Budgets and Wants and Needs

When I was a young mother and wife,
I had to keep within the budget. It was
before regular credit cards. The only thing
was charge accounts, that were out there
at that time, was Sears, J.C.Penney and etc.
J.C. Penney's the family store, which we found
out when we bought a rug on time, that they
weren't very family friendly when your
husband's union went out on strike. We got
$25 a week from the union and offered
$2 a month (our payments were $5) to
J.C. Penney's. And was turned down. So
you found a way to get the needs and make
sure you made the payments. Which brought
up creative budgeting.

How far can you make hamburger stretch,
with the 4 children we had at that time.
You can come up with some really wild
recipes when you are looking in the refrigerator.
Also learn to figure out what we were
going to eat for the month. And buy groceries
to fit that. 15 pounds of hamburger
at that time was 19 cents a pound)
to be broken up in 1 pound packages and
4 chickens (at 17 cents a pound). That way
you can take out as much as you need. 3 Roast
that are big enough to use for another dinner
during the week, and potatoes and pasta that
stretch a food budget. Making trips to the store
only for fruits, fresh vegetables for salad, and milk.
Make your own bread.

Also you get creative in the sewing of clothes.
I can remember that my husband's jeans would
wear out at the knees first. So cut off at the
knee, they became shorts for him, But the lower
part was made into jean pants for the 2 year olds.
By unstitching the seam partly, and sewing
them to each other, then put in a elastic for a
waistband.

As I got older, and the children are gone, I had
a job. Then remarried, two of us, two incomes.
And wants became needs. You know, being at
K-Mart at 7am for a sale on juicer or latte maker.
Then after about 4 times of trying to work them,
you find out you can't make latte's as good as
the shops, and the juice maker makes terrible
apple juice and you get sick of carrot juice real
fast? Then after sitting in the cupboard for a
year or so, and some one says..."gee, I sure would
like a latte maker/juicer" and you light up. You
don't tell them your experience... you just tell them
you will give them one ...free and clear. You just
want the space back in the cupboard. Bringing
back the saying, be careful what you want. You
just might get it.

Now that I am retired, it is back to budgeting.
And reviewing your wants and needs. It is
surprising how you can come up with other
things that you can do, so you can do without
what you thought you wanted. And also going
back to the buying for the month, and not as
many trips to the store, so you spend less.
Only draw back is we don't get to travel as much
with gas prices going up. And plane tickets too.