Saving Money #7 Using Cash
Good evening again sisters!
We are grateful that the weather here has been holding off some of the normal humidity at this time of year so the evenings are cool for sleeping. Sometimes we have rough nights with high humidity and we don't run our generator all night so I use some sort of fan.
I actually have 3 different kinds. This one here is re-chargeable with a usb cable. I've got one that uses batteries and then another one that charges by solar or plug in. Depending on the sun and how much we have charged during the day will determine which one I use. Anyway, we're thankful for each day no matter the weather:-)
So this post is about how we save money using cash and it's something we started doing years ago. It's a pretty simple concept really, rather old fashioned and not many people do it nowdays but it works well for watching what you spend.
We have found that when we were using a credit or debit card that we spent more than we wanted because it's easy to just toss something in on the pile and swipe a card to pay for it. Then at the end of the month when you see the total it's a real eye opener how much the small stuff really adds up. But when you use cash and you see how much is in your wallet, you think twice about adding in unexpected items because you can see your cash dwindling. It's much more difficult to sit and count the cash out than swipe a card and so we have found it keeps us more accountable.
I'll be honest, we don't use cash for everything. There are times when we travel that we will use our credit card to pay for gas at the pump instead of going inside, giving them money, coming back out to fill the tank then going back inside to get the change. I do try to make sure to pay it off every few days though. We also use our credit card for some online purchases but then again I pay it off right away.
Another way cash is good for is the envelope budget system. What you do is write down all your bills and label one envelope for each bill. Then every week (or whenever you get paid) you divide up your money between all the bills. This way each one is slowly building up to it's total and by the end of the month you have just what you need to pay for the next month. It really keeps you in check so you don't spend more on things you don't need and you know just how much extra is left over for miscellaneous spending.
We have bought our last couple vehicles with cash and let me tell you, when you have to count out all that hard earned money and hand it over, you really examine what sort of vehicle you need as compared to getting a loan and not thinking twice about going higher than you wanted in the first place. (We encourage people not to get loans though if at all possible.)
What we do in this matter might not work for everyone but it's been a blessnig to us.
As keepers at home we have a big responsibility to use our resources wisely and if you have a husband, you want to honor him as well by being frugal and not make him work harder to pay for things you don't need.
Let us be content....
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11
Have a good evening and stand strong in the Lord.
Love in Christ,
Sister Deb
We are grateful that the weather here has been holding off some of the normal humidity at this time of year so the evenings are cool for sleeping. Sometimes we have rough nights with high humidity and we don't run our generator all night so I use some sort of fan.
So this post is about how we save money using cash and it's something we started doing years ago. It's a pretty simple concept really, rather old fashioned and not many people do it nowdays but it works well for watching what you spend.
We have found that when we were using a credit or debit card that we spent more than we wanted because it's easy to just toss something in on the pile and swipe a card to pay for it. Then at the end of the month when you see the total it's a real eye opener how much the small stuff really adds up. But when you use cash and you see how much is in your wallet, you think twice about adding in unexpected items because you can see your cash dwindling. It's much more difficult to sit and count the cash out than swipe a card and so we have found it keeps us more accountable.
I'll be honest, we don't use cash for everything. There are times when we travel that we will use our credit card to pay for gas at the pump instead of going inside, giving them money, coming back out to fill the tank then going back inside to get the change. I do try to make sure to pay it off every few days though. We also use our credit card for some online purchases but then again I pay it off right away.
Another way cash is good for is the envelope budget system. What you do is write down all your bills and label one envelope for each bill. Then every week (or whenever you get paid) you divide up your money between all the bills. This way each one is slowly building up to it's total and by the end of the month you have just what you need to pay for the next month. It really keeps you in check so you don't spend more on things you don't need and you know just how much extra is left over for miscellaneous spending.
We have bought our last couple vehicles with cash and let me tell you, when you have to count out all that hard earned money and hand it over, you really examine what sort of vehicle you need as compared to getting a loan and not thinking twice about going higher than you wanted in the first place. (We encourage people not to get loans though if at all possible.)
What we do in this matter might not work for everyone but it's been a blessnig to us.
As keepers at home we have a big responsibility to use our resources wisely and if you have a husband, you want to honor him as well by being frugal and not make him work harder to pay for things you don't need.
Let us be content....
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11
Have a good evening and stand strong in the Lord.
Love in Christ,
Sister Deb
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