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How to Save Money When You’re Living on One Income

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Last year I quit my school administrator job, and my husband and I started living off his one income. We weren’t sure how to save money with this big change, but we were determined to make it work. Here are the ten main ways that we have learned how to save money when you’re living on one income.

Here are twelve tips and ideas to help you save money when you're living on one income. Start living a more frugal lifestyle today! You'll enjoy living simplistically, paying off debt, and saving money for things you really want and need!
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1. We cut cable. 

Actually, we had already been living without cable for over a year, so this wasn’t anything new to us. For awhile we had Netflix, which we enjoyed. Then we did the math and realized that Amazon Prime would be cheaper. It actually costs less each year, and you get two free day shipping on thousands of items. Seeing as we live in a very rural area, we buy a lot online. So this was a great switch for us!

2. We paid off our student loans.

Thankfully Andrew and I both had our student loan debt paid off when we got married. (You can read how I got over $7,000 forgiven by a teacher loan forgiveness program here.) While we didn’t pay off those loans in any crazy fast fashion, we both paid off a combined total of $50,000 in roughly ten years. Not too shabby considering South Dakota teacher pay is the lowest in the nation!

3. We drive older, paid for vehicles.

When it comes to cars, I’ve never been one for anything fancy or new. 1988 Buick Skylark – check! 2001 Chevy Cavalier – check! 2006 Ford Taurus – got it! If it’s low on miles and I can get it for a good price, I’m going to buy it. Andrew drives a 2010 Chevy Impala, so while his is a little newer than mine, it’s still “old” by many people’s standards. With one little one (and more in the future?), we may need to upgrade at some point – but for now this works for us.

4. We make our own laundry detergent.

I’ve played around with a few different DIY laundry detergents, and I think we finally found one that we like! (I’ll be posting about it soon!) This one little switch has saved us about $400 per year, or over $30 per month. I’ll take that!

5. We stay healthy.

Now obviously we aren’t healthy all the time, but we do what we can to get and stay healthy. Regular, routine check-ups – no problem! Essential oils to keep our bodies above the wellness line – yes, please!

6. We meal plan.

When I think back to how much food we threw away growing up, it makes me cringe! Yes, sometimes we had those nights when it was “everyone fend for yourself!” I was totally on board with that, but it still seemed like we often had leftovers that got throw away. Now Andrew and I plan out our meals for at least two weeks at a time (depending how often we are going grocery shopping). We even calculate how many meals one pan might make us – and we’ll eat it two nights in a row if needed. (Click here for more information and to grab a free printable to get you started!)

7. We go without or buy used.

Whenever we can we don’t buy new things. We may want a new dining room set, but we don’t need it! We may want newer vehicles, but ours are running just fine. (Knock on wood!)

8. We got cheaper cell phone plans.

Hubby’s phone used to cost close to $100 a month. Now we both shopped around and our total cell phone bill for the two of us is under $100 – and that includes unlimited talk, text, and data!

9. We don’t eat out.

Well, we almost never eat out. I think we eat out one time or less a month, and that’s typically because we’re on the road and we didn’t plan ahead. (oops!) Honestly, we both love to cook, so eating out isn’t a big deal. Plus, when you live 30 miles from the nearest fast food, you just don’t have too many options.

10. We save on gas.

Working from home, I drive my car maybe once  a week. Little man and I typically walk if we are running errands. Our farthest stop is just half a mile away, so a one mile round trip walk never hurt us. We live just a couple blocks from the school, so hubs walks to work 90+% of the time. The one time we spend a bit more on gas is when we go to visit family. Each of our parents live about three hours away from us, so when we got visit them every other month or so we spend a fair amount of money.

11. We shop sales. 

Sometimes you just have to spend money. When Andrew’s dress shoes have to be replaced, or little J has a birthday coming up – we do go shopping. However, I look for ways to save money. Is there a sale happening? Can I find a coupon online? If there’s a way to save a few bucks, we’re going to try it.

12. We ask family for things.

Our family (mine in particularly) is big on holidays! They are going to get us presents, so I’d rather they purchase things that will help us out. If little man could use some more clothes, I tell everyone what size he is in or the next size. If Andrew could use a new pair of tennis shoes soon, I let people know what he likes. If I’m planning on making DIY dryer balls, I ask for the wool to make them. Specifically asking for things we would like or need ensures we sometimes get what we want, and the gift givers know they are giving something that will truly be appreciated and used.
Here are twelve tips and ideas to help you save money when you're living on one income. Start living a more frugal lifestyle today! You'll enjoy living simplistically, paying off debt, and saving money for things you really want and need!

Those are the twelve main ways on how to save money when you’re living on one income. We don’t do perfectly at all of the, and we know we have a LOT of room for improvement! However, this is what is working for us in our current situation.

Want even more information? Then you’ll also love this ebook on Becoming a Stay at Home Mom on One Income! Click here or on the picture below to get your copy today!

Are you a stay at home mom trying to make it work on one income? Or perhaps you want to be a SAHM? Either way - this ebook is FULL of tips and ideas to help you accomplish just that! Click through to learn more!

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