We do not have thousands of dollars sitting around. We rent an apartment, we both work full time, we have debt (student loans mostly) and we have to feed this one . . .*
We have had to find ways to save more money each month in order to fund our adoption. We know it will absolutely be worth it in the end so we try not to let the costs scare us. We can save/raise/borrow the money we need to adopt but in order to really save a significant amount some things had to change.
The first change was to realize that our money is not ours- nothing in this world is ours. It belongs to God who provides for us. He gave us this desire to adopt, He will give us the resources we need, and He will teach us how to manage the money we have in order to be able to do what He has called us to do.
“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:7- 8
Here are some ways we’ve been saving money in the last few months.
Cash Budget.
We went through our budget and calculated what was left after bills, savings, tithe, groceries, etc. We then gave ourselves an allowance. It seems weird to be in our late twenties/early thirties and married and be given an allowance, but it works.
I personally found when I had cash that had to last two weeks, I made much better decisions about how to spend it. I no longer felt like I needed “just a few things” from the store, or a new pair of shoes, or that candle, new curtains, or nail polish. I found I had been in the habit of buying things because in that moment I thought I really had to have them. Saving for something important puts those things in perspective and back on the shelf. If I wanted something I had to save for it. I had to spend less on something today in order to buy something better tomorrow. And it really worked! We were able to put HUNDREDS more into savings since implementing a cash money system.
Since then we haven’t had a physical cash budget but we have realized what our spending habits were and living like that is not going to help us achieve the goals we now have. Clothing, accessories, home goods, and going out to dinner are not our priorities. Yet, before the cash system it appeared that they were.
Cutting Corners: Haircuts
I went to get my haircut last weekend at a place that offers very low prices for services. I won’t tell you the name of the place, but it has the word “cuttery” in the title. When I get my haircut (every 6 months to a year) I either a) cut it myself or b) go to a place like this. When I a) cut it myself, the next time I go I am always asked “So . . . who cut your hair last?” And I can tell they are waiting for me to tell them my 7 year old niece did it. Tutorial on DIY haircut to follow. Usually when I b) go to a chain that offers low prices I am happy with the haircut. It isn’t fancy, but I don’t really care.
THIS time, I came home from my haircut and saw
Yikes.
I snipped it off and moved on, happy to have saved $40-60. Will I go back? Absolutely. It’s like 2 blocks away!
Then there was Uncle Roger’s haircut. His hair was quickly approaching dreads. Not that dreadlocks are bad- I have a friend who has them and it looks awesome! But it’s pretty bad for a dog to have such matted down hair. Who knows what’s living in there? What a cozy little place for a number of bugs or small rodents. It had to go.
We cut his hair ourselves. The last time we got him groomed it was $150. Except that one time, we’ve given him baths, cleaned his ears and clipped his nails ourselves.
We basically took Tye’s electric razor and put a #3 guard on it . . . then later had to take the guard off to get in closer to his skin. I’ve cut Tye’s hair before and I didn’t think it would be that difficult to cut the dog’s. But it was. It looks awful. I think this haircut was the wrong move.
And that was after we “fixed” it. Luckily he has no idea how bad he looks. And we saved $150! Next time we’ll try a Chicago skyline fade.
Thrifting.
This makes much more since when you actually find something you NEED at a thrift store. These items are just things I found that were significantly discounted from the original prices.
Though we are on a tight budget I still love to shop (when I’m in the mood to shop). Thrift stores give me the opportunity to shop, buy fun things for my house and spend a very small amount of money. And Chicago has some really great thrift stores! Who doesn’t love to treasure hunt?
One more verse about money.
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
*It actually doesn’t cost much to feed a Newfie. They are very low energy, low metabolism and do not eat as much as some think. We go through a 35lb bag of dog food every 3-4 weeks, usually costing $30-40. So that was a joke. Someone once asked “How much does he eat?!” and the guy next to him said “One small dog a day.” I loved that.
theeckerthouse 