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This week Debbie is here to share her story
My family: My husband of 17 years and I live in a small town in southside Virginia. I am 40 years old and he is 48. We both are employed full-time outside the home. My husband is a state employee and I work as an LPN in a local community health center. Our home was built in 1930 and we are constantly working on our house. It’s a large home, much bigger than we need for just the two of us and our cat, Emmett. We enjoy it, but are planning on downsizing after my husband retires in about three and a half years.
My struggles: Like most Americans, I struggle with the fact the economy is in bad shape. I worry about our jobs and rising prices. Even though my husband has been with the state for 27 years, they are cutting jobs left and right. Currently I am an LPN and I’m planning on starting an RN program in January which will take two and a half years to complete. Right now I live just a few blocks from where I work, but once I start back to school I will be driving 40 minutes one way to school. (There goes the gas budget again!) After the first 2 semesters, I will have to find another job that won’t conflict with my classes which will be held during the day. I hate the fact that I will have to leave a job that I really enjoy, but in the long run in it will provide better opportunities for me. I’m going to need study time, so I will need to cut back to working part-time which will put a big cramp into our budget. I don’t want my husband to have to get a second job. Even though gas prices have dropped, I worry about them spiking again. I love living in a small town, but the nearest shopping areas are 20 miles away. Our biggest money spending downfall is eating dinner out frequently, several times a week.
My history: I’ve always been a bargain shopper. I rarely pay full retail on anything and I could care less about “brand names.” When I was a teenager I used to send off for rebates all the time and Mom would let me keep the money. I love yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores, but I tend to buy stuff I don’t really need. I have a lot of “collections.” (I’m a sucker for a cookbook!) I’ve been coupon clipping for quite a while. I found eBay in 2000 and have buying and selling since then. I’ve participated in mystery shopping for several years. I trade media on swaptree. I’m new to blogging though- both reading and writing.
My plan: By following several frugal blogs and writing my own (to keep me focused) I hope to be able to live comfortably while attending school and not have too many financial worries. Until I start back full-time, I want to continue to build my stockpile so I won’t have to spend much money on toiletries and household items when I’m in school. (I think I’m set on feminine hygeine products. I’ve got enough to last me several years!) I know I can’t stockpile food for that long, but there are several items that do have a long shelf-life.
My stores: My favorite is CVS. I can get so many free items there. I’m starting to play the drugstore game at Walgreens. I’m just not comfortable there yet. We don’t have a lot of grocery stores to choose from. I have Food Lion and Ukrops each 20 miles away. It’s a little over 30 miles to Kroger. Wal-Mart and Target are 20 miles away as well. I am always unhappy shopping at Wal-Mart. I never seem to have pleasant experiences there. I wish I had more choices to choose from, but I work with what’s available to me.
What needs improvement: We need to cut back on eating out. I need to start doing menu planning. (I think that will be my New Year’s resolution!) I need to make myself cut and file my coupons weekly. I tend to let them pile up and not clean out my files so I come across a lot of expired ones. I need to print and file coupons as I find them on the internet, rather than having to go search for them as I head out the door to the store. I need to better manage my time. (Working full-time doesn’t leave much spare time.) I need to better plan my shopping trips so I can get in and get out and not be tempted by things I don’t need. I need to start downsizing now and selling some things could bring some extra cash into the budget.
You can help me: I learn so much from others. Have some suggestions for my improvement areas? Are you a professional organizer / time manager? Are you working and going to school? I welcome your ideas. Please visit me at On The Banks of Stony Creek to share. I thank BeCentsAble for helping me with my budget. You are helping me and others to live a rich life….frugally!
DebbieLynne
Each week we feature a different shopper’s story. If you would like to share your story contact us at becentsable@gmail.com.
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