Nifty & Thrifty in 2012

The new year is upon us!  And with this new year comes a new budget for our family.  We are in full time ministry and thanks to many individuals, families, and churches who support our ministry financially we make a modest income.  And because so many give to us we are often pretty conscious of how we spend our money.  But truth be told we spent too much money last year (and probably in many of the years before that)!  Now, we don't spend more money than we make and we aren't in debt (other than our mortgage and one car payment)- but we aren't really saving any money.  So basically we are living paycheck to paycheck and we aren't setting ourselves, or our children, up well for the future.  And is has to change.  So Joe took a good, realistic look at our finances and made a new budget for our family.  And most importantly we are having the money we need to be saving (which isn't as much as we would like, but it's a start) taken out of our account automatically every month so that we aren't tempted to spend it!:)  But this means that we have to be SERIOUS about our budget and stick to it- and that's what we've been doing since January 1st. 

Truth be told I'm torn about how I feel about this.  I don't really enjoy having to cut back and I don't like thinking about money so often.  And there have already been sacrifices (not for anything I need- just wants).  But on the other hand it feels good.  If feels good knowing that we are doing the best thing for our family, our future, and to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us.  I also have to admit that I sort of like the challenge!:)

And on that note...I'm wondering if some of you might join with me in this challenge.  Not only do I need to stick to our budget, but I want to do better than that!  I want to save even more money so that we can be freed up to give to others more and to have a little fun with our family along the way!  So, I'm taking action and I'm looking for lots of ways, big and small, to stretch our budget (and maybe help a few others do the same along the way)!  So throughout this year I'm going to be sharing here the things that our family are doing to save money.  And I would LOVE your help with this. 

So, the first area that I am targeting to save money in is LAUNDRY.  Now I know that this isn't something huge, but I really think that lots of small things in lots of areas will add up.  So...if you have any tips or advice for saving money on laundry please post a comment in this post or send me an email (angiedcousins@yahoo.com).  And in a week or two I'll post all of the best tips I've found (and hopefully some of them that we have started to use)!  And on that note it's time to go fold some laundry!:)