Make Do Month
Posted by Gail | Filed under Money Management
Did you blow your brains out over Christmas? Despite all the planning and the resolutions to not go into January with debt, loads of people find themselves hesitant to open up their credit card statements. Hey, it was all the unexpected holiday expenses that popped up that pushed you over the top, right? Now with debt to deal with, higher hydro bills and the exorbitant cost of “fresh” food, it’s time to focus on ways to trim back.
You know Make Do Month: It’s the month when you stretch everything a little farther so you spend a lot less. You’ll scoop the last drop out of every bottle or jar. You’ll dig to the back of your food cupboard to use up the noodles, the soup, the bag of beans. And you’ll go through your freezer and eat everything that’s been sitting there for the past six months. (Hey, don’t let a little freezer burn scare you off. Turn it into soup!)
January is also a good month to experiment with a new routine as you make do. Used to buying coffee every day as you head to work? Start brewing your own at home or work and save big-time. Go out for lunch? Pack one from home four out of every five days and you’ll be able to pay off that holiday debt.
If you have family or friends whose birthday falls in January, committing to Make Do Month mean you won’t rush out and buy a present. Instead, you’ll find a way to give something of yourself instead of something you’ve bought. Make their favorite cookies, offer to cook them a meal or a bunch of meals for the freezer for those extra busy workdays, or create a coupon for three nights of free babysitting. Maybe you’re a computer genius and can offer to do maintenance or repairs. Perhaps you’re a mechanic and can offer a tune-up. Substitute your energy for spending money.
While you’re being frugal and using up all your stuff so you don’t have to spend money in January, why not inventory the things you seem to have a lot of: screws, magazines, nail polish, face creams, shampoo, books, yarn, scrapbooking supplies. Measuring your abundance and committing to buying nothing more until you’ve used up what you have is a great way to take Make Do Month and make it a year-long way to save money.
After the buzz of the holidays you’ll no doubt be happy to stay home for the first couple of weeks. Then you may start feeling itchy. You’ve got to get out. You can feel the walls closing in. Before you hit that great new restaurant that just opened up or head out to the clubs, remember that January is Make Do Month. Call up a couple of friends and throw a pot-luck dinner instead. My girlfriend Annie asked all her invitees to bring a dish from their cultural heritage. I showed up with Oxtail Soup (stay tuned for a new recipe) and partook of everything from cabbage rolls to Lebanese.
January is a great month to start a tradition of once a month game or poker nights and rotate from one friend’s home to another. No one says you can’t have fun in Make Do Month. You just can’t spend gobs of money.
Make Do Month is a conscious decision to stretch every dollar as far as it’ll go. Try it and see if just becoming conscious saves you money. I’ll bet you’re pleasantly surprised.
January 19, 2012 at 5:55 am
I can say that as as new and busy mother, some of the best gifts were when friends showed up to our house with freezer meals!
I don’t think gifts have to be expensive. It’s the thought that counts
January 19, 2012 at 7:06 am
I thought we did so well over Christmas and did not go into any kind of debt buying Christmas presents or hosting Christmas dinner, I even got two of the gifts on points! But then we had a wedding to attend, a new bed to purchase and wills to pay for and the suddenly our budget went out the window.
January 19, 2012 at 8:05 am
My mother used to make Oxtail Soup…yum!
January 19, 2012 at 8:34 am
Gail, with no disrespect intended, could you please come up with 2 new examples of things to cut out of the daily routine in orderto save money other than “don’t buy a daily coffee” and “pack a brown bag lunch”. We’ve never bought a daily coffee and never bought lunch but we would certainly appreciate knowing other tricks to trim the budget.
One trick that I developed is for developing pictures. I order my prints from kodak.ca and once you have 100 prints, the price drops to $0.15 per print. The shipping is $2.99, much less than I would pay in gas to go to the store and the pictures come to my door. So I’ve decided to order pictures quarterly. Every three months, I’m allowed 100 pictures. Instead of paying $25 per month, I pay $35 every 3 months.
