Make Do Or Do Without

 

I think everyone just about now is feeling the pinch of inflation and the rising price of just about everything. Although we have a handful of well-off friends and family who are generally padded from these monetary increases in the price of goods and services, a large majority are just regular, single income families with more than a few mouths to feed who already may have a tight budget. It can be tough to absorb these incremental hikes, and for some it literally is the difference of which bill to pay this month, or what thing in their house they have to sell to make ends meet. 

I'm generally not a fan of the "10 Money Saving Ideas" fluffy articles out there, but for a changeup I'm offering some of the pragmatic things our family has tried to implement to stay within our means. I'll try to gear it towards ordinary families (so nothing too off the wall, like "Just ride a bike everywhere!" or "Live in a van!" Hopefully you'll find them useful.

Energy

Our electric company just sent out a notice that our rates will be increasing 8% starting June 1st. Just in time for summer, yay! 

I will say, though, it's a bit of a game for me when I get the "how you compare to your neighbors" emails each month. In our state, our electric is 14 cents per kilowatt-hr (before the increase, a pretty average rate for all of the U.S.), and the average monthly bill is $161/mo for an average 1,141 kwh per month usage. In the email I get, "All Neighbors" with a comparable 2,000 sq ft house average 1,021 kwh per month, and the "Efficient Neighbors" average 639 kwh. And then there's us, coming in at 513 kwh per month, which is 20% less than the most efficient neighbors. We have an electric range and an electric hot water heater (no natural gas line), and heat our house with oil. So, there a few things we do to keep our average electric bill around $80/month:

-LED BULBS. When we moved in seven years ago, our electric company had an incentive program for CREE LED bulbs, which at the time were pretty expensive but had a lifespan of 25 years with average use. I think I got them for $4 each with the incentive program, but other manufacturers have brought the price way down (you can get them at the dollar store now for a buck a piece, though the lifespan is not as long). Some people complain they "don't like the harsh light," but that's not a result of incadescent vs CFL vs LED, but the wavelength of the light, measured in kelvin. You want a "soft white," which is generally around 2,700K. If you get the 5,000K or above ("daylight"), it's more like a harsh growlight, and I don't find them very relaxing. But for the 2,700K LED bulbs, it's hard to tell a difference between them and incadenscents of the same wavelength. They use a fraction of the electricity and last easily 20 times as long. I replaced every bulb in the house, and believe me, my kids are not good about turning off lights! This has saved us a lot on electricity.

-CLOTHES DRYING. 20 years ago I found a "butterfly" drying rack out to trash, and we have been using it ever since. They are about $15 or so for this style. We have an older but workhorse top-load washer (so, not an energy-efficient front loader) I bought used on Craigslist for $50 (more on this later), and the rack can handle an entire load of laundry. We actually have two racks now, so if we happen to do two loads we can hang both loads at the same time. In the past, I have used clothes lines, but I found sometimes it would rain, or the birds would poop or whatever, and so we have a lot more control with the racks inside. We do have a dryer, but we almost never use it. Clothes dryers are huge energy hogs (using about 3,000 watts on average), so this takes a big bite out of our electric bill. Generally, we will do a load of laundry a few times a week in the late afternoon, and hang the laundry on the rack (which takes about 5 minutes, and is kind of relaxing). By morning, they are dry (no joke). I know a lot of big families do a lot of laundry, but hanging clothes is still doable if you do a load every evening, hang it, and by morning it is dry. Clothes last longer, you don't have to worry about your dryer wearing out, and I find the clothes don't shrink either. Oh, and we make our own powdered laundry soap with borax, washing soda, and dove soap in the food processor. A penny a load, and no detergents. Works great. Always wash on cold setting--makes no difference for getting clothes cleaner if you use "warm" or "hot" setting. 

-RINSING DISHES, WASHING HANDS, SHOWERS, ETC. We have a dishwasher, that does require hot water, but not a ton. It saves a good amount of water over hand washing; we don't generally pre-rinse dishes, just throw them in, I just make sure to clean the dishwasher filter periodically. I get powdered dish detergent at Walmart pretty cheap (not worth making your own) and it works great. When we do rinse pots and pans, I always use cold water. Same for washing hands, etc. For things like that, the time it takes for hot water to get to the tap, it doens't make sense to run the hot faucet because you're just drawing it away from the water heater before it leaves the tap, wasting electricity. For showers, I did replace one of our showerheads with a low-flow (but very strong) 1.5 gallons per minute showerhead for about $10. This saves hot water, which saves electricity. Well worth it, and for some of the better ones there is no discernable difference between that and a 2.5 gallons per minute showerhead. Personally, I like to take cold showers in the evening to cool off in our master bath (which doesn't have a low-flow showerhead)...I realize it's a matter of a few cents, so not a huge deal, but it does prolongue the life of our water heater too. 

