense or bill.
For example, when March rolls around, our car insurance is due. I simply open the envelope labeled CAR INSURANCE and take out the appropriate amount for the bill. I do this for taxes and winter heating bills, too. I put a little cash in the envelopes each month. This envelope system helps me easily have the money on hand for every bill or expense. I even have an envelope for incidentals.
You see, it all comes down to creativity
I am so happy to be home with my kids, rocking them to sleep, reading them stories, taking trips to the park, teaching them, watching them learn and develop, and enjoying our lives together. I feel blessed to enjoy each day with my kids as we live on one income.
All the planning seems like such a small feat compared to the joy of being a homeschooling mom.
Lisa Blauvelt (with her family and three dogs, two cats, a horse, pony, donkey, two red-eared turtles, a fluctuating number of tadpoles and baby fish, and various other creatures collected by her adventurous boys) puts her education degrees to work at her home in the Deep South. There she teaches not only her own children but others who come to her home to learn. Her decade-long experience in teaching children to read will soon be published as a 476-page guide for parents.
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