Author Topic: Tips for raising a large family in 2011, for the NON-RICH (Read 5628 times)

Matthew · « **on:** September 23, 2011, 10:39:27 AM »

Quote from: ora pro me

Quote

But there are places, especially rural places, where people do it. It requires taking frugality, bartering, know how about repair, to a whole new level, but people do it.

You're right. So, absit is probably looking for concrete suggestions on how to raise a family of 4 on less than $30 grand WITHOUT having to resort to welfare. Well, such a family may not be able to afford a house until their income goes up unless they are living in an inexpensive area, but I think we can come up with some suggestions for this scenario.

First though, I'd like to say that I used to be opposed to accepting any government help unless a family was not able to put a roof over their heads or food on the table, but I have since changed my opinion on that somewhat. Now, I say that if a family is doing the best they can but still need some help from their fellow taxpayers in raising their families they can at least be consoled with the realization that they are raising future taxpayers themselves. One major problem that I see that most countries are now dealing with is that the current population of young workers is not as large as it should be due to birth control and abortion. If there were more workers in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even 50s, wouldn't more jobs have been created by the entrepreneurs? Also, wouldn't social security be in better shape if there were more workers paying into it?

I do believe that if God sends children to a family and the dad is doing the best he can but still can't provide the basics, he shouldn't be embarrassed to accept some help to feed his family and put a roof over their heads.

Now, let's all try to share some suggestions to help answer the question that Absit posed. I'll start out with a few things that helped us when we were first started our family quite a few years ago:

1. Mom should do her best to breastfeed the babies, hopefully for close to a year to avoid having to spend oodles on formula.

2. Use cloth diapers instead of disposables unless you can find the good deals that Mater has discussed. Mater, didn't you at one time share an idea on getting great deals on the internet? Wasn't that someway to sign up for deals on Amazon?

3. Mom and dad should both learn how to cook from scratch. If you haven't been raised on cooking from scratch, ask others how they do it, open up a cookbook (get one at a yard sale), or just start learning by trial and error. Learn how to make your own bread and make cereal (I love our granola). Make soups with beans, barley, split peas or something you have in your garden or fridge. Learn lots of different uses for pasta and rice.

4. Dad can stop at the store on the way home from work and maybe mom can do without a car.

5. Fantastic deals can be found at yard sales and sometimes people will give things away for free at the end of the day. Also, a family can let their friends and families know that they'd be happy to take hand-me-downs. A family can save a bundle by not being too proud to let others know that they could use a bit of help that way.

Thank you for these suggestions.

#5 was especially interesting -- we did that, but it was only because it was more or less easy to do so. My wife's mom is the type to never throw things away, and she's involved with various yard sales every year personally. Also, her family is NOT tiny, and so there's almost a "network" (at least the Five Sisters) who talk a lot, share things that one of them doesn't need, etc.

I don't know that we ever stood up and said, "We'll take hand-me-downs". I think we just accepted the first 10 things offered, and that did the trick. Recently, I got 7 pair of (quite nice) khaki shorts that were used in a dog-care business. My wife's cousin apparently lost weight, and so he wanted to get rid of them. The shorts are worth probably $30 each, and they're in excellent condition. I actually needed more shorts anyhow. (In Texas, summer is 7 months out of the year!)

And when you have children, you NEED to take hand-me-downs unless you're totally stuck-up or exceedingly rich. Especially when you have "more than 2" children. People have extra baby/kid clothes all the time -- they sometimes get worn once or twice and the child outgrows them. Not everyone wants to mess around with putting them in a resale shop or selling them on eBay.

Chi Roh · « **Reply #1 on:** September 23, 2011, 11:16:40 AM »

Thanks Matthew for branching into a new thread. Truth be told, I can appreciate Tele's point that his historical bumph is indeed related, but I'm not convinced that it's what the thread itself was really started for.

But the two threads should easily cover both angles...

Regards from England,

Craig

Chi Roh · « **Reply #2 on:** September 23, 2011, 11:21:03 AM »

Quote from: Matthew

...And when you have children, you NEED to take hand-me-downs unless you're totally stuck-up or exceedingly rich. Especially when you have "more than 2" children. People have extra baby/kid clothes all the time -- they sometimes get worn once or twice and the child outgrows them. Not everyone wants to mess around with putting them in a resale shop or selling them on eBay.

Agreed, we take clothing in from friends/family, not usually so much for my wife & I (although that does happen occasionally), but mainly for the kids. And our loft space is utilised for umpteen bags of differing aged kids clothes so the younger one's have plenty of stuff to grow into as time goes by.

Moreover, another 'tool' is to gain a sixth-sense in sniffing out a bargain, i.e. online sales etc. I manage to pick up great stuff at a fraction of the retail price if you know where to look at the right time.

