{UPDATE Feb. 2013: Welcome! These posts are from a series I started in February of 2012. Our income has since increased a little, but we still use these same principles to live on less so we can spend our money on our true priorities.}
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Living on Less Than $28,000 A Year: Yes, our family of six lives on around $2200 a month and for the next few weeks I’ll be sharing how we can survive, and even thrive on an income that is less than half the national median income, and what the government calls “below the poverty line” (less than $29,990 annually) for our family size.
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Before we get started, I’d like to address two issues: (1) WHY I’m sharing the information and (2) WHY we live on such a small income. I’ll address the specifics of HOW we live on a lower income in future posts.
WHY AM I SHARING THIS INFORMATION?
I have written about money saving ideas for some time, but I have been hesitant to put an actual number on our annual income for a couple of reasons. Number one: it’s personal. Number two: it’s personal.
Growing up I often heard that there were two things that you never talk about–politics and religion. I would add a third: finances.
These three topics define who we are as individuals and families within our society, and therefore people have firmly held convictions about them. I really don’t want to get into a debate about someone’s firmly held convictions and let’s face it, people don’t just go around announcing their annual income.
I also don’t want to be judged. Looking from the outside, it’s very easy to say that someone should or shouldn’t do something. There are many choices that our family has made that you may not agree with, and I am taking a risk by sharing them. I am risking my “reputation” and I am risking being criticized and looked down on. (After all, when thousands of people read the blog, I have a bit of exposure to public scrutiny.)
So why am I sharing now? My husband and I have considered these factors and decided that the risk is worth it if we can encourage even one family in their financial decisions and struggles.
There are many people who have mortgages larger than our entire monthly income and who may be shocked that we can live on so little. If you are one of those families, I am honestly very excited for you that you make a larger income. Perhaps you would like to be able to save more, though, and maybe reading this series will give you some ideas you hadn’t considered before.
There are also quite a few of you who live on even less than we make and life is a daily struggle for you. Hopefully you can gain some ideas and encouragement from this series as well. Now to the second point.
WHY DO WE LIVE ON SUCH A SMALL INCOME?
There are many factors which led us to make the choice to live on one, smaller than average income. The two that come to mind as I write are reducing the stress from over-commitment and prioritizing relationships.
Simple is better.
Life with four children is busy for anyone, but throw in the fact that our oldest son has Asperger’s Syndrome (an autism spectrum disorder), our oldest daughter has a severe wheat allergy and our youngest daughter has behavioral issues coupled with me working a full time job, and you have a disaster. My stress level was unbearable and I was very unpleasant person to be around (sometimes I still am 
).
Simplifying to one job and one school (home school) keeps me sane and our family happier.
We love Dad (and I’m sure you do too!).
I am a former public school teacher and my husband has most of his experience working for a non-profit charitable organization. It would make more financial sense for me to work and dad to stay at home, but my husband is much better in the role of encourager and entertainer of the children than he is as homemaker 
.
Having no higher level training, my husband’s only way to make a higher income right now is to work more hours and more jobs. He could do that, but we want to have family time just to relax and hang out.
Time with dad is important at every stage, but it is crucial with three teenagers. Girls need their father’s approval and attention to form their identities at this stage of life. Teenage boys need to see how their fathers interact with others, especially how they treat women. Seeing Dad interact on a regular basis with Mom and watching him treat her with respect makes a lasting impression on a young man. All teenagers need someone to bounce ideas off of. Having more relaxed time at home means we have more time to listen and discuss things.
Remember, the judgment I mentioned earlier? Well, at this point you should know that I do not judge anyone who makes different choices than we do. We each have unique circumstances and values, and we each have to do what is best for our families based on those factors.
As a matter of fact, we would like to make more money. We definitely don’t want to stay where we are financially, but if we have to choose between money and relationships (and for now we do), we are going to choose relationships every time. Relationships are eternal. Money is not.
Now that you know WHY we live on less, in the next few weeks I will be sharing HOW we live on such a small income. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment. PLEASE remember to play nicely. I would like everyone to feel welcome here. Thanks!
