Getting Through Financially Tough Times

Tami Urcia shares some lessons she and her family learned about materialism while weathering a season of unemployment.

Our family has been through some rough waters lately. Well, it seems like quite consistently in fact, although the storms have come in various forms throughout the years. Over the summer, I was unemployed for four months—and I am the only breadwinner for our family of seven. I had to cut my grocery bill in half and my new motto became “Make Do.” I could no longer run to the store or jump on Amazon the moment I noticed we “needed” something. In fact, I canceled my Prime subscription altogether, just so I wouldn’t be tempted.

But as He tends to do, God turned these times into blessings. I learned a few things along the way and unexpectedly got to spend a wonderful summer at home with my children. I have been looking for a way to share what I learned with other women, and thought now was as good a time as ever.

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Even though this article may seem more like a list, it comes from my heart as some concrete ways to “make do” during hard times. I hope you are blessed by it.

Always choose the less expensive option. If you have a choice between the name brand or the store brand, choose the store brand. There are a few exceptions, but you can seldom tell the difference.
Always have at least two reasons to leave the house to save on gas, especially if you live in a more remote area.
In the summertime, buy a blow-up pool and have ice cream at home instead of going to the beach. Even if the pool only lasts one summer, it’s worth it.
If your family likes popsicles, buy a kit to make them at home. A large bottle of juice can make many popsicles and is much healthier too!
Use your husband’s razors and conditioner to shave. Now I know we are getting pretty personal here, but let’s be real, ladies: it doesn’t have to be pink for it to work.
Leftover chocolate chips and marshmallows count as dessert too.
Identify friends and family who have children of similar ages who are willing to share clothing when their kids grow out of them.
Take a shower every other day to save on water, soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Now hear me out on this one. How many of us end up putting on lotion every time we shower? If we are drying out our skin, is a daily shower really necessary? (Unless we exert ourselves and get dirty and sweaty, of course.)
Grocery shop online and pick it up. Let’s face it: to some degree we are all influenced by what catches our eye at the store. If we shop online, we are more likely to choose the items that we truly need. Once you have made the order, look at your items again a few hours later or the next day. Ask yourself if you really need each item or if it can wait.
Exchange larger vehicles for more economical ones when possible. A minivan gets much better gas mileage than a Suburban and the insurance is much cheaper as well. At times the spaciousness of larger vehicles becomes a luxury we can no longer afford, as much as we would like to.
Use these times as an opportunity to explain to your children the meaning of sacrifice, as well as the difference between needs and wants. I found that my kids were constantly begging me for material things, but as soon as the Amazon boxes stopped coming in, their requests diminished. I was setting an example of materialism that I didn’t even realize.
Get creative for meals by using what you already have on hand. Your whole family isn’t always going to enjoy everything you make for dinner, but part of my “make do” motto turned into telling my children, “This is what we have for today. Maybe we will have something you like better tomorrow.” I also may or may not have given them the line about children starving in third world countries a time or two.
Cut hair at home. I can understand that we may not be able to cut our own hair (and it may even be a good excuse to get out of the house), but perhaps we can cut our husband and/or our children’s hair. One of the first things I did with my wedding money was buy a pair of clippers, and I have been doing this ever since. I’m sure I have saved thousands in the past 11 years.