Sacrificing to Spend Less

I have a special treat for you today--a guest post from Joana, from Starving Student Survivor. She is sharing with us today about living on less, another installment of The Less Project!
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Several years ago I saw an episode of a home renovation TV show featuring a man who was flipping a house. He said home improvement projects had three desirables elements: the work should be fast, high quality, and inexpensive. However, it was impossible to achieve all three. He could only choose one or two components, and since he had money, he chose to spend more for good quality repairs done as quickly as possible.

To some extent, the same is true in homemaking. But as the wife of a full-time graduate student and SAHM, I need to keep all costs as low as possible. Here are some time and quality sacrifices I make.

Shopping. I do a lot of research and price comparing online for larger purchases. It takes time to make sure I’m getting the best price for the quality I need.

Entertainment. My family spends virtually nothing on media. We wait for our library to carry the books or DVDs we want. If there’s a TV show we like (it’s been a while) we watch it online. My husband earns gift cards from taking online surveys to pay for video games, along with trading in games he doesn’t play anymore. The only quality sacrifice is borrowing DVDs that seem to have been used as a cat’s scratching post.

Food. Food is interesting because anything that makes it more convenient often means a higher financial cost and a lower-quality product. Time and energy are required not only to cook food, but also to plan menus, make grocery lists, and reinvent leftovers. But with practice, the quality actually increases as the food becomes healthier (and tastier!).

Cleaning. I make my own cleaning products. (Does putting vinegar and water in a spray bottle count as “making”?) They take longer to use because of the extra elbow grease needed. In that light, some quality is lost. From an environmental perspective the quality is improved with fewer toxic chemicals and less packaging.

Personal care. I’ve replaced my shampoo with a baking soda/water solution and my antiperspirant with baking soda and cornstarch. After several months I can say that I'm used to them, but honestly the quality isn't the same as their traditional counterparts.

Laundry. This is my big time-consumer. With no laundry facilities in my apartment, I wash my family’s clothes in our bathtub. It’s nice to know it’s easier on our clothes, which come out as clean as from a washing machine. Other than a few wrinkles from line drying, the quality is fine.

Spending less requires giving something up. What do you sacrifice in order to save?

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Since Joanna graduated from college in 2005, she's been learning how to care for a home, be a mother to two hilarious little boys, and support her amazing husband while he completes his university degrees. She enjoys taking her kids to the library, playing the piano, watching girly movies and doing counted cross-stitch embroidery. Joanna blogs at Starving Student Survivor.






This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday, Penny Pinching Party, and Frugal Friday.

Sacrificing to Spend Less