January 19, 2012 at 9:03 am
@Amelia – instead of printing so many pictures, I decided to create a family photobook “yearbook”. One book per year highlighting our best photos each month. My books have ranged from $40 to $75. Once it’s done, I share the link with my family and they see all the pictures and written descriptions as a slideshow. I’m not an avid scrapbooking but arranging these photos off my computer is so easy. Plus, some photobook sites sometimes offer 50 free prints with your purchase!
January 19, 2012 at 9:22 am
Hosting family for a week over Christmas, followed by a much-anticipated but expensive two week vacation with the other side of the family, means that January absolutely HAS to be make-do month. We ended up blowing January’s grocery budget before New Year’s. No regrets, but now we have to make up for it. Thankfully, there’s lots in the pantry to be used up and we’ve committed to only buying things like fruit, milk and produce out of our personal spending budgets this month. It helps that hubby’s travelling a bit for work – it’s very easy for me to forage in the pantry and freezer when I’m on my own. I am already looking forward to February though, when the budget re-funds and we can treat ourselves a bit!
January 19, 2012 at 10:04 am
A make do month is a great idea.
I cleaned my pantry yesterday and found the dried split peas and lentils at the back. Today, using the veggies in the bin, I’m going to make a stock pot full of healthy soup that will make at least 20 servings at low cost.
I also make January a purge month. I go through every cupboard and closet and remove items for disposal or donations. Then I reorganize those spaces. It gives a good start to the year.
January 19, 2012 at 10:06 am
Last January I asked friends to NOT exchange gifts anymore, but rather let’s go out for lunch or visit a gallery or go on a hike…something to spend time together,
As adults, none of us need anything else and to buy something nice and meaningful takes time and money. No sense buying something that will simply be regifted or go into the Sally Ann box.
Not only saves $$, but also time and stress.
I was happy to not run up a credit card over the holidays as needed to have our oven repaired this week and a windshield repair. It is very freeing to always have the cash available for budget snags like that.
To the lady that already takes bag lunches and drinks coffee at home, you are probably already doing all the other steps to save money that slips through one’s fingers.
That being said, I saved my quarters and loonies/toonies that were left over from my jar monies and put them in a piggy bank (one that adds up your coins as you slide them in) At the end of the year I had an extra $100! That is money that just would have slipped away for the odd coffee or magazine.
January 19, 2012 at 10:13 am
I eat out of the cupboards and freezer every January, buying only dairy and produce, because it’s a great way to clear it out for springtime. I’m always amazed at how long I can eat this way — a reminder to take it easy on the stockpiling! Also, in January I purge my bookshelf, basement, etc, and start selling things on Kijiji. I’ve made $200 in the last week!
January 19, 2012 at 10:14 am
This is totally a make-do month for me. While I didn’t incur any debt over the holidays, I managed to spend away several hundred dollars that had been earmarked for end-of-the-year savings. This really upset me, since I’m finally in a place where I can start saving up for a house downpayment (I have approx 8 months of emergency savings in place) and I want to get that done.
So I’ve only allowed myself $140 of spending money this month. This is used to cover everything from gas and groceries to library fines (oops) and entertainment. I have 13 days left and only $45 remaining, so I’m a little concerned, but I think I can do it.
Here’s my (hopeful) breakdown of what the $45 will be spent on.
$5 – perscription (this is the part I have to pay)
$30 – gas (lots of driving this weekend…fingers crossed that this will be enough)
$5 – grocery top-up (I have pretty much everything I need, but I’d like some more cream for my coffee)
$5 – parking for a friend who’s coming to visit (she always cooks for me, so I have no problem paying for her parking while she’s here)
So far the other $95 for this month has been spent on gas ($50), library fines ($5), groceries ($30), dollar store ($5), and eating out ($5). I’ve only been spending the cash, so all the change has been going in a jar, which I’m saving up to buy myself a gift on my birthday in June.
I have a little extra ($25) that’s going in my vacation account this month that I can dip into if things get too tight, but I’m hoping I won’t have to.
Wish me luck!
January 19, 2012 at 10:17 am
I’ve been “Making Do” since January 1 and I have to say I’ve been surprised at a) how easy it has been and b) how much money I haven’t spent!
