Stop Overspending and Wasting Money
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With the busy and mostly expensive December month over, it is time to get back on track with our finances. Because as homemakers, it is our job to stay on top of our budgets. Whether that means you are in charge of keeping track of it all, or just the budgets for groceries for example, you need to be good stewards of what you have been given. So let’s discuss 5 ways to stop overspending and wasting money and focus on being good stewards.
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Okay, so let’s talk about some ways we can reduce the amount of money we spent and focus on being good stewards of the home and budget.
- Create a budget: One of the most effective ways to stop overspending is by creating a budget. There are many ways in which you can do this, but one of my favourite people (and budgeting methods) to follow is the Budget Mom. She has a really simple yet effective way to budget. What I love about her method is that she focusses on still having fun. Yes, you might need to stay within a certain budget, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use a small amount for fun things like getting an ice cream cone with the kids or having fresh flowers on your table each week.
- Plan your meals: As homemakers, this is probably something you have heard many times before. Meal planning is an amazing way to stay on top of your budget, but it also saves you a ton of time and stress. One of the things to do when you meal plan, is make sure you use certain ingredients in more than one recipe. So do you need carrots in Monday’s dinner? Try using the rest of that bag of carrots in another dinner, for breakfast or bake a carrot cake. This reduces the amount of waste and reduces the amount of things you need to buy. Win, win! I actually wrote a whole blogpost about this before, so be sure to read that if you need more help.
- Shop mindfully: Once you start going to stores, make sure you think about what you buy. It can help to think about these questions: Do I really need it? Did I budget for this? Can I find it cheaper somewhere else?
One area this is extremely important in, is online shopping. It is so easy to just check out and before you know it you bought a bunch of things on credit. You didn’t budget for it and now you start getting into debt, which is never the best option. - Find frugal alternatives: Just because you need to stay within a budget, doesn’t mean you cannot buy quality things! It just means you can have fun looking for cheaper alternatives! So go to thrift stores more often, try to repair things before going to the store and look for discounts whenever you can. We love to look for good deals when we need something new.
- Be grateful with what you have. Maybe the most important one of all: Be grateful with what you already have. You don’t always need new things to be ‘happy’. Do you have a phone that works, great! Don’t go into credit just because you want the newest iPhone! Hole in your sweater? Learn how to fix it instead of purchasing a new one! These are important skills for homemakers to learn!
So as homemakers, we can and need to focus on how we spend our money. We can stop overspending and focus on being good stewards. Because God wants us to be good stewards of what we have, both money and things. Do you have a car? Take good care of it, do regular oil changes, etc. Be a good steward of all God has blessed you with!
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