Click here for an index of all posts in this series.
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{ 939 comments… read them below or add one }
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Thank you for your bravery and for sharing. I look forward to learning more from you.
Thanks Amy.
This is a very exciting series to me. I’m looking forward to reading how you do it. We are looking to be able to buy a home next year and could definitely use some tips on how to live on less. I can’t wait to read this!
Thanks so much Laura! I hope you find it helpful.
Wow, I can’t wait until you tell the “how” next week!! Although my husband makes 2.5 times what you guys live on it is still hard. I am now a stay at home mom that homeschools my three children. I stopped working almost a year ago after my then 9 yr old son was diagnosed with Asperger’s. Now we are a one income family. We live on Long Island where the cost of living is quite high. Although we have thought of moving our families, church family and job are all here. And since my husband works for a local town government he can’t ask for a transfer. Our property taxes alone are almost $8,000 a year for a 3 bedroom 1400 sq ft house on 1 acre. I just began making my own laundry soap and dishwasher detergent this past week and they work awesome!!! My downfall is groceries!!! I have looked at your $100 a week and need to be more diligent. I usually use coupons but am finding it too stressful to do everything AND coupons. Thanks again for sharing and I agree: Relationships over money every time!!!
Hi Jennifer! I feel for you. It is difficult to live in an expensive area. Have you read my free e-book Save More-Clip Less? It’s got tons of practical tips for saving without couponing. Here’s a link in case you missed it earlier: http://thepeacefulmom.com/2011/08/19/free-e-book-save-more-clip-less/. Blessings!
Thanks I forgot I downloaded that book and never finished it!! I am going to go read it now!
Sounds like me Jennifer!
Kimberlee-
Thank you so much for sharing. Our “stable” finances have recently changed & we’re looking for ways to survive on less. I’m looking forward to your tips & ideas.
Abrazos,
Sapphire @ Life with My Pollitos
Lo siento mucho! Espero que todo este bien muy pronto.
I am so glad you are willing to be real–especially detailed. It does take courage. I have a family of six. We live on one income. When I hear of how some people can live happily (or contentedly or whatever word you choose) within their means, I am all ears. Without the details, I fill in all the wrong blanks and just figure it’s out of my reach. I think our income is similar to yours. I can’t wait to read this series.
Thanks Cheryl. Hopefully you will find it helpful!
My wife and I do feel like we are doing fine financially, but frankly, as we have progressed from living off of my one (low) income while she was still in school to my higher income after a promotion to finally a dual-income household, we haven’t really noticed any change. I know why; as we have more money, we are more inclined to “blow” it.
I look forward to your series as I’d love to start actually SAVING money so we can buy a bit of land.
Thanks so much Jeremy. It’s nice to know I have some male readers.
awesome. thanks for sharing. we don’t make much (monetarily) either. i dropped from full time to 2.5 days a week after having our first baby and plan to work less in the future. i’m always looking for ways to do our finances better and try to be diligent about our spending. staying at home with our kids in the future is a big priority for us and i look forward to getting some more good ideas! thanks!
My pleasure Theresa!
Keep writing Kimberlee!! Looking forward to reading more! Maybe you can share my idea of a new paper shredder—-gerbils! (Just kidding!) I appreciate you opening up here and letting others know you better, and learn from you! We are in the same financial boat as you guys and I am always wanting to learn more!
Thanks so much Kathryn! Love the paper shredder idea. LOL!
Thank you so much for starting this series! It brought me to tears, it takes such bravery to post this and makes me feel less alone in our families decision. We live a VERY similar way!! (Really, really similar actually!) We live on the same annual income (almost to the $$), we have 4 children, I WAS the “bread winner” until we decided I NEED to stay home with our four children, we have a daughter who has autism (along with some other disabilities), our youngest has behavior issues… Once again, thank you. This series is coming at a time when I really need it.
