My budget has been a mess since the hurricane. I have lost my source of income (my in home daycare) and have all kinds of new and additional expenses (like expenses to stay in another place and extra gas for the car since I am driving all over everyday.)

By the grace of God all my bills are paid in full. But all my funds are now exhausted. It can be a bit stressful (on top of the stress of being displaced, and trying to rebuild my home.)

Right now I am waiting on insurance settlement so I can finish fixing the house. I have used all the donation money and the advance I got from the insurance company to get started. I have already had  the floor joists fixed and have had most of the walls replaced. I also paid for the furnace, ac unit, and ductwork. I still need to pay for the labor to install it. 

I never knew how expensive home stuff is. The cheapest kitchen cabinets (stock) are $2,500 (for my kitchen space.) Forget about countertops that start at $1,000. Ahhh. It is all making my head spin. I have spent no less than 40 hours at home inprovement stores in the past few weeks. I actually have to go back in the am to get white ceiling paint, and paint rollers. Then in the next few days to get tile for the bathroom. 

I have more debt now than ever and hopefully can pay it back with insurance money, but I have to spend money to fix stuff so I can go home. 

And that is all I want to do, go home. I want to not think about money, or paint, or kitchen cabinets. I want to take a nap on a Sunday afternoon, and read a book. I want to take a hot bath (ok so I never really did that before, but maybe I will in my new regular size tub.)

But until then I am grateful to have all my bills paid, and even today when I had nothing left and an empty gas tank God provided and the tank is full again.

He never ceases to amaze me. 

~Becky

How to save $1,000 this year / REPOST

Some of you may already be doing this sort of stuff, so the savings will not be as much, some of you may think I am too extreme. But by doing all of these things I saved over $1,000. I have been doing these things since 2008, so those savings are for each year.


1) Make your own laundry soap. Cost about $20 for 20 gallons. Get the recipe I use here.
Savings about $160 a year (if you spend $15 a month on laundry soap.)[Bonus the homemade stuff is free of added scents that irritate my son's skin.)

2) Use cloth paper towels. Chances are you have plenty of cloth towels in your home that will work just as well as paper towels, if not better. Savings about $240 (if you spend $20 a month on paper towels.)

3) Use cloth napkins. Again chances are you have some nice washcloths or a set of cloth napkins already. These work better than paper napkins. Savings about $60 a year.

4) Use cloth tissues. Use some of the washcloths, towels, etc., you already have around the home. One of my cloth tissues works way better than about 5 paper tissues. Savings about $60 a year.

5) Use cloth menstrual pads or a Diva cup. Switching to cloth menstrual pads has been amazing for me, read about it here. In 2008 I bought a set, so in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 I have had no costs (yes I am still using the same pads I bought in 2008.). Savings over five years, at least $600. Buy from a great work site here.

6) Use cloth toilet paper. I just cut up old clothes, see here. Savings about $120 a year.

7) Line dry your clothes. Did you know it cost .30-.60 cents per load to dry clothes in the dryer. If you wash 4 loads a week, that is about $2.00 to dry your clothes. $2 x 52 weeks is $104. I actually do about 6 loads a week, so for me that would cost $156 a year. So I line dry my clothes from March-Nov. Saving about another $100 a year. [Bonus it works out my arms to hang the clothes.]

8) Clean with only baking soda and vinegar. Savings about $100 a year (or more.)

9) Use white vinegar as fabric softener. Savings about $20 a year.

10) If you need something, look around and see if already have something similar that will do the job before you buy something new. Savings can really add up.

11) Join Freecycle.org. This site was created to keep good items out of landfills. Join online for free and post things you need (and want to give away as well) before you go out and buy something new. I have gotten rugs, toys, clothes, and so much more. Savings can be very high. [Bonus you can give away stuff and declutter while not feeling guilty that it will be in landfill.]

Leave a comment with a great money saving tip you have. Thanks!

-Becky

Check out my hurricane blog

Read updates on our hurricane story here

Also please share our hurricane blog, pray for us, and if you can make a donation to help us get back home!

Thanks!

~Becky

Hope Tree

Since the hurricane we have had such an outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and strangers. It has been amazing. I know how blessed we are! I feel loved!

Yet it still is very hard to be in this situation. I am unsure of when we can go home, and at what cost. I am inconveniencing my brother by staying at his place (he is staying with friends, yes he is amazing!!!) I am trying to be upbeat and positive, yet not having my own home is stressful and makes it very hard to relax. I relax by reading a book at home, or cooking a meal, or watching a movie at home, or taking a nap. It stresses me out to be driving around, running errands, shopping, etc all the time.

We still have not even figured out where to put all the stuff we have and need for the next few months (our clothes, most of the boys school stuff, and a few other odds and ends.) It is not a huge amount of stuff, but just the clothes for the three of us (and we do not have that many clothes) seem to be too much for this one bedroom to support.

Today though I am going to leave the errands and go to church and then go see Santa at the hope tree in my town (Union Beach.) After the hurricane a Christmas tree was found and someone set it up in an area of my town. Since then people have been adding ornaments and gift cards. So it has become a symbol of hope for my town and today Santa will be there to take pictures with local families.

You can read about the hope tree here.

I am hopeful that this will all work out in the end and I still know God is in control. The waiting is just so hard!

~Becky

Update

We are still on the go. We have been staying at different family members homes. This weekend we are going to go to my brother's and stay there until we can go back home.

This has been so stressful and draining on us all.

We finally had the insurance guy out and we should get a check in about 4 weeks, so we can begin repairs. Once we have a check the work should take about 6 weeks.

Pray that I get enough to do all necessary repairs.

I still am praising God and still know how blessed we are.

~Becky

Prayer request

We have to pack up and move as mold has settled into our home from the storm damage.

Pray for me as I have to pack up entire downstairs in days and find us a place to live.

Pray for Jason who is physically sick from all the stress and Josh who feels so displaced and lost in the shuffle.

Pray for my sister, Samanatha and Kaiden who are also displaced.

Also pray as due to Sandy I lost all my jobs and have no income right now.

 

Also check out our hurricane blog here.

 

Thanks!

 

~Becky

Update

Here is a blog I created to start to share our hurricane Sandy story.

We just got back internet today. It has been a long and stressful two weeks. But praise God we are safe.

How did you fair in hurricane Sandy?

~Becky