God bless,

Craig

momofmany · « **Reply #3 on:** September 23, 2011, 12:02:28 PM »

Give as much as you get.
There is always someone worse off than you are. Don't save everything for the next child that may or may not fit/use that item. Instead pass it to a family that needs it now.Same with food and bargains. You get a smoking deal on something?? Buy a couple extra and give them to a needy family or leave them in the hall free to who needs them. You'd be surprised who will need and be grateful for some toilet paper or canned beans.

ora pro me · « **Reply #4 on:** September 23, 2011, 01:18:45 PM »

I had come up with tips 6, 7 and 8 on the other thread so I carried them over here. Scroll down to the bottom and then maybe someone can share their great ideas.

Mater, I remember you shared some new way that parents can get things such as diapers for a discount by joining some type of club at Amazon. Care to share that again? I was going to tell my married kids about it, but don't know which thread that was. Thanks.

Quote from: ora pro me

Quote from: ora pro me
Quote from: Telesphorus
Quote from: ora pro me
Quote from: Zenith
Quote from: absit omen
How can a guy raise a large family (with the wife staying home) earning at or below the average American income of 30 grand a year?

other than welfare...

Why has this post got two thumbs down?

I've seen posts get thumbs down before when someone is just simply asking a question, probably looking for some suggestions from his fellow Catholics for help in a particular situation. I think absit omen is just looking for ideas on how to raise a family on a smaller than average income so I don't see any apparent reason why someone would thumb down Absit's question unless the down-thumbers don't understand how the reputation feature was meant to be used.

Maybe reviewing the OP on the thread started by Mater to explain the feature may be helpful, so here it is:

http://www.cathinfo.com/index.php/Reputation-Enhancement

He wasn't just asking a question. He said "other than on welfare"

He's right, in many places it would be impossible.

But there are places, especially rural places, where people do it. It requires taking frugality, bartering, know how about repair, to a whole new level, but people do it.

You're right. So, absit is probably looking for concrete suggestions on how to raise a family of 4 on less than $30 grand WITHOUT having to resort to welfare. Well, such a family may not be able to afford a house until their income goes up unless they are living in an inexpensive area, but I think we can come up with some suggestions for this scenario.

First though, I'd like to say that I used to be opposed to accepting any government help unless a family was not able to put a roof over their heads or food on the table, but I have since changed my opinion on that somewhat. Now, I say that if a family is doing the best they can but still need some help from their fellow taxpayers in raising their families they can at least be consoled with the realization that they are raising future taxpayers themselves. One major problem that I see that most countries are now dealing with is that the current population of young workers is not as large as it should be due to birth control and abortion. If there were more workers in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even 50s, wouldn't more jobs have been created by the entrepreneurs? Also, wouldn't social security be in better shape if there were more workers paying into it?

I do believe that if God sends children to a family and the dad is doing the best he can but still can't provide the basics, he shouldn't be embarrassed to accept some help to feed his family and put a roof over their heads.

Now, let's all try to share some suggestions to help answer the question that Absit posed. I'll start out with a few things that helped us when we were first started our family quite a few years ago:

1. Mom should do her best to breastfeed the babies, hopefully for close to a year to avoid having to spend oodles on formula.

2. Use cloth diapers instead of disposables unless you can find the good deals that Mater has discussed. Mater, didn't you at one time share an idea on getting great deals on the internet? Wasn't that someway to sign up for deals on Amazon?

3. Mom and dad should both learn how to cook from scratch. If you haven't been raised on cooking from scratch, ask others how they do it, open up a cookbook (get one at a yard sale), or just start learning by trial and error. Learn how to make your own bread and make cereal (I love our granola). Make soups with beans, barley, split peas or something you have in your garden or fridge. Learn lots of different uses for pasta and rice.

4. Dad can stop at the store on the way home from work and maybe mom can do without a car.

5. Fantastic deals can be found at yard sales and sometimes people will give things away for free at the end of the day. Also, a family can let their friends and families know that they'd be happy to take hand-me-downs. A family can save a bundle by not being too proud to let others know that they could use a bit of help that way.

Anyone have a number 6? I've gotta get back to earning the paycheck, but I'll keep thinking. :scratchchin:

I'm back with:
#6. When in the market for a "new" car, try to find one as old as possible with less than 100,000 miles and ask to see a current inspection report. When dealing with a private party, don't be afraid to pay for an inspection report yourself from a reliable car mechanic. An older car will save lots of money since most of the new-car-value will come off in the first 8 years or so and of course, you'll save lots in car payments and interest (try to avoid car payments if you can). You will also save money in insurance costs since an older car costs less to insure against damage or you may decide to only carry liability insurance and not insure the car at all for damage. I do recommend that you at least pay to insure the car against theft especially if you live in a high-theft area, since theft insurance is usually pretty inexpensive.

