If you have already scheduled an energy audit with your power company and heating company. The heating system should be cleaned. Do you have enough filters? We have reusable filters. I have two sets.
Winterize your car.
Winterize your hoses and irrigation sources in your yard.
Winterize the house. It is a great time to get an energy audit from the power and fuel companies.
Find recipes for one-pot dish meals that you can fill out with fruit, cornbread, and vegetables. I didn't sleep last night after the horrible news I received last night. I took pork cubes out of the freezer and simmered them in the crockpot. I served it over rice with fresh green beans, cornbread, and apples. Simple dinner that is not expensive or time-consuming,
Plan little evenings with your spouse and as a family. My husband and I enjoy having cocktails on the porch with good music. Family night is every Wednesday and Friday. We have movie nights and game nights every week. We are able to ride bikes well into December in our area
Sit down with your spouse and look at your spending for the year. Look for places that you can cut. I find that a 25% increase in clothing and activities spending. One of the best things that I have is a good consignment store to keep value in items running to the next purchase.
I have always been well-dressed and I provide that for our children. Sewing is a means to have better clothing. When my children were little I was able to make clothing last a little longer. I would add trims, lace, unusual buttons, and dying items. I always patched the inside of the knees of jeans and pants.
Toys, bits, and bobs that children enjoy in childhood and teenhood. These items can be costly. Our daughter's art hobby is costly. She has ventured into digital arts. The programs and drawing tools are expensive. A lot of my side hustle pay for these tools. My husband and I view this as an investment in her education. We are blessed to live in an area with a large community of artists. We have bartered with artists for lessons in technique. Last Spring, our daughter wanted to learn pottery. The woman she takes lessons with asked me to do her baking and meals for the freezer. I just "paid off" a kiln for our daughter. Creativity can save and enrich your bank account. She is happily making bowls.
The role of a stay-at-home mother is one that requires stewardship. I am a person who runs the house like a business. I make sure that every penny is squeezed. I have always created income while at home. We have goals that we need to fulfill for the children's education, retirement, and our business. My oldest daughter and I discuss these issues daily. You need to trust and support your husband's efforts if you are a stay-at-home mother. However, there are times when making pin money is needed. I believe in maintaining your own line of credit and a savings account in your name that your husband knows about. A woman shouldn't disappear on paper. There are reasons for this beyond the end of a marriage. If the sole provider is disabled and the roles are reversed, the wife can support the family. Another reason is for business reasons. It can protect family assets.
Every woman has talents and skills. My friend is a talented hairdresser who became burned out with the hairdressing chain she worked for I suggested she work one day a week washing and setting hair at a nursing home. It gets her out of the house, and it keeps her hairdressing license current. Someone with teaching skills could tutor over Zoom a few hours a week.
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