I was shocked at how much food I had in the pantry and especially the freezer (and it’s only the usual space on the top of my fridge) and I’ve been using it all up – still can’t believe how much is left. I’ve only bought milk, (about half the bread that I normally buy as I’ve made soda bread, scones and pancakes at home) and some fresh fruit and veg. This weekend I’ll need to get some yogurt, milk and bread but otherwise I’ll still be shopping from the pantry. The other thing is – I think I’m actually eating better – I’ve planned out the meals and I’m doing a better job of balancing between meat, poultry, fish & veggie options – since I have to make it last (I’m trying to get through to the end of March – doing things quarterly) I made sure that I wasn’t going to use up all the chicken in January and have none left for February. I’ve actually gotten to be quite creative – and the girls that I have lunch with at work are both doing the same thing so it’s been quite interesting to see what everyone comes up with each day.
January 19, 2012 at 10:24 am
I’m probably going to be the odd ball here but my Make Do Month is February. We have 9 – yes 9 birthdays in January. Although we do not buy presents for everyone, we get together and have meals, etc. We have the hustle and bustle of December and then we have a pretty busy month in January too so for us we always have our ‘detox’ time in February. That includes not spending money on anything unnecessary as well as trying not to commit to too many social obligations. We take the month to relax and curl up at home.
I also try to purge and organize closets and drawers and sometimes the basement.
January 19, 2012 at 10:28 am
With a new course starting up (I have to pay up front, and the company only pays when I pass in April) I’m putting my time and energy (out side the course) into hobbies I can do for free. I am training for running, so I dug out the shoes I have and am using the outdoors, or the treadmill in our building. If I use my time doing stuff for free, then I don’t feel the urge to spend.
January 19, 2012 at 10:58 am
I think this is the first year that I have not had any holiday debt to deal with. Last year I started saving all toonies in a jar. By November I had $1000 for all of the Holiday expenses and a debt payment to my last credit card. (Only $6800 to go!) I was also able to get some free gifts at Shoppers with my Optimum points.
I have started my saving jar for Holidays 2012. I already have $86 saved. Feels so good to be prepared.
Thank you Gail for another wonderful post. You keep me inspired!
January 19, 2012 at 11:17 am
[...] Vaz Oxlade has a great post on her blog about “Make do Month.” January is always make do month for us. We make it through Christmas just fine. [...]
January 19, 2012 at 11:23 am
@Amelia-
I have some ideas, but maybe you are already doing these…
Check out your local dollar store for products like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, tooth brush rather than spending big at the grocery store or pharmacy
Opt for tap water, cutting back on orange juice and milk (drink just enough to stay healthy), pop and/or coffee and up your intake of the great H20.
Make left-over meals. In my household left overs always vanish from someone snacking, but if you can eliminate the snacking and make whole meals from left overs… well then you ahve saved your grocery budget for a night.
Bulk Barn it up. When a recipe calls for something you don’t have, check out bulk barn and get just what you need, no extra packaging either. Also discount for students and seniors on Wednesday.
Earn extra cash from Second hand clothing stores. Where I live there is a store called Plato’s Closet which gives you a great price when you bring in clothes. I visited last summer with a couple garbage bags of old clothing, they were very picking, probably only chose 6 or 7 articles, and still gave me $45.00!
Hope these ideas help someone in Make Do Month.
January 19, 2012 at 11:24 am
We don’t have a lot of extra stuff around the house as it is – our cupboards are not full of food that can be used up. We buy what we need for the week and no more. Occasionally we’ll have an extra 2-3 days’ worth of meals but nothing else. At the end of the week when it’s time to grocery shop, the fridge has little more than condiments, and cupboards are pretty darn bare. I think every month is ‘make do month’ around here! It’s not that we can’t have more but I don’t understand the point of having cupboards, a fridge, and/or a freezer full of food you are not eating!
January 19, 2012 at 11:30 am
Have always done this in January and am always amazed at how far the freezer and pantry will go. Probably because of all the extras that were bought or gifted re entertaining. For the lady that is trying to stretch things further a couple of ideas: a. unplug all electric cords in rooms that are not being used and make sure your kitchen kettle, toaster etc is unplugged when not in use.
b. Turn the themostat down 1 degree and dig out the quilts. c. instead of renting movies pull out all the old ones and re-visit them. Make sure your attitude is a positive one as that will open your eyes to further possiblities.
