Keeping Your Budget From Busting this Winter
Over the last few weeks, our part of Oklahoma has been hit with severe cold weather. We even got an exceptional amount of snow that gave the kids a few snow days. Sometimes winter weather puts us in the “emergency” mindset when preparing for a storm or freezing temperatures. Still, it is important to know that with some planning, we won’t find ourselves running to the local grocery store to buy marked-up, name-brand milk and eggs at the last minute.
Here are a few simple steps to prep your family and your budget during the winter:
Remember Winter happens every year - This may seem obvious, but with this awareness, we can keep ourselves out of the “emergency” mindset when the ordinary (and expected) winter weather comes our way. We can prepare emergency kits and supplies, in addition to adding a few extra non-perishables to our grocery shopping in the winter months. If you are in the part of the world where winter is a season (instead of just a few days of snow), use the fall months to prep instead of waiting until the day before the snowfall. If you are in a part of the world where snow only lasts a couple of days, do the necessary preparation a few weeks in advance, not day of.
Winter foods are budget-friendly - Some people like to make soups, stews, and chilis all year round, but these are especially nice to warm your body and soul during the winter months. The good news about these recipes is that they feed a lot and can be easily stored. This allows them to be made once and used for multiple meals. Take a few moments to research easy soup/stew recipes or text a couple of friends and ask them to share their favorite recipes. I bet in no time you will have 5-10 that you will love making!
Winter wardrobes for kids are easier than they used to be - If your kids are like mine, they have a few hoodies that they live in. This makes winter wardrobes easy. You don’t need a closet full of options, you just need enough to make a week's worth of combinations - wash and repeat! A couple of pairs of jeans that they’ll wear a few times each before washing, maybe a couple of pairs of comfy sweat pants, a handful of t-shirts (no need for cool designs because they are going under those hoodies), then two or three hoodies they love. Top all this off with a winter coat and you have a wardrobe that will last them the whole season. Between sales at Target, Wal-Mart, Kohls, or other places, you can easily make that happen! (And don’t forget resale/consignment shops! We catch some of the coolest hoodies at one of our local shops.)
With winter falling mostly after the holiday season, sometimes it really feels like one more thing I have to spend money on. With these tips and a little planning, winter can leave you (and your budget) feeling warm, cozy,
