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| Wood for the stove, Vermont, 1940. LOC. |
I have been reading books about the good old days. This was when families were mostly home-based, living on farms. They prepared for winter by chopping wood for the fireplace. They harvested and canned garden produce. Just these two duties alone took months of heavy labor. Yet it provided them with heat and warmth as well as nourishing food throughout the long winter months.
Many of the homes of today are more modern. We have furnaces with oil or propane for heat. This requires hard-earned cash that takes time to earn. We also spend much of our money on food at the grocery store. All of these expenses require a great deal of planning with a carefully organized budget.
It is important to have strong homemaking skills, so money is conserved for basic living expenses. We do our best to avoid the waste of food so it will last longer. We try to regulate the thermostat, to keep our heating bills at a reasonable rate. There are also a great many other things we can do to make money last. These include some of the following:
1. Repair bedding (sheets and blankets), towels, socks, and clothing. Mend rips or tears in the lining of coats. Replace missing buttons on clothing.
2. Limit trips away from home to save on gas and transportation costs.
3. Avoid buying things on a whim. Always try to wait before you buy.
4. Choose healthy and economical food rather than luxury items with little nutritional value (such as chips and processed snacks). These expensive items will put an enormous strain on the monthly food budget.
5. Make things last. Repair household items as much as possible rather than buying new things.
If we could only have a goal of spending less money, we will have more available to save for emergencies and simple needs.
Basic living expenses, including home and auto insurance, as well as property taxes and other normal bills, are very high. We need to find as many ways as possible to keep costs down so we can manage the normal bills.
When we are doing our part, managing our resources and finances with careful attention, we should feel a sense of peace knowing we are doing the best we can. We make financial decisions based on prayer with great faith. We ask for the Lord's blessing as we seek to serve Him each day of our lives.
When an unexpected bill comes along, it should not cause us to panic. For example, I have been saving up for our kerosene delivery (for heat). I expected the bill to be several hundred dollars. But when the delivery arrived this afternoon, we were taken aback by the charge. It was about $250 more than I expected. It would be easy and normal to get upset. It might even be common to complain about the high cost of living. It is certainly a challenge, especially with such a prolonged season we have had of freezing temperatures. But there was a calmness in my heart. It was a blessed, peaceful sense of gratefulness. I somehow remembered that I do not have to face such trials alone. The Lord is my help and my fortress. I had to think of the long-term, of the winter season, rather than on this difficult expense that came along just in this month alone.
How can we handle such things? With prayer, seeking direction and guidance. We can pray for wisdom in how to manage things. Pray for ideas to cut other costs, so money is freed up to meet these unexpected bills. The Lord will get us through these difficult days.
In books about the good old days, we can read the testimonies of others as they share their stories of victory and survival through very trying circumstances. The amount of work they had to do with little pay and a grateful heart is inspiring. Their focus was on keeping the family warm and fed. We can follow their example even today. And while the high cost of living is often a trial, it is a wonderful use of money to provide a safe and comforting home for our precious family.
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives -
Encouragement - Poor and Pretty Living.
A Little History - Just a Housewife.
Making things for Grandbaby - Tea Napkins.
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Help for hard times at home -
House Keeping in Hard Times: Essays and Encouragement from a Christian Housewife
Paperback, 180 pages
As you read the entries, you will get a sense of what it is like as a Christian housewife through the ups and downs of life. Topics include motherhood, marriage, taking care of children, cleaning, living on a low income, saving money, and building up the family with faith as the foundation.
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