‘Making Do’ When Times are Tough
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to scale back and pull in now that we find ourselves working with a tighter budget these days. Job transitions are the perfect the opportunity for the homemaker to really practice making her husband’s dollar stretch. This is where I find myself currently.
For the last several years, I've been practicing this to some degree–not out of necessity per say–but out of the desire to learn the art to which our grandparents were so accustomed. In modern day America, credit cards have taught us that we can ‘keep up with the Jones,’ even if our income says otherwise. Pair that with fast-fashion and cheaply-made goods–and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. That, and let’s be honest—advertisers aren’t paying influencers to encourage anyone to be content with what they have. On the contrary, there’s always that little niggle to “buy more'" instead of making do with what we have. Because we can.
But just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should.
And here is where I find myself these days. I am learning to stretch things again…to grow, make do, and be happy with what I have. I hope I can encourage you to do the same, and thereby help you bless your family’s pocketbook so that it’s not stretched out to the max. Margin is a good thing—especially when it comes to the family budget.
Here are some things I’m doing in this season in order to carry out this mission. It’s not rocket science—and for those of you currently in a tight season, you are probably already doing most of this. For those who are not, it is my hope that this list is a help to you, should you need it one day.
1.Shop at Goodwill
For years, I’ve enjoyed Goodwill, but nowhere near to the extent that I’ve enjoyed it recently. For the last 2 seasons, I’ve furnished most of my wardrobe from this lovely charity shop–and if I could tell you of all of the high-quality, new, or lightly used pieces I’ve found—you’d be flabbergasted. For under $100 each, my daughter and I have revamped and refreshed our entire wardrobes. The items we’ve found have been classy, good quality, and have matched our unique style preferences.
2. Keep the Grocery Stops to a Minimum
This is a big one–and can truly be a budget-trap, if you ask me. Visiting the grocer frequently can lead to your money growing wings and flying away from you. Ask me how I know this. So, to avoid this pitfall, I keep my grocery stops to a minimum. Aldi on Mondays, Sam’s Club once-per-month, and an Azure Standard pick-up once every month (or so). Occasionally on Mondays, I will also stop at a local grocer close to home if I need to pick up specialty items like rice vinegar or pickles.
3. Using Up Dry Goods in the Pantry
Since becoming a housewife, I have always kept a comfortable supply of organic dry goods from Azure Standard in my small laundry room pantry. I keep it simple: dry beans, lentils, rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and popcorn. These are in 5-gallon buckets that I can “shop” when my kitchen supply runs out. This way, I have my own little grocery store right inside my laundry room. The price per pound and quality of these dry goods from Azure Standard far exceeds that of any grocery store products you will find. I use these items on a weekly basis. In doing so, I make the majority of our meals and snacks from things already on hand and am able to keep good nutrition and budget-friendly principles in mind consistently.
4. Regular Garden Harvests
The little ‘victory garden’ that sits a top the sunny hill in our backyard has been a huge blessing this spring. This garden wasn’t created out of necessity, but instead—for joy. And though joy over it is still a motivator, I’ve found that in this season–it’s much more about necessity. The greens, radish, and spring onions are coming forth in abundance, and I’m glad now that I took the time in February to sow these crops. I didn’t know how much they’d help me come April and May. Have you noticed the prices of organic greens lately? Since much of our weekly menu centers around seasonal vegetables, it’s a blessing to no longer have to fork over such a large chunk of our budget for such items.
5. Streamlined Subscriptions
I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the last year. Every company offers subscriptions now, and though I understand that a monthly commitment to their products yields a better price for the buyer, too many subscriptions can sabotage the homemaker’s budget. Ask me how I know this. With that in mind, I have had to consider what things I can let go of and how can I make my daily living more streamlined and less expensive. I’ll give you an example: Amazon Prime to our family, is a worthy subscription each month. We buy our monthly supplements, body products, books, and dog food through this online platform. But the make-up, coffee, supplement, and skin-care subscriptions have had to go. Instead, I am working to make these daily regimens and routines as inexpensive and paired down as possible so as to buy the best quality I can afford as infrequently as I can. Consider this: one Jane Iredale pressed powder foundation compact can last me nearly a year, whereas other organic foundations I’ve tried will keep for a quarter of the time. Food for thought.
6. Start Most Things from Seed
I have started most of our vegetables from seed for years, but this year, I’m working on starting flower seeds for the terra cotta pots in our rock garden. Thankfully, several of the pots hold perennials, which come back year after year. I love perennials for this reason. That said, there were many pots still that needed to be filled, and so, I took to my seed packets to help get the job done. Money saved.
7. Cheap or Free Activities
This is an obvious one, but parks, antique stores, charity shops, museums, nature walks–these are all cheap or free activities that can help make life more fun when you’re on a tight budget. The recognition that we don’t have to spend tons of money to enjoy our lives or be happy is important. Simple treasures found second-hand or a brisk stroll through the park can do a world of good for anyone, really—but especially for those of us on a tight budget.
8. Cleaning Products for Pennies on the Dollar
Say it with me: peroxide, baking soda, vinegar, Norwex cleaning rags, and Scotch green sponges. That’s all you need to keep your home spick-and-span. Enough said.
9. Keep a Careful Watch on Influences
Oh—this is a big one in 2025. There is no end to what influencers are trying to get you to buy. Just remember, every ‘click’ is money for them (not you), and though it’s lovely to help people build their businesses, just keep in mind that perhaps the reason they are so giddy to tell you alllllllllllll about a particular product is because they are being paid to do so. To keep the budget running smoothly, it’s imperative to guard ourselves each day against unhelpful, money-sucking influences.
10. Ask God for Help
And last, but certainly NOT least—in fact, this is likely the most important point of the whole list. We must ask God for help in keeping a budget, yet plead with Him to protect us from being stingy. We serve the most generous God, who owns it all. Psalm 50:10-12 says, For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” Christ knows what we need, and is happy to provide it. In essence, as we work to create a God-glorifying budget, we must ask the Owner of all things for help and for guidance. This may be #10 on my list, but it's actually #1 in my heart to help me ‘make do’ as a homemaker. For in the words of Christ, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