January 19, 2012 at 11:41 am
In the 1800s, farmers referred to February as “the hungry month” because they were already running low on winter supplies and needed to make due until the first cold-hardy crops were up in the spring! Makes me grateful that all I have to do is cut back, get creative and not go hungry.
January 19, 2012 at 11:47 am
As a January 4 baby, I must say that I’m tired of “I have no money left for your present”. I’m at the age now where I don’t need a present, but my brother always pulled that excuse. However, for his birthday in September, he got EVERYTHING to go back to school. Life is just not fair!
January 19, 2012 at 12:16 pm
I call them “Four Corners” meals – I take everything from the four corners of the kitchen, from freezer to pantry to fridge to countertop.
Ironically, I find we eat like Kings and Queens during make do month. I find delicious goodies that I might have been “saving” and offset the staples with these. I, too, am out of my jar money for January already but there are amazing things still in our fridge to get us through 12 more days.
We eat frozen fruit from the summer, thaw some chili, soup up all the leftovers into great hearty soups with croutons. Heck, I even made my own tortillas this week from a batch of Masa which I bought one ambitious Saturday months ago! They were really delicious too!
I also do this with our toiletries too – have facials with masques and creams which I have in the closet, deep condition my hair, and I use every last drop of the shampoos and conditioners I’ve accumulated over the year from business travel trips.
I add stuff to the bath too and re-read old magazines. Browning avocados are a GREAT body hydrator, a few drops of lime oil from key west made the whole bathroom smell like a grove, and some gift cards lurking in a wallet can provide a great pick-me-up and feel like a real treat.
I am very lucky, and make-do month reinforces this really well. A little deprivation can be a much-needed reminder that some people don’t have the options I do.
January 19, 2012 at 12:19 pm
This is a timely reminder, Gail! I’m part of a ‘no/low-spend’ challenge online this month. We’ve all got slightly different goals, but the same intent: to spend only on necessities. My goal is to put the extra money onto my debt. While everyone’s necessities vary slightly, the goal is the same – to save money without going without.
I’ve treated myself to Tim Horton’s only once this month (a big deal for someone who, to this point, goes every day) and otherwise have been taking my lunch every day, making breakfast each morning and being careful not to even take money out of the bank. I have no funds in the jars at all! I’m using my debit card, a calendar and my blog to keep track of my spending and keep me accountable during the challenge. My ‘no spend’ days continue to accumulate…
The support is terrific and it’s fun to follow the other participants and see what they’re saving for, what’s working or not working and how they’re doing.
January 19, 2012 at 12:35 pm
We are doing ‘make do’ month here too. So much food in my cupboard that needs to be used or at least rotated! funny though, my husband will look in the cupboard/fridge/freezer and whine “There is nothing to eat” and then I make several meals out of ‘nothing’.
Tara, we lived on the farm and my Mom’s pantry was *stocked* lol. Part of it was never knowing who might be showing up for supper or a visit, and part of it was the distance to the grocery store. I live in town now, but after several days of 40 below, I am glad I don’t have to go anywhere too. I do have to remind myself that I am not ’saving’ food forever, it is ok to eat that frozen casserole two weeks after I put it in the freezer, I don’t need to hang onto it for longer. We buy a 1/4 of beef once a year so our apt sized freezer is always full of meat to cook (and much cheaper than buying at the grocery store).
I rather enjoy make do month. My husband, however, has been undoing all my make doing by spending on other things! Ay yi yi.
January 19, 2012 at 12:38 pm
My Januarys have been much more make do since I was Gail Vaz Oxladized a few years ago. I approach spending, saving, cooking etc with much more of a New year = new energy = new focus perspective. The trick is to make that momentum last throughout the year. I need to work on that.
As Annie said above, it’s exciting to watch the energy and success of those who are blogging about their no /low spend month challenge.
January 19, 2012 at 12:52 pm
Great reminders!
