Book Of Likes

This pretty much says it all.
 I was a widower at 31 with two kids in 1995 and I went from being a stay at home dad whose wife made 66,000 k. a year to being alone and unemployed with about 18,000k per year. I managed to raise my girls, encourage them to get educated and I hung on to my house when others were loosing their’s in the early 2000’s!..it wasn’t easy but I got creative in a hurry!..my father was already deceased and I had no brothers !..a very small family and an elderly mother. It is possible with hard work, patience, doing without and asking for help. I still have to do all of these things!..no shame, I’ve survived!..my oldest daughter now is a lawyer and my youngest never married but has her own home now too. We are capable of doing more and helping others more than we think!..

Plus the only government help I got during those years was healthcare for my kids through Michigan’s my child program but only after I’d used up all of my husbands savings.
I say..If you have a credit card spending issue:
You can put your credit card in a gallon size zip-lock ( ziplock ) bag filled with water. Then freeze it. If it's something you really need your credit card for then you have to wait until you thaw the bag out first, make an effort to chip the ice away with a hammer, run it under hot water, or use a hair dryer. By the time that's been done, then you more then likely will not want to purchase whatever you were going to use the credit card on.
It works. I've done this so many times.

Don’t look at advertisements and things for sale like buy swap and sell sites. Don’t get sucked into After-pay cause it can mount up before you know it.

Don’t buy takeaway and junk food and try to eat fresh and make your own meals. Shop once a fortnight and don’t go to the supermarket again unless it’s really needed you’ll buy more than you go for. If you buy bread freeze so you won’t be going to buy it daily. Work out a budget going on all your bills yearly then divide the total by 52 and you’ll know how much you’ll have to put aside for bills each week, whatever is left over is for food and fuel. Use a debit card not a credit card. If you can kill two birds with the one stone when you go out do it rather than just driving your car aimlessly everywhere, budget your petrol. Review your electricity and gas company regularly and see what better plans there are around. Home brand and plain label products are usually just as good as others, buy them. Wear warm clothes at winter rather than have the heater on all the time. Lots more but this is long enough

Interesting but what about emergencies in which waiting to thaw out a card would be imposible.
The best could be to take the bag with you, drop it hard on the cement a few times, and get it out.

Yes to this! I would like to add if you buy sliced bread you can toast it straight from frozen or make a sandwich with frozen bread and it will have defrosted by lunch time.

At my house we tried this and it was so gross! How do you keep it from getting soggy? I'm talking about the bread that lost its texture after freezing.

I’ve always been a bit of a battler so I have to keep a constant eye on my money whether I like it or not!
I put it this way: When you get your car paid off put that $ in savings. For example if you car payment is $300 a month once you make your last payment transfer that 300 into your savings account. You won’t miss it because you are used to not having it every month. When it’s time to get a new car you will have a big down payment. I keep my cars until they start giving me big problems and need expensive repairs. My last car had over 200,000 miles on it. If you are a person who loves a new car every couple years u will waste a ton of money.

I’ve been doing this for years. and I think that's awesome!! I have been doing this my whole life. I have known a lot of people who trade in every couple years for a new car. Its nice to have new things but I would rather have a hefty savings account. I guess I just have never been the " latest greatest" type person. I have bought a few brand new cars in my lifetime but like i said I keep them until they are not reliable anymore.

Same here with me. I also don’t trade in things like my cell phone for the latest and greatest. I just use them until they give out. I’ve probably had my current cell phone at least 5 years.
I actually stopped using your credit cards as a source of income. It was a bad game changer.

Kids may strain your finances but they are one of the greatest blessings you’ll ever have….until you get to your grandchildren!! I also say .. Never stop at convenience stores for a drink. Take your own in the car.....

