Tightening the Belt Further

We have had quite a number of unplanned expenses over the past several weeks.  Everyone has them, so that is nothing new.  We are paying these unplanned expenses but we are also trying to cut back anywhere we can because we have some additional expenses coming in May.

My husband told me last week that we definitely need to keep on only spending $25 for groceries this week.  That same day my clothes dryer started to act up and I am babying it along.  We don't have money for a new dryer but the good news is that we can go without a dryer. 

Now I am going from a tight budget to an extremely tight budget for a period of about 5 weeks.  By doing this we will free up a little extra money to put towards bills and to also pay for our son's graduation party in May. 

I have said it before and I am going to say it again, having a stockpile of food has totally saved us over and over again.  We have been eating from the pantry and freezer for almost 6 weeks and I am only now noticing a dent that has been made in my stockpile. 

Tonight I was watching a couple of episodes of Extreme Couponing and while I don't coupon near the level of these individuals, I do my best to save what I can.  Unfortunately none of our grocery stores double coupons and I believe that is an absolute necessity to be an extreme couponer.  On tonight's episodes one person said that having a stockpile on hand means security if there is a job loss.  I agree whole heartedly. 

While I don't have the stockpile that the extreme couponers do, I have one that is manageable for us and has saved us money.  It does go to show that you can still get decent deals without double coupons. 

In our family we are not experiencing a job loss, just a further tightening of the belt to pay for additional expenses.  Having a stockpile has saved us and I take pride in that.  I am providing for my family and I am prepared when finances are being stretched. 

I think I'm on my way to becoming a Proverbs 31 woman.