Living on 30000 or Less: Raising a Family of 6

Budget Saving Tips on Living on 30000 or Less
Raising a Family of 6 on less than $30,000

6 Tips to living on 30000 or Less

My husband is a disabled Vet, works for minimum wage, and I draw disability due to a heart condition. Until we filed our taxes I thought we were doing pretty well for ourselves. That was until I saw that our total yearly income was only $22,000. This made me think about all of the ways throughout the year we have saved money. I am more than happy to share with all of you some of those ways!

1. Thrift stores and second-hand or barter groups such as “freecycle” on yahoo groups, craigslist, and other local swap, barter, or second-hand groups on Facebook have saved us a LOT! On these sites, we find anything from new shoes and clothes, that simply did not fit, to refurbished electronics and furniture.

2. Coupons, rewards cards, and loyalty cards can sometimes be a lifesaver! My keychain is full of moneysavers! For example, with a Kmart rewards card, you earn store credit for Kmart and Sears for purchases in both stores. There were many times we used those rewards points to score FREE items.

3. Meal costs can be reduced by decreasing the amount of meats and increasing the amount of vegetables or other ingredients in single dish meals. This saves a lot on groceries because one of the highest food items is the meats. EX: instead of 2 lbs hamburger meat with 2 lbs spaghetti noodles and sauce for spaghetti I use 1 lb of hamburger and 2 lbs noodles.

4. Buy in bulk and separated it yourself! This saves on some of the fees associated with the extra packaging. I have found that some items are cheaper by the pound when in bigger packages. We usually use our tax return to get a membership to Sam’s Club.

5. Need to get out and about? SAVE MONEY and HAVE FUN with the family by checking your local city or county’s website for events. Many free events hosted by my city and county have proven to be great ways to spend family time out. Save money on concessions by packing a lunch and drinks if possible. If all else fails, I take the kids to the park! It’s free, they have fun, and we all get out of the house!

Making it with a family of 6 on $22,000 is not easy. It takes work, patience, creativity, and sometimes even a sense of humor, but I wouldn’t want it any other way! I hope our experiences have helped! I am always growing and learning new ways to save! Madame Deals has opened another door of saving to me that I am just beginning to explore. I have just begun to visit other blogs offering coupons and free online codes for stuff. This is all new to me so wish me luck, as I wish you all good luck in your adventures! 🙂

Thanks to Betty P. for this Living on 30000 or Less post!

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Topic: 6 Tips to living on 30000 or Less