I’ve been promising updates. I checked my previous posts and realized I had already told you guys more than I thought. I was actually sleep deprived when I wrote my last update, so that’s why I probably don’t remember much about it. LOL
Anyway, to recap. Hubby hurt his foot at work. Then he had a heart cath done, they found a blockage, and put in a stent. His heart function (the part where it pumps out the blood) is bad, so he’s on a bunch of different medications and is wearing a “Life Vest” which is an external defibrillator. He’s a pretty sick guy, and he’s stir crazy right now.
That brings me to the part I didn’t want to mention. Mostly, because I didn’t want people to worry about us or feel sorry for us. Of course, I DO want prayers and thoughts! Anyway, hubby will be out of work at LEAST a month. Maybe longer. The doctor would have let him go back to work with restrictions, but the company he works for won’t let him because he couldn’t do the job he has with those restrictions. Plus, he probably couldn’t work with his hurt foot anyway (I’m getting a sense of deja vu on that one). I just keep hoping one of my books will someday break out enough that it will give us an income cushion when stuff like this happens.
Here’s what I’m doing to try to make up for lost income. My salary alone won’t even pay our BILLS, but hubby is eligible for short term disability, and that’s about 60% of his pay. It just takes a couple of weeks for it to get started. We can make this work.
1. I’m not eating out except for a couple of times a week, and that’s only really cheap places. (sometimes that’s cheaper than buying groceries). Also, if I bring my lunch to work, I don’t have to use the gas to go somewhere to eat.
2. We’re cutting our church contribution in half. This is the hardest thing for me on the list. But the Bible says: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by in store, as God has prospered him….” 1 Cor. 16:2. We are prospering about half of what we were, so I think we are doing the right thing.
3. I’m planning on calling Directv and cancelling our premium channels.
4. This one is hard. I’m not buying any books until this is over. I have LOTS already on my Kindle…enough to feed my addiction.
5. I’m going to stop taking the expensive natural vitamins I’ve been taking and start taking cheaper ones.
6. I’m canceling my gym membership. I have weights at home. I’ve just got to use them.
7. I’m going to pay only the minimum on my credit card bills for right now.
8. This one is bad, but we might have no choice…I’m going to use a credit card when I HAVE to.
That’s all I can think of right this minute. If any of you have suggestions on how to save money, I’m all ears. Even if you have suggestions that are just jokes rather than real suggestions, I could also use a laugh. LOL
lauralynnelliott.com 
Oh, Lauralynn, I’m so sorry your husband is ill! I can’t think of anything that you’ve not mentioned–although I immediately thought of taking your lunch to work. We started doing that and saved a massive amount of money.
Another thought is if you know someone who has a membership at one of the big food stores, like Costco or Sam’s, see if you can split costs with them on mass quantity items. I did that when I was a destitute gradate student. If you have a friend to do that with, it’s even fun to divide the goods when you get to someone’s home.
Definitely thinking of you and holding you and your husband in my heart.
Thanks, Elizabeth! I think taking my lunch is going to save a lot in food and gas. Plus, it’s healthier.
I have a friend who has a Sam’s membership. I’m not sure exactly what they have at Sam’s in bulk, though. I would have to check that out. Right now, we’re eating a lot of leftovers from Christmas. You know, like cheese balls. 🙂 I go to a grocery store that often has buy one, get one free items, and I always try to take advantage of that. Unfortunately, now my freezer is full. LOL
About the only suggestions I cam come up with other than what you’ve already listed — all of which is awesome, BTW — is to hit up your local library to feed the reading beast.
Also, if you have a crock pot, invest in some crock pot liners (saves time on clean up) and you can cook up a lot of meat at one time and then use it for various dishes for the rest of the week (saves time in trying to figure out what to eat and also makes it easier to take food to work for lunches). Not sure if the hubby is on a special diet, but I’ve found that a bit of ham or chicken tossed into a bag salad kit can make for a very satisfying and filling meal. You can also do the same thing with those boxes of scalloped, au gratin, etc., potatoes.
I hope the paper work comes through for the disability with a quickness; my girlfriend lost her job on Friday due to cutbacks and we’re hoping she’ll be able to get unemployment for the interim. Luckily, we’re in a decent position at the moment and she’s already hit the ground running in terms of applying for unemployment and beginning the job hunt, so, fingers crossed!
Oh, I have plenty of books already on my Kindle without buying more. I always forget to return books to the library and end up paying fees. LOL. I also have some print books I’ve won in giveaways. 🙂
That’s funny you mention the crock pot liners. I was just thinking about buying some of those. Someone brought crock pots of yummy food to my Christmas party, and they used those liners. Using a crock pot is a great way to make a lot of food. Great suggestion! I’m thinking chili….