-AIR CONDITIONING. We are fortunate that our home is from 1957, but designed in a way that minimizes energy losses. Part of the first floor is half below grade (split level), so even when it's 90 degrees  outside the downstairs stays around 73 or so. The upstairs three bedrooms are a little warmer, but the tough one is our master bedroom, which is directly below the roof (it was an addition) with skylights that help in winter to warm, but can be brutal in summer since they are south facing. Ideally, I would put 90% UV shadecloth over the exterior of them, which can make a huge difference, but necessitates getting on the roof which is a pain. As a compromise, I put them up with suction cups on the inside, and it still lets a lot of light in but cuts a good bit of heat. We have central air, which we run when it gets really hot mid-summer, but I generally don't turn it on until July, and even then I set the thermostat to 80. Believe it or not, your body does acclimate. We also use a box fan to blow directly on us while we sleep, which helps a lot too. I do have a portable AC unit (window units are much better efficiency wise, and cheaper, but our windows don't raise up enough to allow one, so I had to go the portable AC route). This allows us to just cool our room when we sleep to take the edge off, and since our central AC unit is 20 years old, it keeps us from having to use it too much and cooling the whole house when really it's only our bedroom that gets hot. If you do have central AC, or even window units, be sure to clean the screens at least once before the start of the season, so they don't get clogged and bog down the unit. When we are not running AC, it helps to have a dual-fan window fan and set one to exhaust and one to blow in, with the windows open in the evening when it is cooler. This exhausts the warm air and brings in cooler air. Then during the day, you close the windows to trap the cooler air in, and open them again and run the fan in the evening. Obviously, if it's 80 degrees outside in the evening, it won't help much, but from May-July and late August to end of September in our region, it keeps us from using the AC.

CAST-IRON/INDUCTION COOKTOP. I love cast iron (see why, here), but a cool bonus feature is you can use an induction cooktop with it, which heats by magnetism. It keeps the kitchen much cooler in summer than the range, uses a fraction of the electricity, and heats up food twice as fast. I got a single burner unit for something like $35. Works great and, again, prolongues the life of our electric range.

Food

We have a ten year old boy, a nine year old girl, and a four year old boy, plus my wife and I. I try to hit Aldi once a week, and my bill ranges from $100-$120. My kids do love snack-type stuff, and I find Aldi is very reasonably priced for these things. Milk, sugar, eggs, flour, etc...they are no cheaper than your average super market. We try to eat a healthy, balanced diet, but are not super-health conscious. 

One of the things I picked up years ago is cooking a lot of developing-world recipes. So, Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, African, Indian. I typically get good Basmati or Jasmine rice in at least 10 pound bags. I also buy dried beans, and we have an Instantpot that is great for cooking batches of beans and chickpeas. Lentils are good protein (I prefer red lentils). Also barley, quinoa or millet, and textured vegetable protein (TVP) is a good "bulker" for chilis and stews. I buy bushels of tomatoes at the local orchard that are 2nd quality (can hardly tell, though) for $12 a bushel and freeze them whole. We did inherit a chest freezer from my father in law when he passed, so will probably have more capacity to store them in the future. Same goes for 2nds apples, peaches, potatoes, peppers, zuchini, eggplant, etc. Good to eat seasonally, but when you can't, freezing can help to get you through the winter. 

My garden is an exercise in futility, so I can't brag about massive crops of things, since the deer, woodchucks, and squirrels seem to foil my well-laid plans each season. Every single Asian pear this year got plucked before they had a chance to please me. We did harvest a good amount of asparagus, which comes back each year without planting for 25 years, and grows quickly early in the season. If you have a garden, just consider it a bonus, not something to count on, and then you won't be disappointed like me. 

We eat meat, but not a lot, and not every day. Nothing against it, it's more of an economic decision. I'll get chicken breasts for 99 cents a pound and freeze them; hamburger sometimes, an occasional steak. But if we do have meat, it's not big portions. We try to supplement with potatoes (sweet and white), rice, vegetables, etc. Cook at home. It will save you a ton of money. We do have to reign in the convenience Chik-fil-a and Wawa when my wife is running around with the kids. That can add up. Death by a thousand cuts. Breakfast is probably the cheapest meal--we do oatmeal, pancakes and waffles from scratch, cereal, grits. I make granola sometimes. Eggs have gotten expensive, but we love eggs. Don't raise chickens to save money, do it because you like chickens. Milk has gotten expensive too, so I've been experimenting with making homemade oatmilk using rolled oats and the Vitamix, and it turns out pretty good, but it's a tough sell for the kids. Nobody wants cookies and oatmilk. 

I know this isn't popular opinion, but much of the American diet consists in overeating. We eat out of boredom, for comfort, and larger portions than we probably need to sustain ourselves. Portion control is good, and periodic fasting (Ember days this week W/F/Sat) is spiritually beneficial, but also has the ancillary effect of reducing consumption. Fasting regularly during Lent I think shrunk my stomach, too, so at the very least don't rule it out as an option to grow spiritually and also trim your grocery bill.