Before purchasing any car, call your insurance company and ask how much it'll cost to insure it. Foreign cars are often more expensive to insure since the costs for parts are higher.

#7. If you have yard space grow a garden. I've even seen gardens in front yards. You'll save money in groceries and you'll get healthier food.

#8. Purchase used furniture from garage sales. We have avoided buying used mattresses, but other than that, we've gotten great deals over the years on used furniture. Look for bunk beds for the kids and tall dressers to use space efficiently. If you are in earthquake country, be sure to bolt dressers, bookshelves etc. to walls.

Anyone else care to add to the list?

MaterDominici · « **Reply #5 on:** September 23, 2011, 02:30:32 PM »

Quote from: ora pro me

Mater, I remember you shared some new way that parents can get things such as diapers for a discount by joining some type of club at Amazon. Care to share that again? I was going to tell my married kids about it, but don't know which thread that was. Thanks

Amazon started a program last fall called Amazon Mom. You don't have to be a mom to join. Membership (which is free) gets you 15% off things like diapers and baby wipes. When you order your diapers/wipes (have to order cases, but it's not a problem for us as whatever one kid might not use all of, the next will or you can pass some extras on to another family), you have the option to save another 15% by signing up for automatic recurring delivery. There are no commitments, though. They'll email you a couple of days before your next scheduled delivery and you can cancel or reschedule it at any time.

I think I've been paying about $23-$24 for a case of Huggies. I'd pay about $36 for the same at SAMS. When I originally did the math, Amazon's price was among the lower prices of what I'd paid couponing without ever having to leave my house! Oh, shipping is always free for their subscription items too.

But! -- that's not all!

Amazon Mom also gives you 3 free months of Amazon Prime which means anything you order from Amazon will ship to you free with 2-day shipping. Each time you spend more than $25 dollars on baby items (and this includes those cases of diapers as they look at the price before the discounts), your Prime membership extends by another month up to a total of 12. I've already maxed mine out and will have free shipping through next January.

--- here ends my impartial analysis ---

Now, if you're convinced that Amazon is the way to go, make sure and click that link at the top of your screen to get to Amazon so I can get a buck or two for giving you this handy information. :smile:

I'll add a referral link straight to Amazon Mom here later today, but right now I actually have to go place an order for diapers. Huggies has a new product out, so I thought I might be able to get them even cheaper elsewhere, but my favorite place to buy diapers went out of business and so I don't think I'll be finding anything great that doesn't involve jumping through hoops to get it. I've waited and watched, but now we're almost out.

MaterDominici · « **Reply #6 on:** September 23, 2011, 03:20:50 PM »

PS. If you're responsible with credit card use and appreciate a good rewards program, the Amazon credit card goes nicely with this program. I just had to cancel our primary credit card yesterday and am considering switching to our Amazon one which I previously just used for Amazon. I was credit card shopping yesterday and see that the Amazon one I already have is very competitive for the things I'm looking for.

Note: If paying with plastic influences the way you shop, I strongly encourage you to use CASH ONLY.

ora pro me · « **Reply #7 on:** September 23, 2011, 03:33:36 PM »

Mater,

Thanks so much for posting that again! What a great way to get some deals, and it could even save some gas going to the store.

To make sure I understand this correctly:

Is that an EXTRA 15% for signing up for automatic shipping, meaning you get 30% off on the 2nd order?

If so, do you continue to get 30% off on each additional order?

Thanks.

MaterDominici · « **Reply #8 on:** September 23, 2011, 03:33:53 PM »

Here's the referral link straight to Amazon Mom

MaterDominici · « **Reply #9 on:** September 23, 2011, 03:37:10 PM »

Quote from: ora pro me

Mater,

Thanks so much for posting that again! What a great way to get some deals, and it could even save some gas going to the store.

To make sure I understand this correctly:

Is that an EXTRA 15% for signing up for automatic shipping, meaning you get 30% off on the 2nd order?

If so, do you continue to get 30% off on each additional order?

Thanks.

It's 30% off every time. The first 15% is just for being part of the free Amazon Mom program, the second 15% is for signing up for the repeated deliveries... you get that whole 30% discount off even the first case.

MaterDominici · « **Reply #10 on:** September 23, 2011, 03:58:32 PM »

Quote from: ora pro me

it could even save some gas going to the store.

This is huge for us. We're 15-20 minutes away from Walmart depending on which direction you go and other stores like Target are even further away. Plus, the big car we have to drive isn't exactly fuel efficient.