I agree(just me?) it is sooooooo important about the coffee thing! Such a waste of money so many waste on a daily pick-me-up! When was the last time you saw a Starb*cks or T*mmys drive thru empty ?…Amelia
Plus, eating out of your pantry is great in January, but like another poster said why have food stocked you are not eating?
So we don’t clean out our pantry in January. We do stay frugal in meals, but I replenish little by little in Jan!…cuz ya never know 
….if you are paycheque to paycheque and your paycheque is delayed a few days! you’ll be thankful you have the supplies! Happened to us when we were starting up our Emerg.Fund and $ due on a Friday! didn’t come until Tuesday 4pm….we were thankful we had a fairly wellstocked pantry! or we would’ve panicked that weekend with no food and no paycheque!
Maybe singles don’t do this, but fams w/kids needed a stocked pantry as best they can just as important as cash in Emergency.
January 19, 2012 at 12:55 pm
I too eat what I can from my freezer and cupboards and it amazes me what I can make. I am enjoying it and I also go through the kids clothes and toys. We donate what we don’t use…..great ideas from others
January 19, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Question for everyone:
Is it worth it to do your own yogurt?
Thanks
Christine
January 19, 2012 at 1:26 pm
January is a “Make Do Month” for our family (three adults) as well. Although no debt incurred over Christmas, we decided to eat from the pantry and freezer for this month and longer.
Money has been spent on fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, and bread. By planning meals and planning for leftovers, we are eating well. I like to cook in batches and freeze several meal portions to have a variety throughout the month.
Reward points have been a help and are used to purchase food and gas.
Good money saving tips everyone. Thanks
January 19, 2012 at 1:31 pm
No extra debt over Christmas. Paying my visa debt off next week…will be almost debt free. Learning to make do and get only what are necessities and some of those used – like skates for school and clothes.It is good not to feel regret over stuff my children sometimes toss aside.
January 19, 2012 at 1:42 pm
We did this starting in October/November so we could pay for everything for Christmas and several December Birthdays in cash. We did so well we were able to pay cash for our belated Honeymoon to Puerto Rico this past week. SO while some people we know are working today to pay for last month we care-free-ly went on to our vacation and get to spend January tanned, relaxed, and debt free.
Now our goal is a family Disney Cruise in August! I don’t even miss the shopping. One gift we got for Xmas was a groupon for home cleaning. Since we did a huge declutter session for the New Year and since I wasn’t buying stuff for a few months it took the cleaners less than 2 hours (that was the time limit on the groupon) to clean our 2bd 2bath apartment since they didn’t have to move so many brick bracks or bottles in the bath or on my dresser. That felt good. Even better coming home from a relaxing vacay to a completely clean home.
Seeing what we could afford if we gave up on the little things we buy through the month made me stay on track. We can afford the cleaners now every month if we want which is worth more to me than a new lipstick or perfume.
January 19, 2012 at 2:26 pm
January is a great month to use up goods in the kitchen. Free up some freezer space and cupboard space. I really need to bake more, WAY too many baking ingredients for our small kitchen!
I saved for Christmas again this year and used less than expected. Leftover money just went into the Christmas 2012 fund!
Amelia, I don’t drink coffee and rarely buy lunch out. Other things we do to stay frugal are to cut the cable! We upped our GB allowance for internet and can watch just about everything online. Stream movies instead of going to the theatre, unless it’s something we really want to see. Movie tickets along with concessions are so expensive! Make larger meals to be able to have leftovers. Buying in bulk usually saves money and then it frees a night of cooking! Borrow books and movies from the library. Make your own of what you can buy in stores. Making your own cereal, bread, meals can save you money and be healthier! Instead of buying frozen or pre-made meals. Fix things yourself when possible.
January 19, 2012 at 3:12 pm
@Christine
I made my own yoghurt for many years and then added my own fruit. I don’t like sugar in my yoghurt and prefer it to be white, not blue or pink. I don’t know if it was cheaper but it was a simple thing to do as I had an electric yoghurt maker that held six individual glass cups. I no longer make my own as stores have such a good variety now and I usually pick up whichever non-fat plain yoghurt is on sale. I certainly think if you are using large amounts in daily cooking that it would be less expensive to make your own.
