5 Ways To Help During Tough Times

Being a parent is the hardest job you'll ever have. It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 20, it's tough. Yes, the more you have the harder it gets and sometimes the less you have the more expensive it can be. With the economy being the way it is right now, more and more people are finding themselves out of work, living on less money and still having to figure out how to feed, clothe and shelter their families. Wants go on the back burner and needs come to the forefront. We can find ourselves feeling guilty because all of our money is going to pay bills and there's nothing left for the fun stuff. I think there's a few things we can do to lessen the tension on our budget ropes.

• Have a yard/garage sale! Go through everything you own and inventory it, placing an asking price next to the item. Everything you haven't used in the last 6 months goes. I have about 6 boxes of dishes sitting out in my garage, it only takes 2 sets to feed my family, the other 6 can go. If you have spare pots and pans hanging around.....price them and set them out too. If you haven't seen whatever item you have in your hand in the last few months, most likely you don't need it and you should sell it.The money you make from the yard sale can be used for some "fun" money.
• Plant a garden......the price of food is ridiculous.What you will spend on the seeds is only a fraction of what you'd spend in the store for fruits and vegetables.I can remember being able to fill a cart in Walmart and spend less than $200 including meat, now it's much more than that, even at Walmart. It's not their fault, it's just the way the cookie crumbles right now. 
• Cut coupons. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort, but there are a few coupon trading sites out there that can be helpful to you. A little bit of time can save you a lot of money. I have one friend who uses her coupons so efficiently that she's able to get a lot of stuff FREE! 
• Buy used! I know a lot of people who balk at this idea, but when money is tight, it's time to stop being a snob. We have many consignment shops in our area that sell brand name clothing at a fraction of what you'd spend in a department store. 
• If you buy new, only buy what's on sale. If you can get clothes for buy 1 get 1 50% off or better, then go for it! JC Penny's has awesome sales all the time. There are times that I have bought new clothes for all my kids and still spent less at JC Penny's then at any other store. Many times you can find deals there for $1 to $3 for a shirt or pants. 

These are just a few of the things a family can do to lighten the load a little bit. There is tons of information out there on budgeting, how to generate extra income (surprisingly blogging is one of them), gardening, couponing, etc. 

Sometimes....it's just a matter of a change in lifestyle that we need and change can be hard. But if we want to give a little to our children instead of always having to say ,"No, not this week!" then that change can be good.