Well back to school is looking kind of crazy, isn’t it?
Our district announced their plan last night. And so far I think we’ll be ok with it.
But I do worry that everything can change in an instant (like it did back in March!). And I’m tempted to pick up some homeschooling curriculum anyway. It seems to be selling out quickly all over the place!
On the other hand, with my younger kids I feel like we can homeschool without a whole lot of expensive textbooks. So I’m kind of caught in between.
If I had to use a metaphor for 2020, I think it would be the year stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Anyway, despite all the chaos we keep finding ways to save money. I hope you are, too! Don’t forget that you can always share your money saving tips here or over in our fabulously frugal Facebook group.
The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
Budget
A long time ago, I build a budget system that finally worked right for our family. I used to try to budget monthly, but Hubby was paid every other week, and it never worked out.
So I built a biweekly budget sheet that works so much better! (Get the biweekly budget sheets here.)
Well, Hubby got a new job (!) and now he’ll be paid twice a month.
That means re-writing the family budget.
In some ways, it’ll be more stable and easier to budget than before.
We won’t have those “extra” paychecks each year, but I always found those complicated anyway. I’m happy to just save more money from each paycheck.
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Darned Dryer
We bought a cheap used dryer a few months ago (when nearly every appliance we own broke in a 6 month period, ugh).
It was meant to limp us along until we could save up enough for a new dryer. (I’ve had plenty of used dryers and I’m hoping a new one will last longer than the 1-2 years I usually get out of the old used ones.)
Well…
We have a lot of things we want/need to buy right now. And I’m afraid my dream dryer is just not coming soon.
So I went ahead and grabbed some clothesline. My old clothesline has bit the dust and I have some trees closer to the house that I think will work better.
I thought about running to Dollar General for some. But their’s costs $4+ for 100 feet and doesn’t have good ratings. I want something that works well for our family of 8.
So I grabbed this from Amazon instead. It has good ratings, and at $10 for 200 feet it really isn’t that much more than the old DG.
Staying Home
This summer, all the day camps and activities the kids are usually involved in have been cancelled.
It’s saved us a ton of money.
And made me wonder if we really need to have every kid signed up for so much stuff all the time. hmmm
Home Office
With Hubby starting a job from home soon, he’s building an office space in our basement. So far he has used some wood we’d bought for a project earlier (but hadn’t started).
He got a lamp from Target for $12.
(I’ve found Target to be the best place to buy lamps. They sell the whole lamp including the shade for the same price as lamps with no shade, even at places like Goodwill!)
And he’ll be looking for other ways to save while building a sturdy space for himself as he goes.
Garden
Our little raised bed garden is doing pretty ok. But a lot of things start to fruit and then quit.
Google told me that my zucchini needed better pollination. They suggested I buy some flowers that would attract bees.
My dad told me that maybe I should just spray them with some sugar water to make it more attractive for the bees instead.
Well, I have plenty of sugar and water! So I grabbed a little spray bottle, mixed up my sugar water, and sprayed it on the plants.
I’ve definitely seen more bees doing their magic. Hopefully it will work!
That’s how we saved this week!
I can tell you’re a smartie who loves to save money. How would you like to try the 30 Day Money Challenge? Oh, don’t worry. This one is more fun than your average challenge. 😉
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How did you save this week?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
