This is an ongoing list, we are working on getting our Emergency Fund paid for.

We did have an emergency fund, but we had to use it 😦  at one point and we haven’t been able to redo it.  Ideas that we are using:

1) Selling stuff.  Usually on facebook for sale websites/craigslist/locally.  If you haven’t used it in the last 3 months and it isn’t seasonal – or if it is seasonal but you haven’t used it in a year.  GET Rid of it!   Gives you the added benefit that once it is GONE – you don’t have to clean up after it!

2) Selling homeschool curriculum (web sites I ❤ are homeschoolclassifieds.com and vegsource.com/homeschool but also Facebook pages might do well for you also.  With curriculum, look at things that will be updated before the next time you use it. You might not be able to buy consumables for them, etc. (IS there a 10 step program for homeschool book collectors… I will admit that I am a work in progress here.)

3) STOP buying something.  For me, it was tea/lemonades (I gave up pop almost 3 years ago!)  I bought a glass water jar and I take my water with lemon oil in it everywhere!   Whatever it is that you buy, that you give up, put that money in your emergency fund.

4)  stick to your food plan, plan ahead and you will be less likely to spend money on food emergencies. Decide now how much you can cut your food budget by.  It is temporary…  (I’m cooking for so many and I do the garden so I am not a good person to compare to – but if you’re spending 100$ /week on groceries and you can cut it to 75$/week for a month – you can put an extra 100$ in your savings account this month.  It all adds up!  I plan to share more on my menu planning in the future because I save a ton of money going with a plan!

5) Lay out a budget and stick to it.  Anything left over ~ goes into the savings account.

6) Make the savings account hard to access…  If you are tight and you have to scrimp, keeping your hands off that money can be pretty tough.  Don’t give yourself easy access to temptation.

7) Pick up extra ways to make income.  Many of you know that I have chosen to use Young Living Essential Oils as my business.  I work around hubby’s hours, at home, with my kids (and they help!)  and it is making a huge difference.  We have 2 mortgages right now and my YLEO checks are covering my big mortgage!   What could you do every month with an extra 500-1000$ or more?   Right now, they pay bills but soon they’ll be helping get our debt paydown!

8)- Reward yourself! After you get the 1000$ banked… reward yourself.  You can set it right now what you want to do for your reward?  Is it something you’ve skimped on for a few months?  Make your self a goal poster and put your REWARD at the top of your thermometer and then SAVE for that next. (don’t use your saved money! )

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