Living on One Income in a Two Income World: Part Two
© Teresa Higginbotham
Because so many homeschooling families are also one income families, controlling household spending is vitally important. Homeschooling can take up the bulk of your day (why my house isn't all that clean!) but there are some things you can do to cut down on how much you spend keeping your family fed and taken care of.
Grocery Shopping
Keep track of prices--Do you shop at that super fab grocery store because it's so close and so well organized? Pick ten items you buy weekly and keep track of which store consistently offers the best price.
Use coupons--They are a pain to cut out and keep track of but if you can find an item on sale and then use a coupon you really can get something for almost nothing. I get my coupons out and then check the sale pages to see how many "matches" I can get. I have even heard of people going from store to store to pick up the weekly specials. This only works if your stores are close enough together.
Stock up--If you are careful you can find some great bargains by buying in bulk. If you don't have a separate freezer then start pricing them. You can save money and sometimes stretch a shopping trip to the end of the month by using up what's in the freezer first. Eat at home--I am amazed how many families eat out several times a week. Being a home educator and not at an outside job, you can still stick something in the crockpot--even on science fair days. Make eating out at a fast food place an academic treat. "If everyone gets all their spelling words right this week we will take a trip to get burgers." Of course at my house this could take a while. I better use history test instead.
Try to plan out your menus week by week. If you already know you are making pork chops on Friday you won't be tempted to hit Al's Friend Chicken. Make a shopping list and use it. Here are some links for some printable shopping lists.
Meals in a Hurry Shopping List from Family Food Zone
The Frugal Shopper List--One side is the grocery list, the other is a to do list
Not only can you cook daily meals, but produce your own convenience foods. We bake cookies, make our own juice boxes out of recycled water bottles, have a special section in the freezer for homemade tv dinners and try to plan for those days when we are so busy we have no time to cook. Those are the days when it is very enticing to pick up a burger or order a pizza, having something cooking in the crockpot helps incredibly.
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