Monday, January 23, 2012

Day 6 - A series on Proverbs 31

13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
During the 10 days of the Proverbs 31 Series we are finding ways that the Noble wife can contribute to the family’s income. Today I want to take this opportunity to consider how we use the income that we currently have in place.
A noble woman should never take from her husband’s wallet but add to it. . . .
So why would I say something like that? Am I saying that you cannot use the money that your husband brings home? ABSOLUTELY not! Instead… I say it with the intent that one should not take from her husband’s wallet (figuratively speaking of course) with foolishness but instead being smart with the money, maybe even a little frugal. ;)

Some ways that you can add income to the family is by NOT spending it foolishly!! So how is this done? I had to learn this valuable lesson a couple years ago when I left a past job. We were not prepared for the financial burden of cutting one person’s income from the home. I had to think fast on ways to cut costs and save the income that we did have. I started by looking online and found tons of resources and blogs with great ideas. Some things that I did to keep money in my “husband’s wallet” is…
·     I started a garden in my yard, which produced lots of vegetables for my family. One thing I did that saves me time and money: Chop your onions from the garden and place in a freezer bag. Make sure to make as air tight as possible. I have chopped onions all year for all sorts of recipes.
·    I learned to can and preserve food. Some of my favorite things to make... applesauce, relish, and tomato sauce.  
·    I learned to budget my groceries and use coupons. I LOVE COUPONS! Coupons are great way to save money. I had so much fun with my monthly trip to target to get necessities and groceries. I also used Sam’s Club to by some items in bulk and then broke it down once I got home. Be careful though… not all bunk purchases are cost effective. 
·    I also found ways to make homemade cleaners. I found a great recipe online for making my own laundry detergent and have you ever used vinegar for a fabric softener in your laundry? It is awesome!
I now work outside the again, however, I still do all those things above. I find a joy in providing for my family in such ways. Because of my efforts to become frugal and save some money, I have found a new passion for vegetable and flower gardening and the couponing is just easy savings.
I feel like the Proverbs wife would have done some of these things to help her family. So if you don’t have soap making skills, sewing skills, or any other skill that helps bring income into the home, remember you can still add income to your family by watching your spending with what you DO have.  
Melissa
13 Bloggers, 13 topics, one Great God.

A series on the different aspects of Proverbs 31. Here is a list of the bloggers and their topics.
















  • Taking care of others/ 2 savvy gals








Hope you all enjoy!! Feel free to explore the blogs. We have some very talented women participating.

1 comment:

  1. Great tips! I love the gardening one! There's nothing like growing and preserving your own homegrown veggies!
    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete