Life has been hectic around here, so I apologize for not keeping up with the blogs on parenting!  Now that school is out, homeschool conferences are winding down, and the garden is planted, maybe I can be more consistent with my writing!  I’ve had quite a few people ask us how we survive on a limited income with a large family.  As I wrote in March, you learn very quickly to rely fully on God.  However, there are a few other secrets that we’ve learned over the years. 

As many of you have probably figured out by now, it is important to live within the boundaries God has placed you in financially.  We have had to learn this the hard way, but are so glad that God is patient with us.  It is vitally important that we buy on a cash basis and not on a credit card basis.  With a cash (or debit card), once the money is gone, it’s gone.  In the past, we’ve sadly learned that we buy much more when we pull out that lovely little plastic credit card.  We then get into a vicious cycle of not having the money to buy the necessities because we are having to pay off those dreaded credit cards.  Even though it’s sometimes painful to use a cash system, it’s so much more peaceful in the long run.  It’s also important to have a budget to go along side of your cash system.  It’s too easy to spend the money on extras if the bills and monthly allowances aren’t written out in black and white before my eyes.  When I know I only have a certain amount to spend on groceries, I’m much less likely to grab those processed foods, snack items, etc.  Instead I head for the cheaper meats, beans, bulk grains, etc. so that I can stretch out those dollars.  I learned very quickly in life that it is now necessary to get the brand names on groceries, clothing, and cleaners.  Generic brands work just fine.  Many items such as cleaners, for example, can be made at home and are much healthier for you anyway.   I’m also much more likely to take the time to cut out and use coupons, browse the paper for sales, and shop at thrift stores when I know that the money has to be stretched to the max. 

By the way, thrift stores are our favorite shopping centers.  We RARELY buy clothes or household items in a regular store.  I can find almost everything we need at garage sales or thrift stores for a fraction of the price of a new item.  Most of the gifts we get for the children for Christmas are also gotten at garage sales or thrift stores.  I start shopping the day after Christmas and I keep at it until the next Christmas, so the children have learned to give me those wish lists early.  God is so amazing in allowing us to find our children’s “desires” in this way.  And yes, they are almost always brand new still in the packaging.  I still remember how excited I was when I found the exact Lego set my older son wanted at Goodwill.  It was valued at $150.  I got it brand new, still packaged, for $5.  That’s only one of the amazing examples of answered prayer and careful shopping!  When we don’t find what we’re looking for, we take it for granted that God didn’t deem it as a necessity.  Amazingly enough, we seem to do just fine without it!

I encourage you to try living without those credit cards and other means of borrowing.  Instead, aim at living with what God has given you.  You’ll be so glad you did!  By the way, God’s Eternal Masterpiece has several excellent books by Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett which can aid you in your financial endeavors.  Just click on the financial responsibility link on the left sidebar at www.godseternalmasterpiece.com.