In a bad economy such as this many people are being laid off from work or their hours are being cut. Some families are losing their homes and others can't make ends meet. Cutting their expenses to the bare minimum is a necessity. Some families don't even know where to start.Yesterday I got the bright idea to cut our expenses to see if we could survive on a smaller income. I think of myself as frugal, but how frugal can I be? For the month of June, my husband and I have decided to see if we can live off of $1,200. That includes all bills such as phone, electric, gas, mortgage; as well as food and other expenses. All extra will be put into savings. We are not stocking up on anything beforehand.
Can it be done? My husband doesn't think so, I think it is possible. As a matter of fact, the first few years that we were married we were living off around $1,100 a month. So of course it is possible. The question is, can we stick to it? Come follow us for the journey this month and find out. I will be keeping track of what we spend and also give helpful little hints on how we do it. I promise to be honest if we fail, as well. The goal is to have spent $1,200 or less from June 1st-June 30th for our family of five, three dogs, and two cats.
I linked to your blog through your MaryJanesFarm post. I think this is a FANTASTIC idea. I, also, have a family of five with 2 dogs. We squeak by on about $1800 a month, but I know there are so many frivolous things we could cut out. I've called all of our "service providers" such as phone, satellite, etc and reduced a few of our bills. I clip coupons and shop sales. If I think of any useful tips, I'll let you know. I'm excited to follow your posts on this adventure. Thanks for the challenge! I'll do my best to reduce our spending along with you.
ReplyDeleteWe are a family of five currently living on $2400 a month. But...I think I'm going to try this with you for the month of June. Our mortgage is $600 and we have no other debts (besides a small remaining balance on our student loans, but we paid a large chunk recently and we have nothing "due" in June). Thanks for the challenge!
ReplyDeleteYou should make a button for this! ;o)
ReplyDeleteI made one...email me at chrissyrenee79@yahoo.com if you want to see what I came up with.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are setting aside some garage sale money, or "fun money" so you can still go to some garage sales with me! :o)
ReplyDeleteI think you can do it! actually, I KNOW you can!
ReplyDeleteWay to go! You've got me thinking now too, hmmm, I'll keep cheering you on!
ReplyDeleteLearning to live on less is not just good for our bank account but for the planet! Hyper consumerism (is that even a real word?) is not a good thing. I'm rooting for you!
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