My Story

I am really new to the whole ''blogging'' thing, but I am not new to saving. I have been doing it for a few years now and I have really stepped up my game recently. Over the last 12 months my husband lost 2 jobs. One he had for years just lost work and wasn't available anymore, and the other was one that he had gotten after he lost the first and it was just a bust! So I was having to live off of my very small stock pile and very limited funds. Our savings account got smaller and smaller each month instead of increasing. I felt helpless. I had a 6 year old playing football (which was not cheap and I had already made the commitment) plus all school costs ( one dollar here, two dollars there). Plus I had a 6 month old in diapers, still drinking formula, and growing out of her clothes every other month. Things were hard. I couldn't find a job that profited enough to pay for day care costs. And my husband couldn't find one that profited enough to pay the bills. And I could always have gone back to waiting tables and he could have stayed at home with the kids but, you can't budget on a waitress's tips...it's almost impossible. We were forced to move out of our 4 bedroom home with a very large lot....to a 3 bedroom home with very small living space. I knew that things could be worse, I knew that I should be thankful for the things that I DID have and not worry about the things that I DIDN'T have, but I couldn't help but be discouraged. As hard as I tried I couldn't be optimistic. I worried constantly. It was affecting my parenting, my marriage, and my sanity. One Sunday, at church, I was sitting there listening to the sermon (as I always did) and as I was listening, I started to realize that it sounded like the pastor was speaking directly to me. Everything that he was talking about applied to the situation that I was going through. Everything single thing that had been bothering me, everything that had been weighing on me was being addressed in this sermon. I suddenly started feeling less upset, less burdened, less worried. I realized that I could only feel these things, if I allowed myself to feel them. I felt empowered. I felt like I could beat this. I knew in my heart that I was going to make it and I was going to be able to help my family. We were going to be ok.

Since I was at home all day, I started spending my ''down time'' online researching different ways to earn money from home. I started taking surveys for a company for new products. They only paid $3.00 per survey, but that was $3.00 that I didn't have 20 minutes before I took the survey. I was couponing pretty heavy, and I was able to turn $3.00 into about $10.00 to $15.00 worth of groceries or toiletries. To me, that was progress. We weren't caught up, but we were not falling any further behind...I would rather stand still than fall backwards, but I would much rather be moving forward.

My husband was doing side jobs when they were available and he even sold he car. So we were down to one vehicle. But I kept my head up. I knew that things would eventually get better. I continued with my coupons, surveys and small side jobs and we survived. FINALLY after 6 months of being unemployed my husband finally got back to working steadily. He has always been a sub contractor but work had slowed down and now it was picking back up. Little by little he was getting more and more work. We were able to go and get him another vehicle and start saving again. Things were definitely looking up.

6 months down the road. I am glad to report that, yes, we are still in debt, but we are moving forward and making progress in getting out of debt. And I have to say, that is a great feeling. Our stock pile is growing and our savings account is growing. Our family has everything that we need, and we have learned to live without the ''extras'' and it is a pleasant surprise when we can snag a few ''extras'' for free from time to time. I feel like we are living now, like we should have been living all along. I mean, why should I pay for toothpaste, papertowels, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. when I can get it all for free?...It shocks me, at how many people spend so much money on things when they just don't have to. The money that they are spending, they could be saving. I use to be one of those people, and I shiver when I think about it.