It All Adds Up ~Three (little) Things I'm Doing to Boost Our Financial Situation

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I mentioned recently that I had a shocking moment of clarity about our finances, casting aside the hazy veil of denial I've been frolicking in for far too long.

I know that I have written before that after my hubby was forced into an early retirement, and I gave up working a "regular" job in order to be his fulltime caregiver, that our income took a bit of a hit. (Thankfully, I am still able to work my Avon business very part time.) We have however, been doing okay financially with only a few painless revisions to expenditures.

Lately though, as will happen with home ownership, I've noticed several things on the verge of needing repairs. Also, hubby has made a few passing comments about possibly downsizing if finances don't improve in some way. The thought of moving makes me cringe. So, I knew I needed to do my part in s̶a̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶!̶  boosting the budget by being a better manager of the money I spend. And more importantly, not spend.

Here's a few things I've already implemented or reimplemented:

•  I began using Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars and Send Earnings  again. It's pennies really but as my children have heard me say time and time again, if you have enough pennies you can be a millionaire! It all adds up. In my opinion, it's painless, passive income, since I can do it while doing other things.

•  I have been putting forth greater effort towards growing fruits, flowers and veggies in my container and in-ground gardens. For the time being, I am budgeting $20 a month towards this endeavor. I plan to weigh the produce I harvest to get a loose idea of the savings. It all adds up. Now I, in no way, consider myself a knowledgeable gardener, so anytime anyone can offer me tips in this area, they are most welcome!

•  Using what we have on hand. Whether it be the food we already have squirreled away in our pantry, fridge or upright freezer, or toiletries stashed in drawers or cabinets. I even have stashes of makeup, clothes, fabric, crafting and art supplies (what girl doesn't? 😉). I also have enough vegetable and flower seeds to keep me busy for a good while. I could go on. But I will spare you. The point is, I need to take a good inventory of our "stuff" and be diligent to use what we have before purchasing more. This usually happens because I've forgotten that I already bought "X" when it was on sale and h̶i̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶m̶y̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ stowed it away for future use.

These are just a few things. There's more that I already do on a regular basis that I have shared in the past (and will probably share again and again ad nauseum!). For now, baby steps in getting back to focusing on frugality. Because indeed, it all adds up.

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