Did you know that the average income of adoptive families with children under age 18 is $56,000 per year?
With some types of adoption costing upwards of $30,000, we’re talking about a huge chunk of your yearly salary going towards adoption fees.
At the Ours Through Adoption Conference in Green Bay, WI this Saturday, I taught a workshop called, “Adoptionomics: How to Adopt Without Breaking the Bank.” We discussed “temporary tightwad tactics” through which prospective adoptive parents can save thousands of dollars in a short amount of time.
One of the biggest—and most neglected—ways to pinch pennies is to temporarily let go of life’s little luxuries. Bring those hidden expenses out of the closet, take a close look at how much you actually spend on them every week, and then say goodbye to them for several months.
By “hidden expenses,” I mean things such as:
Starbucks. The average American visits Starbucks five times per month. Reduce the number of trips per month you take to your favorite coffee shop and put the money you would have spent on lattes into your adoption fund.
Mobile phone minutes. Do you use your allotted minutes each month? If not, switch to a plan that offers fewer minutes. Better yet, switch to a pre-paid plan. Due to consumer demand, pre-paid cell phones are becoming easier to find.
Dining out. When you eat out, do you order a glass of wine? A glass of house wine averages $4.50. Mixed drinks? Twice as much. Order good, old-fashioned tap water.
Today I read an article called, “How to take a bite from your food bill” by Linda Florea of The Orlando Sentinel.
Here are some of her suggestions for saving $$ on groceries:
- Plan meals around sales. Look at the grocery store circulars, clip coupons, and plan your menus based on what’s on sale this week.
- Axe prepared foods and single serving, ready-to-drink beverages. Is it really going to kill you to chop a head of lettuce? It only takes a minute and can save you lots over pre-packaged salad mixes.
- Beans, beans, the magical food. Our family (and yes, we have boys) gets a kick out of the rhyme:
The more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel
So let’s have beans at every meal!
- Buy only what you’ll eat. This is a biggie for me. My husband is always digging through our fridge, emerging with slimy heads of lettuce, dried up carrots and other items I purchased in bulk and then forgot about.We’ve begun purchasing smaller quantities (which seems more expensive up front but actually saves money over the long haul), and making sure we actually eat what we buy.
- Don’t shop when you’re hungry! Those chips and ice cream and other non-essentials are irresistible when your stomach is rumbling. But if you go to the store with a LIST and a full tummy, you’re less likely to impulse buy.
What are your favorite tightwad tips?
Want me to teach a workshop on “Adoptionomics” at your adoption event? Contact me: laura@laurachristianson.com to book a date.
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A glass of wine around here costs closer to $7.00 – 9.00! To really save money, one needs to cut out all the extras that we just think we can’t live without (cable, cell, newspapers, magazines, etc). Having a yard sale will also motivate you to get rid of some clutter. We are always making choices on spending…. it is a very hard thing to do.
Alyzabeth’s Mommy for SIX Months!