Wow Danielle–maybe we are twins separated at birth. haha! It’s really important to be available to our special needs kids. I am proud of you for making that decision inspite of the sacrifices. Hopefully the series can help you.
Praise the Lord. I cant wait to here your story. WE have been there and God was so faithful. Your testimony is worth its weight and Gold. Be faithful and do what God tells you to do and He will get the Glory from it. I have been on your side of living and family is way more important than money any day. The sacrifice is well worth it my husband quite a very good job to be home with our family and God has blessed and redeemed for his obedience. My husband doesnt travel anymore day after day week after week. Know that we home school we all go together. Praying for you my friend.
Wow Anne–thanks so much for that encouragement and your prayers! God is the main reason we can do what we do.
Our daughter is married to a youth pastor and she is a stay at home mom. They recently had their 3rd child and she is a marvel at managing on next to nothing. I am excited to share this with her as I am sure it will be an encouragement to her. Thank you.
My pleasure!
Thank you for sharing your sweet story of how much you believe in making sacrifices for the sake of your family! There was a time when I also was a SAHM. We lived very frugally on my husband’s medium/low income salary job (but with excellent benefits) and it was the happiest years of my life. Life has a way of making U-turns on us though, and mine did just that. He was killed in an auto accident when the children were toddlers. God always proved Himself as the Great Provider and I am now retired, but I always cherish the memories of the days when we had eggs for breakfast AND dinner when payday was still a day or two away! It was a peaceful time, and there’s no substitute for the contentment that comes with knowing you are doing what’s best for YOU at that particular time of your life. Blessings to you and yours!
I am so sorry for your loss Michelle. God is always faithful no matter where we are in life. I’m so glad you have such good memories.
Thank you Kimberlee for going out “on a limb” so to speak & sharing this. As of right now we are making alittle more than what you are per month, but a year or so ago thats about what we were making also, so know the struggles that you face.( My husband is a dairy farmer & 3-4 years ago our milk check dropped almost in half for about 2 years so trying to make that business work & bills get paid was quite a struggle we almost didn’t make (& many didn’t). We get paid a salary from the business account so we didn’t get a raise for several years.) I am looking forward to this series & have read alot of your online book, but always looking for ways to save money.
Thanks for your encouragement Karen! I am glad things are a little better for you now.
Thank you so much for speaking from your heart, and for sharing something so personal. We are a family of 7. And gross about $1000 less than you, so we bring home under $2,000 a month. We also homeschool, my oldest daughter has aspburgers, as well as severe dyslexia. It is a very very big struggle. However, like you, the higher income meant less time with daddy, so this is the life we have chosen (Or God has led us too) We feel so blessed to be home with our children, our life is simple, it struggles, but we are super blessed. I can’t wait to learn from you! Thank you for being willing to share your advice, and what works for your family YOU are such a blessing to others!
Crystal, thank you so much. It is my heart for God to use me. Thanks for letting me know that He does.
Quote of the day, “Relationships are eternal. Money is not.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Bless you and all that you are sharing!
Thanks. I wrote that and then a few minutes ago it struck me again. It’s hard to keep the priorities straight sometimes.
Kimberly, I so appreciate your openness about your finances and your life. It shows that you have an open heart as well. As a former educator I truly admire your choice of relationships with your kids and husband as first in importance! I look forward to reading the rest of your series. Have a great day!
Thank you Cary!
So excited to read your blog, I too have a son that we are testing for Aspbergers syndrome and we are missionaries,my son also has a wheat allergy, not to mention I have four kids. I am so interested in hearing more from you! Can’t wait to see how you guys do it!
Wow Kim, we have a lot in common! I hope you find it helpful.
I am interested to ready your tips. At the moment we are living on a lot less than $2800, as a family of four. We are just starting out as a family, but it has been difficult. I do stay home with my 2 little ones. My husband works full time and is going to school full time to further his education. It’s pretty rough! Thankfully up to this point we have been able to stay out of debt! I am hoping you have some tips to help stretch what we do have a little further.
