Three Financial Changes I’m Making in 2013

Welcome back to Thrifty Thursday! Anna and I would love to have you join us for our weekly link up! Thank you so much to those who have linked up with us in the past!! 

Being silly after his Christmas program

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I’m actually writing this blog post ahead of time, still in 2012, as my husband and are pondering some changes we would like to make as far as our finances. We’ve been debt-free for quite some time now, after having paid off student loans, two vehicles and hospital bills as well as built up an emergency fund within a short amount of time. However, we can always use improvement.

photo credit

Here are the biggest three financial changes we’re hoping to make in 2013:

1. Spend less money on clothes. While we don’t spend nearly as much as many others on clothing, I find that a lot of money leaks out of our budget in this area. We are 30 miles from the nearest thrift store and with three children, I don’t have a lot of time to browse to find clothes or go in on days where there are rock-bottom deals, stuff-a-bag sales, etc. Garage sales in our small town don’t really have a lot of selection and that season doesn’t start for a few months anyway. SO, I am making it my goal to find an alternative method of getting kid and adult clothes as inexpensively as possible, while also having items that are of good quality for us to wear. At some point, I’m going to share my tips at Thrifty Thursday. If you have any advice or unique ideas, please feel free to share!
2. Use more natural cleaning items, both for home and body. The most natural I get as far as cleaning products is using a mixture of water and vinegar. It’s great for the kids to clean with and I know it’s healthier too. But we really want to step it up in this area, both for our health and for our pocketbook. My goal is to be simple and use as few products as possible to achieve a clean home and a clean body {things like soaps, shampoos, face washes, etc}. Again, your ideas are welcome!
3. Be more prepared for meals ahead of time. I’m not a big fan of freezer cooking right now, mostly because we have a deep freeze full of meat {we bought 1/4 cow from some relatives} so I can’t shove much more in there. But now I begin speech team practice two afternoons a week, with tournaments every other Saturday or so until the end of April, so I need to be prepared in the cooking area. Living in a small town, we don’t have a lot of restaurants but we do have a very expensive grocery store. I would like to shop there as little as possible :) That’s where having meals planned and ready ahead of time {via the crock-pot, leftovers or other methods} comes in handy. We can save money, eat healthier and not have a momma who is freaking out because she has no menu ideas. I know this menu planning thing has been done before on many, many blogs, but I just need to figure out what works for us. What works for you? Share in the comments!

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Shared at Raising Mighty Arrows