FairyMom Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Would you mind sharing it, or the parts of it that are variable? For instance, not electricity or mortgage/rent, but more along the lines of groceries, clothing, school supplies, and things that you have a choice whether or not to spend. I know this is a public forum, so if you want to do percentages or something similar, I understand. Thank you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymonkeybug Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I believe that many home school families are in the same boat of being a one income household. I have heard of some that aren't but I honestly can't imagine how they do it with two careers and home educating but anyway... Some of the things I do is thrift store shop for everything first except things like undewear, bras, and the other things we wouldn't want to wear used. As far as ALL clothing though, my kids only wear NEW if they are gifts from others for bdays or Christmas. They understand our desire to recycle and reuse as much as possible and are fine with wearing hand me downs and bargain finds. I also contact our providers of car insurance, television, internet, and cell regularly and explain finances are tight and ask for discounts. Now, you really are in a good spot if you are prepared to threaten to leave them as a customer and then actually follow through with it should they not grovel and beg you to stay with awesome deals. :D I try also to plan all outings into the same day to avoid unnecessary use of gas. Buying used curriculum is good too and then selling things you no longer use can help offset that. Maybe this is or isn't the type of info. you are looking for but it's a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klg Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 i have a "walmart figure" out of that comes all food, toiletries, and clothing. i generally do not buy clothing for my children. if we Need something that hasn't been bought on a shopping trip with grandma, then we go to the goodwill for it. Homeschool books are always purchased used and I never purchase any non-core book that i can get from the library. we use and overuse the library and the goodwill. but i'm a single mom. when you get to budgeting out of necessity, it's easy to make changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyMom Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 My only variables are Groceries (human and pets) and Gas. I get $200 for the month for each. If something comes up, new curriculum needs to be bought, etc, the money comes out of those two categories. Now, I will say that I have a "luxury" item that I won't give up - satellite TV. I don't have any fluff channels like HBO, but I do have 3 international packages which I consider part of my homeschool expenses (so DS and I can hear the languages we're learning). It comes to $100/month, $50 of which was the "base" package I had to get in order to have the others. Other than that, everything is spent on rent, utilities, car insurance, and car payment. Is that $400 total for the groceries and gas or $600? Re-reading... I bet that's $400. So that's two people and pets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyMom Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 I believe that many home school families are in the same boat of being a one income household. I have heard of some that aren't but I honestly can't imagine how they do it with two careers and home educating but anyway... Some of the things I do is thrift store shop for everything first except things like undewear, bras, and the other things we wouldn't want to wear used. As far as ALL clothing though, my kids only wear NEW if they are gifts from others for bdays or Christmas. They understand our desire to recycle and reuse as much as possible and are fine with wearing hand me downs and bargain finds. I also contact our providers of car insurance, television, internet, and cell regularly and explain finances are tight and ask for discounts. Now, you really are in a good spot if you are prepared to threaten to leave them as a customer and then actually follow through with it should they not grovel and beg you to stay with awesome deals. :D I try also to plan all outings into the same day to avoid unnecessary use of gas. Buying used curriculum is good too and then selling things you no longer use can help offset that. Maybe this is or isn't the type of info. you are looking for but it's a start. Thanks, it does help. I actually work outside the home, but it's not too bad so far. Insurance is a killer and my job provides that. I do want to see how tight we can go so we can have a little more breathing room. DH is a freelancer; sometimes great, sometimes nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyMom Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 i have a "walmart figure" out of that comes all food, toiletries, and clothing. i generally do not buy clothing for my children. if we Need something that hasn't been bought on a shopping trip with grandma, then we go to the goodwill for it. Homeschool books are always purchased used and I never purchase any non-core book that i can get from the library. we use and overuse the library and the goodwill. but i'm a single mom. when you get to budgeting out of necessity, it's easy to make changes. We have great thrift stores here that I've just started going to, thanks for the reminder. Library, not great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 We are generally fairly tight as we don't make a ton and don't like to waste money, however this year we are even tighter than usual due to decreased work hrs for dh and us working on paying off the house, so I'm giving you this year's numbers and projected numbers for next year when things are more back to normal. Groceries: Current Avg $450- for the year about $400 2 adults, 3 kids (baby on the way) gf/sf/preservative/dye free- grassfed/local meat and some organics Next year I plan to up it to $535 Gas: avg $225 We live 15-25 minutes from everything, that is enough for dh to commute to work and us to go to church weekly and one other trip in the van during the week Education: $0 This year I only spent what I could finance by selling old curriculum- it was about $300, I bought pretty much everything used. Budget for next year is $25 mo/$300 yr Clothes: $30 for the year This year I've spent $30 OOP for clothes and had a bit on a few gift cards for Christmas. Next year the budget is about $20 month. Gifts: $30 per month- $360/year Cleaning: $10 per month- actual spent $7 month avg Personal Care: $7 spent for the year so far Entertainment: $10 Netflix Eating Out: $0 Budgeted- Last time was when I went out we spent on this was April when I had Girl's Night- it was $8.90, $25 per month is budgeted for next year Allowance: $20 month, dh