Would like to add, as I have had more time to think:
1-Layers in winter. Two to three layers better than one big sweater. Such as - Vest top. Long sleeve top. Then sweater. One of my best investments was a house coat to wear on top of all that. It's like a dressing gown / bath robe but has a zip instead of a tie and it's fluffy and washable.
Speaking of washable.
2-Get your winter coats and bath robes in the wash soon so they are fresh ready for the cold weather. If you have blankets and throws in the living room get those refreshed too. Look after your things and they will look after you for years to come.
3- Do not buy a lamp before checking what bulbs they need. I have been stung buying a cheap lamp and the light bulbs are more expensive than the lamp. Ikea is the worst for this, I think. Buy a lamp with a common bulb and buy the bulbs in bulk from Ebay or amazon or the supermarket. It doesn't matter if you don't need 3 or 5. You will 4 4- need to replace the bulb and buying 3 is probably better value than buying 1 and it's a good idea to always have a spare, a light bulb never blows when it's convenient.
5- Do not leave valuables out/visible. Including jewelry.
6- Keep car keys by your bed.
7- Don't "check in" when out and about and nobody is home.
8- Think about installing a decoy jewelry box and carrying a decoy wallet. You can put expired cards in it to make it look genuine.
9- Clear your porch, thieves do not need enticing.
10- Saved Ebay searches are your best friend if you are looking for something specific with no time limit.
11- Don't buy things just to buy things.
12- Use an spf moisturizer daily. I don't care how old you are. Start now.
13- Everything has a home. Then you know where to find it and don't buy things because you can't find what you have.
 14- Talk. I was recently given a big bag of yarn because a colleague knew I crochet and her mum can no longer knit. Another colleague gave me a bag of clothes for my daughter, we have daughters close in age.
When I collected some free clothes recently from the buy nothing group for my son, I made a point how grateful I was and how they would be well loved and we would pass them on when we were done with them. I was offered more when the mum had finished going through her sons clothes. She messaged me directly to offer me the stuff, about two weeks later. She knew I would collect because I was punctual and that seems to be getting rarer even for free items. I have been given baby plants because I talk about my plants. I have been given a brand new pet bed because I talk about my cat and the ladies dog hated it. Receive graciously and more may come your way.
15- And likewise, if you are giving away and think someone may want it - ask them. That friend who gave me the yarn, I gave her daughter some fabric and sewing kits when I knew she was getting into sewing. I pass clothes on that my children have outgrown. Nursery, pre school, and school are very grateful for socks and underwear and clothes that are past their best for spares or messy play.
16- If you join a buy nothing group and need something specific, ask. You would not believe how many times people post asking for something random. Then an hour or a day or two later, someone posts that they are giving away that item, and 2-3 people comment tagging that person who asked hours or days ago. Of course, if you are going to be fussy about it, better avoid. But if its something you can't really be fussy about, or is time sensitive, then go for it.

I do this. I have a small thermo bag in my car. It has water and snacks. Plus I usually don't have cash and don't want to use my debit card for such.

I wish someone had given me such excellent advice back when I was starting out. Many people could use advice like that!.
Sharing a lot pf information like you on this site is really very kind, thank you.

I buy children's clothes second hand and on sale and if they don't need any more in their size I buy 1-2 sizes up. My son is 3 and and pick up almost all his stuff second hand. My daughter is 8 hers is mostly sale items now. It feels odd buying winter coats and sweaters in nice weather but the cold soon rolls around and then she's got it ready.
Baby stuff is always on the local buy nothing groups and is not expensive second hand either.
Don't buy too many toys, we downsized a lot recently and they play with everything now. They didn't need it all and it soon adds up with birthdays and Christmas.
Always do a Bookoflikes marketplace or Ebay search first before buying new. If it isn't urgent, then wait and do a search once a week. I have been looking for a table for our living room for months, I kept checking and checking and nothing was suitable. Then I found a beautiful one on marketplace. I haggled $10 off the $45 price and went to pick it up. This table was custom made for their house out of solid wood from a local craftsman. It probably cost them hundreds. Got it home and it's perfect.
Some other tips that haven't seen mentioned;
Ask for vouchers for birthdays and Christmas to save money on coffees, a meal out or your shopping.
Ask for a contribution towards something you really want or ask for something you need for birthdays/Christmas. We used to ask for coats and shoes for my daughter when she was little.
It's very easy to get house plants extremely cheaply or free, even if they are babies. Plants grow. I shudder at the price of some plants now and I am always giving the babies away.
Use your freezer. Cook one meal a week or a month in bulk and freeze in portions. Then you have something easy for nights you don't feel like cooking.
Frozen vegetables are often cheaper than fresh
Freeze your herbs, garlic, ginger, chillis to make them last longer.
Dont fear swapping your bank account. Switch to one with a deal. I have got over $200 in vouchers for switching before now, and £100 in cash. We don't have a joint back account for this reason - we can get these deals twice. Most recently a crate of 12 bottles of wine. We won't drink it but we will give away as gifts.
You spend 1/3 of your life in bed. Buy a good quality mattress and bedding. You won't regret it.
Look after your big ticket items. Clean your appliances. Get your car serviced. Vacuum your mattress and flip it. Make them last longer.
Before you donate anything, put it on site Ebay or marketplace first. Even if it sells for $1. That's $1 you didn't have before and saved you the journey to the donation point. And you were going to give it away so wouldn't have got that  $1 anyway. If it hasn't gone after a week, or two, or a month, then donate. Or put on your local buy nothing group. Everything goes eventually.
Buy pet food in bulk and keep in a large bin to keep the pet from getting at it.
When something you use (dish soap, laundry powder, etc) is on offer, $1 off or buy one get one free, buy double. By the time you need more it will probably be on offer again.
Be kind. Get a long life item for the food donation bin each time you go shopping. A tin of soup, a bottle of shower gel, a bag of rice or pasta. Karma comes around, keep her on your side .
 