Appliances

A lot of people get taken in by the "bells and whistles" of modern appliances. But planned obsolescence is a bitch. They are made to break! Like I said, when our washer went, I found an older Whirlpool top loader on Craigslist for $50 and hooked it up myself (watch a Youtube video if you don't know how, it's not complicated). It's a workhorse! My parents had a Maytag for thirty years and it was still running when they sold their house! Our fridge is newer, but running strong. I did have it repaired once. We don't have an icemaker (I disconnected it after a water line burst years ago, and so I'm paranoid), or a garbage disposal. When our dishwasher went, I did buy one on sale, but my buddy and I installed it ourselves. I mentioned using the induction cooktop instead of the range, and not using the dryer much. Hm, what else is there? Not sure. Buy used if you can--the new stuff will wow you and appeal to your ascetic sensibilities, but the manufacturers know that, and they make them cheap. Go for nice looking functional. 

Transportation

This can be a tricky one. We just got back from vacation, 800 miles round trip in a Prius--all five of us. We packed pretty light, but it also held a lot. The kids were fine, and I thanked my wife for agreeing to it rather than taking the Explorer (she was fine as well). I know not everyone can do this, or even wants to drive a more fuel efficient car, but it can help if you can. I think electric cars are cool but very limited. Hybrids have advantages, as do diesels. I try to ride my electric bike for short trips and commuting (again, not possible for everyone), and it's a very efficient and cheap way to get around. We don't live in an urban area. Combining trips wherever possible is good practice too. Again, if you are in a rural area, you're getting jacked at the pump right now. But choose your cars like you choose a spouse--wisely. Take into account overall cost, reliability, and fuel and maintenance. Buy used, private party, with cash if you can. You save on insurance (because when you are financing you need to have comp and collision, which can double your rates), and if your cars are older just carry high liability and bank the difference if you were financing to account for getting hit by a deer, or if you run into a pole or something and it's your fault. 

Craigslist

I've been doing this less, but occasionally I will flip furniture I find for free for a little side money, or build bikes, or something. My car gets 50mpg, so I don't mind driving a little to pick stuff up if it's within half an hour. Don't do it if it's not worth your time or energy. I keep my garage uncluttered, so when I pick up a dresser or something, I have room for it, and then list it on Craiglist. I also offer to deliver, which some people find helpful. Our entire house is furnished (nicely) with stuff from Craigslist, some bought very cheap, most free, with the execption of our dining room table which was a wedding gift). Never buy new furniture if you are serious about saving money, especially if you have kids. Old stuff was made to last and can be had for pennies on the dollar. Thankfully it fits the decor of our 1950's house. It is wild how much new furniture costs! You can also sell stuff around the house, with the added bonus of reducing clutter and making a more pleasant living environment. We all have too much stuff! After spending the past week in a nice 2 bedroom/1 bath, 500 square foot cottage, we realized we have a ton of stuff we don't need, and it inspired us to pare down a bit! 

Vacations

Vacations can be nice, but can also be a pain. Sometimes you need a vacation after the vacation (especially with kids!). If you're on a tight budget, day trips are great. Pack a lunch, hit a park or the beach (if you are near one). Personally, I am not a fan of pre-packaged experiences like Disnsey World. Camping can be fun and low-budget, but understandably not for everyone. We did get a pool membership this year for $500, which should get us a lot of mileage (we were paying $1,200 a year previously for a Y membership just for the pool, so this saves us a good chunk of change, since I never worked out there and found it unnecessary). While we were away, we went to a local pond (no charge), and the kids swam and played in the sand. We cooked at the cottage (which we booked for pre-peak rates and it was very reasonable). In the past, we had gone to minor-league ball games and just laid out a blanket, which was fun and free. Get creative. Your kids don't care how much money you spend, but making memories is a neat thing to do for them if you can.

Housing 

Buy the smallest house in the nicest neighborhood you can afford, and location is everything, as the saying goes. Keep an eye for hidden gems if you are in the market. It's a tough landscape now, so I feel for you! Don't buy more house than you need, being house poor sucks. Be mindful of resale value. Don't neglect to take property taxes into account. If you homeschool, school districts may not be as much of a consideration, but better school districts tend to have higher cost houses (but also maintain their value). Get a fifteen year mortgage if you can swing it, or if the interest rate isn't much higher a thirty year and pre-pay the mortgage as you are able (makes more sense with 5% interest rates than it did a few years ago when they were hovering around 3%). Think of what you need rather than what you want, and keep things in perspective. And pray to St. Joseph to ask for his help!

Phew, that was more than I expected to write. Maybe you found it helpful? Remember to be grateful for everything God has blessed you with and give thanks and you will always feel rich--even if you aren't. Feel free to comment!