takes $20 a month to have guys night and play poker. I have visits with girlfriends but don't spend money(other than April)- Next year I have allotted $50- $30 dh/$20 me. Misc/Unexpected Expenses: $40 month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) I work part-time outside the home. Dh usually works FT outside the home, but is currently at home on disability. We live on a very tight budget so that we can have our home, which we love, and so that I can work only half time and be home in the afternoons for homeschooling. Groceries (for 4 people & numerous pets 2 dogs, 2 cats, 6 chickens, 2 snakes, 1 lizard; including paper goods, etc.) $75-100 weekly Gas: about $30 a week TV: We have Netflix streaming & 2 dvds at a time. $20 a month Clothes: I buy a lot used, and my mom sews a lot (I am still learning!). About $400-500 a year for all of us. Homeschooling: I try to do this as well and as inexpensively as possible. We use a lot of library books, documentaries, etc., and then long-term programs like Brave Writer. I spend about $300 a year total for both kids/all supplies. We do have some outside activities: ds11 takes piano ($60/month for 30 minutes a week), and dd9 does roller derby at $10 a week. Sometimes we'll go to a pool with friends, and things of that nature. Maybe a total of $20-40 a month for those. I buy an annual parks pass at $70. We hike a lot, and go to a weekly park days with homeschooled friends, so this pays itself off in no time. We eat out only a few times a year for special events. I cook from scratch when I can, and make my own household cleaners. Planning to make my own laundry soap soon too. I buy in bulk when I can. We eat a lot of "ethnic" foods because they stretch meat farther and generally have more veggies. Our "fixed" bills include the mortgage, homeowners insurance, the kids' health insurance (through the state), gas/electric (which we have actively been working to lower), water (thankfully we have a well for all outdoor watering!), property tax, and student loan payments. We also put a little aside as possible for emergencies. We cut it pretty close most months, BUT we have a good life, so I don't mind that much! Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to buy this, that or the other thing without a second thought, but we get a lot of time with our kids, we have a lovely home, we're able to homeschool, and I think that's all pretty good! ETA: We do get a decent tax refund every year. That's our vacation fund, and sometimes helps out with new supplies for homeschooling as well! Edited July 28, 2012 by momto2Cs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyMom Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 This is very, very helpful! Thanks you for breaking it down so detailed We are generally fairly tight as we don't make a ton and don't like to waste money, however this year we are even tighter than usual due to decreased work hrs for dh and us working on paying off the house, so I'm giving you this year's numbers and projected numbers for next year when things are more back to normal. Groceries: Current Avg $450- for the year about $400 2 adults, 3 kids (baby on the way) gf/sf/preservative/dye free- grassfed/local meat and some organics Next year I plan to up it to $535 Gas: avg $225 We live 15-25 minutes from everything, that is enough for dh to commute to work and us to go to church weekly and one other trip in the van during the week Education: $0 This year I only spent what I could finance by selling old curriculum- it was about $300, I bought pretty much everything used. Budget for next year is $25 mo/$300 yr Clothes: $30 for the year This year I've spent $30 OOP for clothes and had a bit on a few gift cards for Christmas. Next year the budget is about $20 month. Gifts: $30 per month- $360/year Cleaning: $10 per month- actual spent $7 month avg Personal Care: $7 spent for the year so far Entertainment: $10 Netflix Eating Out: $0 Budgeted- Last time was when I went out we spent on this was April when I had Girl's Night- it was $8.90, $25 per month is budgeted for next year Allowance: $20 month, dh takes $20 a month to have guys night and play poker. I have visits with girlfriends but don't spend money(other than April)- Next year I have allotted $50- $30 dh/$20 me. Misc/Unexpected Expenses: $40 month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairyMom Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Thanks, G! Being able to homeschool and be with our kids is everything! Thanks for the perspective and details. :) I work part-time outside the home. Dh usually works FT outside the home, but is currently at home on disability. We live on a very tight budget so that we can have our home, which we love, and so that I can work only half time and be home in the afternoons for homeschooling. Groceries (for 4 people & numerous pets 2 dogs, 2 cats, 6 chickens, 2 snakes, 1 lizard; including paper goods, etc.) $75-100 weekly Gas: about $30 a week TV: We have Netflix streaming & 2 dvds at a time. $20 a month Clothes: I buy a lot used, and my mom sews a lot (I am still learning!). About $400-500 a year for all of us. Homeschooling: I try to do this as well and as inexpensively as possible. We use a lot of library books, documentaries, etc., and then long-term programs like Brave Writer. I spend about $300 a year total for both kids/all supplies. We do have some outside activities: ds11 takes piano ($60/month for 30 minutes a week), and dd9 does roller derby at $10 a week. Sometimes we'll go to a pool with friends, and things of that nature. Maybe a total of $20-40 a month for those. I buy an annual parks pass at $70. We hike a lot, and go to a weekly park days with homeschooled friends, so this pays itself off in no time. We eat out only a few times a year for special events. I cook from scratch when I can, and make my own household cleaners. Planning to make my own laundry soap soon too. I buy in bulk when I can. We eat a lot of "ethnic" foods because they stretch meat farther and generally have more veggies. Our "fixed" bills include the mortgage, homeowners insurance, the kids' health insurance (through the state), gas/electric (which we have actively been working to lower), water (thankfully we have a well for all outdoor watering!), property tax, and student loan payments. We also put a little aside as possible for emergencies. We cut it pretty close most months, BUT we have a good life, so I don't mind that much! Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to buy this, that or the other thing without a second thought, but we get a lot of time with our kids, we have a lovely home, we're able to homeschool, and I think that's all pretty good! ETA: We do get a decent tax refund every year. That's our vacation fund, and sometimes helps out with new supplies for homeschooling as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.