January 19, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Amelia, I do my coffee and bag lunch at home too. One of the biggest savings for me was to plan my meals for the week and only shop once. I was surprised to find out how much I was spending when I went to the grocery store 3-4 times in the week for “just one thing”. Also, once a year I review my bank fees, phone bills, cable, internet, insurance, etc. and see if I am overspending for what I need (needs change as the years go by). Good luck. The end result of being totally debt free is worth the time and effort you will put into this!
January 19, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Every winter we take advantage of the cold weather to empty, defrost and wipe out the chest freezer. Everything goes out on the verandah in rubbermaid bins to keep the wildlife away, and afterwards everything goes back in, but in a more organized manner. Pulling everything out really lets you assess what you have and plan the next few week’s meals starting with the oldest items.
I don’t normally make New Year’s resolutions, but this year I have committed to getting rid of 5 items per day all year. I love the idea that 1,825 items currently cluttering up our lives will be gone. The panty only gave up 4 items since I generally keep on top of exiry dates, but yesterday I emptied our bathroom vanity and purged all the old makeup, expired medications, and bits of stuff I didn’t recognize. I also organized our stock of toothpaste, floss, deodorant and shampoo. We have a little more than is sensible, but it wasn’t as out of control as I was expecting, and now everyone can find what they are looking for. I collected up a garbage bag of my extra clothes and will be tackling my husband and kids closets next. The hardest of all has been getting rid of old decorating magazines. It’s like recycling old friends. I tear out the pages that are still relevant to my life and the rest goes. So far 63 magazines have become a pile of clippings 1″ high. At some point I’ll edit those down and maybe even scan and only keep digital versions. Baby steps!
For this month (and the foreseable future) I suspect I’ll be so consummed with going through the stuff we already have that not addingto it by shopping will be easy.
January 19, 2012 at 4:42 pm
This month I’m learning to make do with less money, as my pay cheque shrunk, thanks to increases in tax rates, medical premiums and other company deductions. I’ll be okay, but negative growth was not what I was hoping for this year.
Good thing I’ve been eating down my freezer this month…
January 19, 2012 at 6:06 pm
I find January is always an expensive month, and not because of post Christmas debt. Vet bills,university application fees, birthday presents, course fees…the list goes on. I wish that I could plan better for all of these somewhat expected “unexpected” expenditures. It always takes me a month or 2 to catch up from January. There never seems to be enough money!
I’m trying to empty out my freezer and cupboards too. Seems like a good time to cook and get organized. Esp. since it’s too cold to do much else!
January 19, 2012 at 6:46 pm
I have a well-stocked pantry/fridge/cupboards because I LOVE to cook and always want to try new recipes. I don’t like having to constantly go and buy the ingredients I need–some things you should just always have on hand (flour, salt, etc). I also have lots of potatoes and carrots, because you can do a lot with those. I still take some time to let the stores dwindle, though, and use up things in the pantry. However, I like a bit of variety in my food, so I have an eclectic pantry. It’s fun to take a look around and try to figure out something palatable to make with it….
But I don’t just do that in January….
January 19, 2012 at 9:51 pm
I am totally happy to make do with what is around the house and often skip my weekly grocery shop if I can make what’s in the house do us for two weeks (excluding milk & some veggies). Not only does it save me money, but more importantly time!
@Mickmack: my husband is the same! He is notorious for telling me there is ‘nothing to eat’ in the house, when in reality there are lots of options that just take some preparation! The problem I struggle with is that I am working full time +OT and school right now, while he’s at home with the kids, so there is no one there to make something for him or at least point out his options!!! His cooking skills have improved a lot since we’ve been married and he loves to BBQ, but he doesn’t have as much imagination when it comes to those things as I do!!!
January 19, 2012 at 11:28 pm
A few unexpected expenses, including a dentist bill, power, fuel oil, etc have left us scratching this month, and probably next month. It doesn’t help that starting next week, I’ll have reduced hours at work when it’s already tight, but I can’t complain about that, since people have been laid off or on reduced hours for a couple of weeks, I’m just one of the last to get the cut.
We’re eating our stores down, but real soon wee’l be down to nothing, and it’ll be time for stone soup.
