Stick Together

Financial strain is a leading cause of divorce. The irony is that divorce costs so much money that it only makes finances worse—much worse. In 2007, it was reported that the costs of a divorce in the U.S. ran from $10,000-$20,000 (If you have that kind of money to throw around I can think of some better ways to use it!)

Then there is the expense of two residences—two of everything. If you have children there’s the expense of child support, which many of the people who are ordered to pay, consider to be far out of proportion to their income. Those who are designated to receive it—often don’t and end up having to pay the costs on their own. Alimony may be another expense of divorce in your state.

Difficult times are the times to stick together as husband and wife. Be patient with each other. Listen. Remember what drew you together in the first place. I’ve heard marriage teachers say that if you can persevere; your marriage will get better sooner than you think (they say that statistics bear it out). But it does take a conscious choice.



I’m in no way an expert on this subject but I do know that divorce costs money in addition to tremendous pain. I do, however, know how to stay married through difficult times as my husband and I are on our thirty-second year of marriage.

From the Farm

This is a great time to save money on fruit and vegetables at your local produce stand or farmers’ market. Not only are you supporting what are usually local “Mom & Pop” businesses but you’ll find a considerable savings over the grocery store prices—sometimes as much as a dollar a pound! You’ll also find a greater variety, which can include shell beans (I especially like the magenta mottled “October beans”) and heirloom tomatoes (though they tend to be a good bit more expensive, I hear they taste delicious). Community abounds in such settings, you never know who you’ll see from “way back when” and they can be very international. Sometimes you can even find home baked bread or flowers there. Take along your cloth or reusable plastic shopping bags and help them keep their prices down.

mixed media painting "Terrific Turnips" by Joan C. Thomson (c)

Save the Electric & Save the Dollars

A little planning and patience can go a long way in electricity and natural gas savings.
•Run your dishwasher only when it’s full
•Refrigerators run more efficiently when full & when opened as little as possible
•Use lids on cooking pots so the heat doesn’t escape—the food will take less fuel to cook it and you won’t get as hot!
•Keep closets closed (unless you’re airing them out). Remember when you’re mother told you that your family couldn’t afford to “air condition the great outdoors”? the same applies to your inner closets.
•And speaking of the “great outdoors”, what your mother said is true (see above). When you open outer doors, be brief.

Drop the Shop

I used to love shopping, it didn’t matter whether it was inside the store or window shopping, I loved the excitement of seeing nicely arranged, new and colorful things. Now I’ve learned that if I stay out of the stores—unless I need something, I’m less likely to decide that I must buy some “wonderful” thing. And then the something that goes with that thing…things I often didn’t even know existed until I saw them!

Sometimes however, shopping is useful in order to know who has what, so you’ll know where to look when a need arises. Okay, so I still enjoy shopping but more often than not, when I get home I appreciate what I already have all the more. The key is being disciplined and purposeful in your shopping, knowing what you truly need and can truly afford.

Respectable Discounts

If someone in your household is eligible for a senior discount, make the most of it. Though the qualifying age for senior discounts varies—and continually changes, many businesses and organizations offer them. Banks offer free checking, grocery stores—especially natural food stores, and thrift stores offer percentage discounts on certain days while restaurants often offer “early bird specials” for seniors in the late afternoon. If a policy isn’t posted, it doesn’t hurt to ask—if a business doesn’t offer a senior discount perhaps they will if enough people ask (sometimes one or two inquiries is all it takes for a new policy to be written—depending on the size of the business). Even the U.S. National Parks Service offers a special deal for those 62 and over and those in their car. http://www.us-parks.com/golden-age-passport.html

Cable Cuts

I’ve often read that a way to save money is to cancel your cable TV service. I haven’t tried this one since we’ve never subscribed to this obvious financial drain and don’t plan to. Of course, canceling your contract may cost too much so it may be best to wait until it’s finished—unless after you do the math you find that you would still come out ahead. (Some may live in areas that don’t receive TV reception any other way. Then the question is, “Do you need to eat, pay your bills—fill in the blank more than you “need” TV?)

Till the Last Drop

*Cut open empty bags of sugar or flour and in the folds you’ll find as much as a quarter cup more of sugar or flour!

*Discount stores sell plastic “keys” to roll your toothpaste (and other products) tubes flat so you can get the most out of them. However, they only roll as far as the “shoulders” of the tube; a pair of pliers works nicely to squeeze out two or three more brushes full. Then if you really want to get the most out of your tube, cut it open with some clean scissors and scrape the insides with a rubber spatula. This probably works best on plastic tubes; I haven’t tried the metal ones.

*Turning cartons of milk or juice (oil bottles too) upside down for a few minutes with the lid on can loosen a teaspoon or more from the sides of the carton.

Clean Clothes Warm Heart

Know someone going through financial strain, who doesn’t have a washer and dryer? Invite them over from time to time to wash & dry a couple of loads in your machines. It could save them as much as $15 and it’s a great way to get to know each other better.

Cash Flow

Sales and discounts give great opportunities for “stocking up” but during lean times it can be more important to keep your “cash flow”. It’s a good idea to only buy one (or two if it’s something you’ll need right away such as a food item) of the sale item until you know that your bills can be met along with any unexpected expenses.

Obvious or New

Many of the ideas I’m writing may be very obvious to some who have been at resource-stretching for a long time. Yet, I’m including everything I can think of just in case someone hasn’t heard; I learned long ago that not everyone has the same framework of learning or experience. Some of the practices will seem too small to make a difference but they can add up more quickly than you think. Most are things I’ve tried myself—maybe I read it somewhere but I’ve made them part of my life and now I want to share them with you. Even if you have plenty of money/resources, you may want to try some of these things for your health, the health of God’s creation and to free up resources to help others.