I hope your girlfriend finds a job soon. She should be able to draw unemployment for now if she was let go because of a cutback. Good luck!
Hopefully he gets better soon. I know all that time off would drive me crazy as well. Best wishes to you both and my prayers are with you. Happy New Year and may it bring better tidings.
Thanks, Chris. He’s really had a hard time this year. But we’re trying to stay positive. Happy New Year!
Hi Lauralynn. I really hope your husband recovers his health and 2014 turns out to be a crazy wonderful year for both of you, despite the challenges that you’re starting off with. My frugal tip is to eat more fruits and vegetables instead of buying any supplements. That’s one of my resolutions, and I was pleasantly surprised by a little lower grocery bill yesterday. (My goal—buy less junk food and vitamins for family and encourage all of us to eat more apples, grapes, salad, etc.) One of my cats has a tip too. She says when life gets crazy, curl up with a nice heat mat and the bliss will return. It seemed to work for her fabulously today. =^..^= (I’d probably add a cup of hot cocoa in to that mix.)
Hi Michelle! Thanks for the encouraging words. I really do hope 2014 will be better, but we’ll deal with whatever happens with God’s help.
I really wish I liked more fruits and vegetables. Some of them actually make me gag. I should sit down and make a list of the ones I DO like and then search recipes for them. I LOVE onions, but there’s only so much you can do with them. LOL. My favorite fruit is apples, and there’s an apple orchard a mile from my house. I wonder if they are closed for the season? I still have some granny smiths that I bought a few weeks ago.
One of my cats WAS my heat mat this morning. She decided to lie on my stomach for awhile. She rarely does that.
You’re welcome. I am sending good vibes your way for the new year. 🙂 Not liking fruits and vegs would make it a challenge to eat healthy on any budget! (I’m the opposite–there are few I don’t like.) I’d keep experimenting with different varieties until you find some new favorites and buy them on sale when in season. Cats = LOVE. Happy new year!
Lauralynn, I hope your hubby heals quickly! You are definitely in my prayers.
As for money-saving tips:
Go donate your plasma 2x per week.
I hear kidneys go for a nice price on the black market…
Hurry up and narrate another audiobook (yourself, of course, to save money).
On the weekends sell hot cocoa down at the end of your driveway.
In all honestly, I can’t think of anything you didn’t list except crockpot meals, carpooling (if possible) and maybe getting rid of a smart phone if it doesn’t cost you more to break your contract.
I wish you both the best!
R
You are cracking me up, Rose! However…my husband actually suggested selling our plasma! And my son is actually considering trying his hand at narrating. He has a wonderful voice and can do all kinds of imitations.
I’m all about the crock pot meals. I can’t carpool because I live WAY out in the country, so there’s no one to carpool with. My smart phone? I use it a LOT. If I worked from home, I probably wouldn’t need it as much. And I’m only a year into my contract, so I couldn’t pay the fee. Hey, I make some good crock pot hot chocolate. Maybe I SHOULD sell it., LOL
I’ve never heard of crockpot hot chocolate! It sounds great though. I can’t make any at the moment as I have a huge pot of chili cooking.
As for the plasma. I don’t know about there, but here they used to pay $35 each time and you could do it twice per week. So it’s really not bad.
My husband wanted to narrate my books but our problem was noise. I don’t know what can be done at home to eliminate that but if he’s got a good voice, it might be worth a shot.
I hope you’re all doing well and have a good weekend.
I made the hot chocolate at my Christmas party. No one knew it was sugar free. Shhhh.
Someone I know who narrated a book and didn’t have a sound proof studio said she did it in her closet. The clothes acted as the sound proofing.
We’re doing well, I guess. Hubby is feeling okay, but he’s stir crazy. He’s used to working and can’t stand being idle. We are trying not to irritate each other. LOL
Sorry to hear about this stressful time. I hope it works out for you and that list of money-saving ideas sound great. I’m struggling to think of anything else, you’ve covered it.
Have you thought of doing a promo for one of your books and getting all your blogger friends to post the same day/week? That might drive readers to your writing and get you a few sales and new fans?
Thanks, Emma. I’ve been thinking about possibly doing a Facebook release party for my newest book when it comes out. A lot of authors are doing this, and I would like to try that and see if it’s a good marketing tool or not. I really miss 2011 where I actually made decent money on my books. The competition is so stiff right now, and you have to find marketing tools that work to get readers to actually find you. Now I’m trying to figure out how I can find the time to plan everything out.