What ways can we make our income go farther

Hmmm. I save electricity. I lessen the use of it. Like watching dvd , the use of television and any other appliances. Even in food. Life nowadays is so hard. Must be practical in all aspects.

I try to cut down on electricity/heating costs. I make sure EVERY light is out, and when the sun is out - why turn on the lights, when you could just open the windows? And we have a programmed thermostat in my house - meaning it goes up to a certain degree (ours is 68 farenheit) when people are usually getting home or just getting to sleep (so, from 4pm to 8pm), and then it automatically cools down a good ten degrees when my family is not home or sleeping. So, while it gets chilly.. It definitely works to cut down on energy and heating costs. I save aluminum cans too - although you have to have A LOT to actually make even a little bit of money. My main focus right now is making money online to make up for the deficits that my part-time job leaves in my finances, by going to paid survey sites, GPTs, and now MyLot.

You are not kidding when you talk about living on bare bones. It is not very easy to live on one income and I am not sure that myLot is really considered an income. But on the other hand this site does serve for some extra added income in which I am trying to save up since I have been on here as a regular pretty much since June of last year. It is a little extra help but it just doesn't make up for a full time job. We have one full time job in the household and it is not bad money but when the the electric is high and the other things have to get paid then I start to worry. We only have one vehicle right now and it isn't a car. So I am basically a stay at home mother and housewife holding down the fort and trying to make things right if I can. I can't get out like I wish I could but I do the best for my family when I can. As far as saving for the future, I don't know about that one right now. We are just trying to keep the light and water on and also a roof over our head. So much for the American Dream heh? I am grateful and happy that I have the blessings that I do but when it comes to even getting out together as a family or even thinking of a vacation well that just isn't happening anytime soon. I know that when we do our shopping we keep trying to save at the most inexpensive bargain store or supermarkets and then I got to figure out how I can stretch things until two weeks later when we can hopefully go shopping again. That is another thing. After we get done paying for everything else we have to hope there is enough money for groceries. And then in between paychecks we still need other household items in between. It gets scary sometimes as you can imagine. We do have to cut our corners on a regular basis by keeping as many lights off as much as possible and we have gotten some florescent lights for some of the lamps and I believe that we have saved money from doing that. If we walk out of a room we have to turn off lights. It is just something that has become normal for us for a little while now. So the end all be all is that we have to stretch our dollars along with a lot of other people like yourself and it just is not easy is it? I think that putting away extra food an toiletry items is a good idea so there is something in reserve for a rainy day. I don't think we are saving anything right now to turn into cash but if that can help you then that is a great recourse to take.

Honestly, we don't "cut back". We live within our means, and we are content with what we have and are able to get. We spend on quality items as they last longer. We've never felt that even on one income as if we were somehow missing out on anything. I think this goes right along with the frugality threads that we've all started. Being frugal doesn't mean giving up things and it doesn't mean we all have to live on generic either. Some of the things being brought up are simply conservation, and efforts that everyone should be taking regardless of one or two incomes. Such as turning off lights that are you not using, not letting the water run endlessly, and using cloth bags when grocery shopping. We indulge on products that work, and don't find that we're living on "bare bones". We do shop at a local butcher and buy in bulk because even though the cost is pricy up front, it works out to be cheaper then at the local market, and it's much better meat with no additives. We also shop organically. Even though the cost of the food is more expensive then buying from the regular store, the cost to our health far out ways the cost initially to get on track. Though, I've found the rice I buy there per pound is cheaper anyhow then in a regular mart, even though it can look like it's not at first glance. I think that reading shopping labels is where people can save a great deal though on their shopping bills regardless. Knowing how to read the price per unit is important in comparision shopping. We don't do bottled water any longer. We have invested in good quality metal containers that last much longer and are better for the environment. We also don't do paper napkins, plates, etc. Again though, that is more a conservation effort then simply making the income go further. It's something everyone should be doing. I think over all what is needed, especially in the West, is a change of perspective. Instead of seeing each pay day as "Oh, another pay check I have to just meet the bare bones expenses", one could benefit by start viewing them as "Oh, another blessing that I get to meet all my expenses with". It doesn't mean there won't be tough times, but as Eckhart Tolle teaches, it's about letting go of that ego that keeps us in a frantic state and just being in the "is". I just recently heard him talk on a special, and the natran he shared was "Can I be the space for this". It truly helped me to start changing my perspective on living on one income. Good topic. Anora