For household items I usually check Amazon's selection before deciding if I need to go to Target/Sears/ect. Some of the things I've ordered in the past year... stepstool so our 5-y-o can help do dishes, the majority of two new computers (this didn't save gas as we previously bought from NewEgg, but Amazon was cheaper on many parts), a couple of desk fans, a dining table booster seat (same one you find in Walmart/Target, but Amazon was cheaper), a filter for our vacuum, a second saute pan after wishing several times that I had two (I'd bought the first at Walmart, Amazon was the same price), and a new hair cutting kit for the boys.

Needless to say, I like Amazon. PIO says they're mining my information and tracking my shopping patterns (or something to that effect

), but if it saves me time and money I guess that's the price I have to pay.

PartyIsOver221 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 23, 2011, 06:23:27 PM »

Quote from: MaterDominici

Quote from: ora pro me
it could even save some gas going to the store.

This is huge for us. We're 15-20 minutes away from Walmart depending on which direction you go and other stores like Target are even further away. Plus, the big car we have to drive isn't exactly fuel efficient.

For household items I usually check Amazon's selection before deciding if I need to go to Target/Sears/ect. Some of the things I've ordered in the past year... stepstool so our 5-y-o can help do dishes, the majority of two new computers (this didn't save gas as we previously bought from NewEgg, but Amazon was cheaper on many parts), a couple of desk fans, a dining table booster seat (same one you find in Walmart/Target, but Amazon was cheaper), a filter for our vacuum, a second saute pan after wishing several times that I had two (I'd bought the first at Walmart, Amazon was the same price), and a new hair cutting kit for the boys.

Needless to say, I like Amazon. PIO says they're mining my information and tracking my shopping patterns (or something to that effect ), but if it saves me time and money I guess that's the price I have to pay.

Tis true, they do this because they are just one of the many large megabusinesses out there and the government realize the information they hold on customers. Purchase histories are logged for, I think, 2 years or so the last I heard....most likely indefinitely now.

If you buy using a credit card, same thing is done too with Mastercard and Visa. They usually bend over backwards for anything the government wants, but what can you do? Pay cash I guess and ...well pay cash. There goes online purchasing the "legitimate" way.

I've recently come around though and said whatever to it all. Because in reality, if they want to track us, there is not much you can do to stop it...you can minor delays to their info search. Should the Great Chastisement come and somehow involve all the info snooped on "preppers, religious, and fanatics of all sorts", then so be it. Another Jєωel in our crowns of glory.

ora pro me · « **Reply #12 on:** September 23, 2011, 07:43:06 PM »

Quote from: MaterDominici

Quote from: ora pro me
Mater,

Thanks so much for posting that again! What a great way to get some deals, and it could even save some gas going to the store.

To make sure I understand this correctly:

Is that an EXTRA 15% for signing up for automatic shipping, meaning you get 30% off on the 2nd order?

If so, do you continue to get 30% off on each additional order?

Thanks.

It's 30% off every time. The first 15% is just for being part of the free Amazon Mom program, the second 15% is for signing up for the repeated deliveries... you get that whole 30% discount off even the first case.

Wow! 30% off is great plus FREE shipping, too! Their profit margin must be bigger than they've let on in order to give such a big discount.

Thanks for the link, too, Mater.

PartyIsOver221 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 23, 2011, 08:16:48 PM »

Quote from: ora pro me

Wow! 30% off is great plus FREE shipping, too! Their profit margin must be bigger than they've let on in order to give such a big discount.

Government subsidy (in exchange for "other goods" )...thats why its cheaper. Same principle behind GMO foods vs organics. Buy from the big guy , not the little one.

Tough situation though because we are all getting money-crunched more and more these days, so if we want to have things, we need to buy where the price is lowest.

Darcy · « **Reply #14 on:** September 23, 2011, 10:13:14 PM »

Quote from: MaterDominici

Quote from: ora pro me
it could even save some gas going to the store.

This is huge for us. We're 15-20 minutes away from Walmart depending on which direction you go and other stores like Target are even further away. Plus, the big car we have to drive isn't exactly fuel efficient.

For household items I usually check Amazon's selection before deciding if I need to go to Target/Sears/ect. Some of the things I've ordered in the past year... stepstool so our 5-y-o can help do dishes, the majority of two new computers (this didn't save gas as we previously bought from NewEgg, but Amazon was cheaper on many parts), a couple of desk fans, a dining table booster seat (same one you find in Walmart/Target, but Amazon was cheaper), a filter for our vacuum, a second saute pan after wishing several times that I had two (I'd bought the first at Walmart, Amazon was the same price), and a new hair cutting kit for the boys.

Needless to say, I like Amazon. PIO says they're mining my information and tracking my shopping patterns (or something to that effect ), but if it saves me time and money I guess that's the price I have to pay.

Do you get free shipping at Amazon?