Thriving on a Shoestring

We are a family of seven living on under $30,000 a year.  We must live very frugally to afford our lifestyle. Each month we must sit down and decide where our money is going to go. Winter is a very slow time at my husbands job. It isn't unusual for his monthly paychecks to be for under $1500.00

Here's a break down of our current budget:
rent $685
electricity $150
gas for the cars $200
Internet $25
cell phones $200
ballet $50
hay/feed $50
household/groceries $400

If you add that up it totals $1760.00, which means we have no wiggle room and often have to cut back on  various things.  If you noticed the lack of car insurance that's because we pay yearly at tax return time. We also heat exclusively with a wood burner so we don't have a propane/gas bill.  Our gas budget for our cars is high due to the fact that we live about 15 miles outside of town.

Join me for a series to learn how we manage to not only live but thrive on a shoestring budget. I'll touch on homeschooling, grocery shopping, frugal farming, and other topics.