10 Ways to Become a More Thrifty & Wise Homemaker!

I remember growing up in elementary school and taking a home economics class. I remember walking into that class and being so excited about the new projects we were working on every week and how different the class was from the others. I remember my teacher was sweet, soft spoken and patient and seemed to actually like teaching us. The classroom was a one that was filled with happiness because the school books and pencils were banished and we were finally able to do something creative with our hands.

We did many projects in that class from  learning how to boil water to sewing letter pillows in the shape of letters to spell our names. It was a good experience and one that helped empower me to try new things out as I became an adult. My classmates and I really looked forward to this class and when the semester was over we were sad to see it go.

Now as an adult I look back and think of how I use many of the skills I learned in that class on a daily basis--however, there is one thing  that I wish that they would have taught more of ---how to be thrifty and handle money well.

THE REALITY

The average homemaker will have thousands of dollars to deal with on an annual basis that will go through her hands. She will need to be wise and make good financial decisions on how she spends that money for her family and how they will eat, be clothed, for the home, education, transportation, recreation, and more.

She has the monumental responsibility of try to make a dollar stretch--two times, three times more than the average person because of all the demands on her budget and sometimes it might feel like it is humanly  impossible. Sometimes she feels like she is always straining to make ends meet by helping to stretch her husband's income or maybe by helping out with some extra side income that she brings in.

But there are many ways to learn to become more thrifty and to relieve the tension on your budget. So today we are sharing ten ways to become a more thrifty homemaker.

10 WAYS TO BECOME A MORE THRIFTY HOMEMAKER

1. Pray and search the Scriptures--Always ask God for wisdom and He will help you. This should be the first thing that you do with any problem or situation because He is Lord of all and knows your needs. Then after you do that take time to learn what the Bible teaches about money and start to understand the basic principals of what you need to know in handling it.

2. Assess your situation- and zero in on the problem to figure out where you need the most help in your homemaking and attack it. Learn all that you can in that area and become equipped to better handle it financially.

3. Read Dave Ramsey- He has helped many people all around the world who are in debt and has showed them a game plan of how to get it out and to stay out for good. He is popular for his title, The Total Money Makeover.

4. Learn to cook from scratch.  Not only is it more economical but it is also more healthier for you. You can find some great cookbooks here for just 30 cents a piece.

5. Learn how to shop more frugally for groceries. Have you heard of Grocery University? It is an audio course that teaches you how to save money using coupons but there is much more included that will help you with your shopping.

6. Save money by keeping your family healthy by learning how to meal plan and have a healthy family (check out The Healthy Home and Happy Mom, Healthy Family, Meal Planning, & Cookbook.)

7. Spend less time out shopping. I find the more we are out "window shopping" or out and about the likelihood of us spending more increases. Find other things to do with your family that will benefit them. We have currently begun exercising more as a family and have joined our local YMCA.

8. Make a list and stick with the list. If you go out shopping it is wise to have a list to keep you focused. It is so easy to be tempted in the store to buy things that you don't need there and to start adding things to the cart you wouldn't have otherwise. Make make sure to eat before going grocery shopping or you might end up buying more out of hunger.

9. Be determined to stay on budget and learn to save and put money aside- You can make a budget but if you don't follow it it will be a flop. Learn to be determined to sticking to what you can afford and be sure to put some aside for a rainy day.

10. Know the difference between needs and wants. This one is so important and can help you as you navigate wisely as a homemaker especially if you have children. Children can sidetrack us since they sometimes seem to want to buy every toy or new gadget under the sun, but we need to be firm in our resolve and know when to say no.

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