My husband is laid off from work,and we have 3 kids,does anyone have any tips on how to makle it on one income

Answer 1

Cut unneccessary items.

Child care if he is home.
TV or cable.
Cell phones
Talk with your mortgage holder they would rather you sell the house at a small loss than foreclose. You can also refinance to make the payments lower.
Utilities will put you on a budget
Sell extra car or one with a higher payment and get something smaller.
Raise deductible on your insurance
Budget budget budget

Answer 2

replace all the lightbulbs in the house with 40 watt ones (they're bright enough and you won't believe the savings at the end of the month), also use oil lamps a lot, the kids will think its fun.

when you buy a chicken for supper, you can make 3 meals out of it: roasted chicken, then pick the scraps off the bones and keep the juices and make chicken and gravy over bisquits, then boil the bones and add some veggies to make chicken soup. search for coupons. buy generic brands.

its tough, but cancel the frills - cable, cell phones, internet...even call around and check auto insurance rates and switch if you can save some money.

also, you could check with a state agency on what, if any, benefits you could qualify for now that your husband is unemployed; unemployment comp, food assistance, health care .....usually the Fire Chief of your town is in touch with private foundations that will actually help pay a bill or two that you can't afford.

shop thrift shops for anything you need FIRST before going to the major department stores.

have a yard sale, i actually made over $200 on my last one.

depending on where you live, have the kids go nightcrawling, which they will love - you can get $2 for a dozen worms, so they can earn their own fun money.

just a few suggestions, good luck.

Answer 3

Find some nutritious meals that are inexpensive (there were many nights I made chili & rice, burritos, etc to stretch a budget). Clip coupons and find out when the meats are marked down at your grocery.
For entertainment, many libraries have dvd's and videos for free, u just check them out like a book. Look up some fun family games and make family days at the park.
Check into lowering automobile deductibles. Increase the amounts of dependents on your w-2 (if it's not already maxed out) for more income on your paycheck.
If you get creative, you can pull thru this!

Answer 4

This is tough situation you and you're family are in. The two of you must help each other to think of an additional income while he is job hunting. Meanwhile, to make it on one income, you should budget your finances and tighten the belt. Skip on the recreation and unnecessary expenses.

Answer 5

Your husband might qualify for unemployment, so check into that first. Also, cut down your expenses. Start with the luxuries - like cable and cell phones. Don't eat out at all, and look for frugal shopping options. Good luck.

Answer 6

One income? How much, and where do you live?

We can easily make it on 12K a year in our area.

In other areas, it would take 30K plus just to get by.

Budget budget, is all the advise I can offer you for now.

Answer 7

hi hon.. i'm sure that budgeting is difficult right now.. have you applied for assistance at all? perhaps you could get temporary food stamps since you've got such a large family. it's worth a try

there are churches and other groups in many communities which offer a weekly food pantry, and give away groceries to people in need.... most of these groups, you just walk in, no questions asked. you could check into that.

Answer 8

buy genric products..they taste the same. When times were tough for me I fed my kids what I call the meatball diet. ..and I threw in a few hotdogs, grilled cheese and BLTs!..not healthy but filling!

Answer 9

Get rid of cell phones, get rid of internet service, don't eat out, don't buy lattes, collect unemployment.

Answer 10

tell him to get a job, there are plenty of them here in new orleans