I cut my energy bill from $300 average down to $110 recently just by keeping all the lights off until they are absolutely necessary and raising the temp on the A/C to 77°F. 

Thanks for sharing this, it’s the one thing I need to learn.
Try to buy for Christmas and birthdays all during the year and take advantage of the sales!
Don’t live beyond your means.

Do notttt!! Never refinance your student loans with a private company. Keep all your government loans and pay them off one by one: highest interest, lowest sum first. I paid off $20k in debt this way within 5 years working low paying jobs. Even if you think that it doesn’t work if you had to get private loans to begin with because the gvmt assumes your parents are paying for them and don’t give you enough.

You deserve to be debt free, congrats on your persistence. Hopefully you’re using that hard earned education.

Only eat out for special occasions. You can make healthier and cheaper versions of "fast food" at home.
2. Use vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap to clean almost anything.
3. Learn to fix things yourself.
4. Keep all $$ for bills in your account and withdraw the rest. If all you have is cash to spend, you can't accidentally spend more (leave your cards at home to avoid temptation).
5. Make water your primary drink.
6. Avoid prepackaged meals.

Not to eat out / get lattes all the time, and start saving as soon as you start making money.

I find the comments about  "not having children" rather disturbing. Yes kids cost money to raise and educate. You don't have to buy them every latest toy or gadget and you know what they don't really care. Its about loving each other and spending time together. Family is priceless people!!!! Kids don't know if they are "poor" when they are loved and cared for. The simplest things can be turned into adventures with them. They grownup - they leave home and yes have their own lives to live. But once the grand-kids come they do gravitate back to family and we are rewarded with our precious grand-babies that we can just love enjoy and spoil and send back home with their parents. Family is the most precious investment you can ever make. Not everything is about money. Its about Love and Faith in God and allowing Him to lead and guide you in all your ways. 

Some people don’t want kids, though. And you don’t have to have kids to have a family.
Save for your next big purchase and don’t use credit!

disturbing or not it's true. One person's opinion.
Btw...I'm a mom & gram & agree they are priceless.
I suggest to pay as you go and you will never owe! You will sleep better!

Besides the savings account that the credit union gives me, I also have 26 other savings accounts. One for every special need or bill. Some people think this is overkill, but I have never run out of money.

I use to do this but now use YNAB and it makes everything make so much more sense with only a couple accounts.
That's why I say to you don’t loan $ if you don’t care to get it back.

Don’t spend a lot of money on a wedding.
Use the money for your future home, a business or future investment!
And never go shopping for grocery while you are feeling hungry because it has proven people buy a lot if that happens.

I use the same methodology, not 26 accounts but more like 5 and I direct deposit the amount I need in each one. The separate accounts do my budgeting for me. I’ve done this for 30 years. Works great.