January 19, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@Christine
I’ve made yogurt a few times now, and it’s pretty easy. I found instructions online. Often there are deals on marked down milk or cream, and for starter, all you need is a spoonful of good yogurt that has live bacteria in it. Double boilthe milk, add the starter, pour it into a tupperware with a sealing lid, and float it in a crock pot set to warm. I really like it because I know what’s in it, and I find the texture of store brands to be wierd, I think they add too much gelatin.
January 20, 2012 at 3:53 pm
I grew up living “make do” months every month so it’s like old hat. We need to cut back on some spending so I said would take the bus every day to the train instead of driving to the train (saves gas and wear and tear on vehicle), make my lunch every day for work (just missed one day on that and what I bought was no where near as good as what I have been making!!) Instead of looking at it as deprivation, I look at it as an experiment in beating rampant consumerism. I have enough supplies for all my hobbies and I have posted the stuff I don’t want/need/use on Kijiji and Facebook for sale. Making some from that too. We want to buy rental property next year and I want to make sure we have enough saved to make this worthwhile! I wash all my suits (except one!) at home in the washing machine on the delicate cycle. I make my own tea at home and take it with me. I read the newspaper online at work at lunch. And for those of you that don’t have stuff in your cupboards to rotate or use up, it really is cheaper to have a stocked pantry, not only for the weather reasons posted already, but because you can make your own healthy meals instead of grabbing premade stuff at the store even if you don’t do take out! I can pretty much make any kind of casserole or soup at a moments notice because I have everything we need on hand. No need to go to the store.
January 20, 2012 at 9:53 pm
I am participating in a 52 week decluttering, and the whole first month is kitchen. This week is pantry inventory and next week freezer and fridge. It’s right on track with what I was doing anyway, I’m taking advantage of these last few months my son lives at home to use things up. When I am on my own I eat very differently, and lose weight without even working much on it. I know it will require a bit of creativity, but fortunately, he enjoys most food! As far as why stockpile, I buy things I know I will use before expiring when they are at a good price and I have coupons. It makes my food bill lower in the long run, and I always have pasta and things around, so no ordering out excuses.
January 21, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Tara: some people keep a stock pile for certain reasons ie: layoffs, sudden lose of jobs, etc. if you buy even an extra 2-3 items beans, pasta, frozen veggies, whatever, it truly goes a long way! Some jobs you have no control over; autoworkers for one! I keep a my cupboard and freezers stocked full! We never have to worry about whether we can feed the kids and ourselves healthy meals! Plus with our stock I NEVER spend more then $5 for all of us for an entire meal!
January 21, 2012 at 6:02 pm
I want to invite you to my brand new blog:
http://joyofdebt.wordpress.com/
I just created it today!
It will be a journey of my struggle and solution to my personal debt crisis.
I have not decided which route to take, but it would be wonderful if you can come and join me!
See you there,
DebtGirl
January 23, 2012 at 1:03 am
January is the make do month, but another great way to struggle less in January is have a make do month in November as well. This way, when you aren’t stressing over being short on cash, you can stretch your dollar and apply all of your savings towards December. Of course you’ll still need to cut back in January but hopefully it wont be as bad since you have more savings to use in January. If this adjustment is too hard for you, maybe apply your savings from November towards your January bills..just a thought!
January 23, 2012 at 11:05 am
I started my maternity leave in December, and am told that it could be another 6 weeks before my EI claim is processed. While I had prepared my mat leave budget, and had some emergency savings put away, January is now make due month. I’m glad that I stocked my pantry as well as diapers and wipes before I went on leave!
I’m watching all of the suggestions closely, and hoping that my emergency fund stretches long enough to keep the bills paid. EEK!
January 23, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@Tara: I stockpile for a number of reason. We have specific items we want and/or need that go on sale once in a while so it pays to buy larger quantities and store them. Also, our young son is diabetic so we need to be sure we have all the necessary food options as well as medical supplies on hand for more than just a few days at a time. We can’t take a chance on being without…..
January 24, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Another idea is to take your yearly payment amounts and divide them by 11 for a monthly amount to pay (or put away the excess). That way, when January rolls around you are paid up for the month already.
February 7, 2012 at 8:33 am
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