Meredin-It is difficult, but I am really proud of you guys for making his education a priority so he can make more in the future. I hope I can be an encouragement to you.
I can’t wait to here what you have to offer. I think tips from other people help. Try them if they work great if not, your no worse off. I just became gluten free and have loved your tips. I have a family of 5 so just saving money and getting out of debt will help.
Hi LeAnn! That is such a good point: Try tips from other people and if they don’t work, you’re no worse off. Great advice!
sooo excited!! I’m trying desperately to come home fulltime by December and that’s almost exactly my hubby makes alone so i am soooooo looking forward to this series!
Erin, that is a very worthy goal. I think that you will find that once you are able to come home you can save even more money because you have time to do more money-saving things. I pray that you can make it home even sooner!
Isn’t it amazing how something like a blog on Facebook can be there at just the right time! Thank you for sharing. This little tidbit is uplifting for me at this very moment. Some details are different but at the end of the day we are all trying to make whatever our financial situations are work. Thank you for blessing me with your open and honest story!
I am so glad Crystal. I hope you find it helpful.
Thank you soooo very much for this series. We live on less but only have 3 kids right now and honestly I don’t know how to make it each month and because of that we have gone in debt a few times. I will look forward to any suggestions you have. Thank You!
What a great series Kimberlee! I look forward to it. I think everyone will be able to learn a bit from your series. No matter how much you make, if you learn to live on less it opens up so many possibilities. Relationships are worth so much more than we ever realize. Bless you for going where many people will not go.
Thanks so much Dianna!
I super admire you for sharing about your personal finances. You are right when you say that it’s almost a “no-no” when it comes to speaking of finances right along with religion and politics, even in the blogging world.
I come from the same line of thinking that sharing what works and how you are able to make it can be more helpful to others than to not share. I actually wish more frugal/simple living bloggers would be more forthcoming. Not that I need to know what they make but rather it’s so helpful to know how they are managing on less. I greatly admire people like yourself who are making it, are proud of what they are achieving, and don’t have a focus on material wealth, stuff, and money in general. Your family’s focus is very meaningful.
I look forward to your series. My husband and I live on less than your family does, but we also have a small family. I am home due to health, and cannot work out of the home. Nonetheless, we all share in common having to pay for many of the same things such as housing, heating, utilities, gas, etc. even if things such as food and clothing differ due to size. It will be awesome to see what you share, and hopefully we can all share back in return.
Definitely Lyn! I would love to hear other’s ideas for saving more. Thanks for your encouragement.
I just wanted to offer my encouragement and I can’t wait to learn more of how you do it. We are in a similar but very different situation. I am the “bread winner” and my husband stays at home. We know this is where the Lord wants us at this point in our lives and are facing some huge financial changes in the next several months so this series could not have come at a better time!
I love your website and most people that are reading this blog needs some inspiration for the reason that they do not make alot of money. I love that you have been up front with us because I always thought that most bloggers had the money and was just trying to be nice and help us save money and they just put it in savings. Thanks Kimberlee for being real with us. Can not wait to see this series.
sheri
Looking forward to this series!!
I think it’s wonderful that you are able to live on so little money. I envy that! I am so excited to see how you are able to do this. I’m hoping for some great ideas.
I LOVE THIS! Can’t wait for the next installment! I too am learning to live with LESS and loving it! making relationships a priority…more Daddy time at home! I love how we free up time for our children and we are wanting to adopt…so having Daddy home will help with building a relationship with our new child/children?
) You go girl! I will be right behind you …cheering all the way! Woo hooo! God Bless!
Thank you for opening your life up with your readers. I am a single mom with 4 kiddos including one with disabilities (also 2 kids plus myself have asthma). I take that one to PT and MD appts several times a month plus I work full time as a professional. I have 1 teen, 1 soon to be teen, one school age and a preschooler. I work hard to keep us in budget but the medical bills catch up with us frequently. I spend a lot of money on child care but I also take summers off to work at home with the kids at home. I need my insurance and other benefits that my job offers because to put it simply my ex (kids’ dad) is not responsible. I do not wish I could be a stay at home mom because that is not an option for me right now. I try to enjoy the time that we all get to stay home together and/or evenings and make the most of that time. Childhood passes very quickly so I do not “regret” what life has handed me. My only problem is always trying to keep us in budget with unplanned medical bills cropping up. I look forward to learning about your frugal lifestyle and hopefully being able to apply to my own life situation.
Again, thank you.
Anna, you are absolutely doing what is right for your family and I love that you take the summers to be with your children. It is super difficult to be a single parent. I have a friend who is and it seems there is never enough, and yet the Lord always provides. Praying for more provision for your family.
Thank you for beginning this series, Kimberlee, with such open honesty with the reasons for your frugality. When I started reading your blog and subscribed a few weeks ago, our commonalities (family on the spectrum, fighting out of depression, and living frugally to name a few) appealed to me. Knowing just HOW and why you need to live so frugally touches me even more. I hope to learn more from you in the coming series.
Thanks for your courage and honesty in this series. I am looking forward to reading it. While it is only my husband and I we are retired and live on a very limited income (retired elementary teachers), so I am very interested to see how you do it.
I appreciate this incite deeply, for I see similarities in your circumstances to ours. I am a full time employee, and a full time mom. Having had the past few years to be a stay at home mommy (and work an alternate schedule), I have found a tremendous relationship with my child and even my spouse. Thank you for the glimpse into your life as a form of support.
You are very welcome Jay. So glad you feel encouraged.
Thank you for being so transparent and honest. I look forward to learning from you and your family on how to be a better steward of the money that God has trusted each one of of to have. My husband was down sizes a few years ago which then his pay was reduced by half…what a shock to have to learn to live on so much less…then the company closed down completely after over 18 years working there..he has been working for a new company the past year or so but isn’t making what he used to..but God is good and always supplies..sometimes through people like you to share your experiences and knowledge with others..Thank You.
Connie
Connie, I am so sorry that your husband lost his job. That is really difficult and you could probably teach me a few things as well. Thankfully he is working again! Hopefully you can find some encouragement here.
I am very interested how you are able to live on a small annual income. I also have chosen family over career but feel frustrated often. I would like to put some money away for the future but it is hard to find the extra cash. Can’t wait to hear some more”11
Thanks Cindy. Believe me, I understand your frustration. Hopefully my ideas can help you some.
I cannot wait to learn from you. I too would love to learn how to live on less. I sure hope we see “Part One” this week.
Thank you very much for going out on a limb by sharing this very personal information. I commend y’all for taking a very responsible way of wanting to raise your children. I do believe relationships are way more important than money…but so many of us (me included) get caught up with trying to provide more and more but our relationships that are closest to us are to be short changed.
Thank you again.
Yes m’am Amee–part one coming up this week!
new reader… i think i am going to love reading this <3
Thanks Jean!
Kimberlee,
You are to be commended for choosing relationships over money, and for being frugal and making your budget work!!!
I know your husband must be proud of you, and vice versa.
Thanks Mary Ann–you are such an encourager!
Cant wait for your next installment.We too are living on around 2,000 a month after child support and health ins. taken out. It has been hard living on one salary but we are getting used to it. We feel that we should homeschool our daughter.
It is difficult, but I can tell you Melissa that if you feel you should homeschool your daughter, the rewards will be well worth the sacrifice.
I struggle everyday leaving my 2 1/2 year old with a babysitter so we can have a two income family. I am very excited to learn how I can follow in your footsteps
I hope you can come home soon Llz.
I’m looking forward to this series–currently working two jobs trying to get out of debt …beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but would love to start “saving” more!
Good job getting out of debt Deborah. Hang in there!
wow sister, i’m all impressed and have nothing but respect for you. since i’m so bad with money, i actually am not sure exactly how your annual income translates to daily needs but i can imagine it must be very tight as my brother makes 33K a year and is single, yet he’s continuously in debt.
you must be EXCELLENT at money management, and actually time management too cuz as a mom who homeschools, shops, takes care of house, is there for her dh and still finds time to blog AND share so many useful things with others in the world… yeah… you are really MASHALLAH flying very high in my respect:)
now then, i want to say that i will be paying very close attention to the following posts because you are right, not many, if any, would put out their personal finance out there for all to see and i’m just so thankful to you that you have.
i’m moving to the uk in a few weeks and well, its just dh working and he owns his own biz which is still young and developing so the income isnt that large and certainly not as steady but i hope to be of great help to him inshallah (God willing) in budgeting and also saving.
i’m going to look to you my dear for any useful tips, and so far you’ve dished out some great ones:)
ps. i love you on pinterest. i shared you with my sis who’s circumstances are also similarly tight and she LOVES your blog too. we are agog waiting for more posts.
Thank you for sharing:)
R
Thank you so much Rahilya. Thanks for sharing with your sister. Hopefully you will find the posts helpful.
What an inspiration you are. I look forward to following this series.
Thank you Janis!
I’m looking forward to the series. I saw it posted on facebook. My family and I chose to live on one income for 10 years. We were able to do it because we lived debt free and were frugal. We also put our son through college. I’ve recently started back to work, and I have to say the extra income is nice. We’re planning to replenish our savings, go on some vacations, and eat out (guilt-free) once in awhile.
Ah, yes Norma. Eating out guilt free. That is a treat!
I am so excited about this series. My situation is similar to yours in that my income has always been more than double my husband’s income. When my son was a baby, I worked fulltime and my husband worked part-time, opposite each other so one of us was always home with the baby. I hated being away from him so much. When he was 18 months old, I had the opportunity to cut back go part-time, and my husband went fulltime. Since then, I have gotten several raises, and when I think about what our household income would be if I were the one working fulltime, I feel really guilty. My husband is great with my son, but I’m in a better position to facilitate playdates for him (which is important, since he’s an only child), advocate for his educational needs, etc. So we’re going this route, even though financially it makes no sense!
Thanks Claire. It may not make sense to the rest of the world, but you are doing what is truly important. Keep up the good work (and give up the guilt).
I want to thank you Kimberlee for sharing your story with me! My husband and I also have 4 children ages 17 – 8 and we live on about 600 less than you right now so I am REALLY looking forward to learning some great useful tips! I really commend your courage and thank you deeply because I know how many other families you will help by sharing this personal story! My family being one of them for sure. I am very thankful I came across your site a few months ago and I cant begin to express to you how grateful I am for you opening up and sharing so much with me! I wish you and your family the very best always!!
Thank you so much Samantha. It is really nice to hear positive feedback because it definitely is taking some courage!
Thank you for all the helpful advice you give to us on a daily basis. I’m trying to do better with money issues but saying no to older children & spoiled grandsons is very difficult. So i’m excited to hear & learn from your experiences. I need to make some new lifestyle changes. So keep up the good work
Thanks Cynthia!
I’ve just read part 1 and 2, and am looking forward to this series! I do think it’s helpful for people to see the numbers in someone else’s budget although I also understand wanting privacy and not giving people those numbers. Our monthly household budget expenses are lower than that (right around 2000) but we make more than that and anything extra is an extra mortgage payment (our only debt). I think you will never regret this choice of being home with your children. One of my passions is helping moms with budgets so they can see how to live on one income so they can stay home with their children. Right now my husband works Monday-Friday and I work on Saturdays so we avoid daycare and we plan to homeschool once our little girl is old enough.
Thanks for the encouragement Diane. My hope is that people will find it helpful and be encouraged that they can make it on one income, even if it doesn’t seem possible on paper. We have done the split shift work arrangement to avoid childcare costs and I think it is always a win-win for the kids to have their parents as the primary care takers. Blessings!
Thank you so much for sharing! I am one of those who wishes we could live more simple and on less!!! I cant wait to learn about your tips and tricks!!!
You are very welcome Janessa. I hope you find the series helpful.
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