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. [Read other posts in this series here.]
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Today I want to start with a disclaimer and a story. Disclaimer: I am not an expert, just a mom who is sharing what has worked for us.
Now for the story.
Exhibit A
Last week I put on one of my two “good” pairs of jeans and felt a little breeze. I looked and realized that the small hole in the back of the leg had become a LARGE hole. There are a lot of frugal things I am willing to do, but letting my underwear show through my jeans is not one of them.
I also found that my black slacks were too short. (Is it possible to grow taller after age 30?)
Considering the fact that I was leaving for a conference at the end of the week and I wanted to look somewhat professional, I knew that it was time to go shopping.
I am normally super cheap when it comes to buying clothes. I try to shop only when I need something and I usually go to a discount store in my area where I can find shirts for just a few dollars and jeans for around $15. I occasionally purchase clothes from Walmart, but the quality isn’t always great. I also shop at the thrift store, but that doesn’t often work when I am looking for something specific.
When I prayed about where to shop (yes, I prayed about it), I felt that I should go to an outlet store about 20 minutes from my house, even though I have never found anything in my size that I liked at that store.
Armed with about $50 from the clothing budget of our Freedom Account (read more here), I walked into the outlet store. Within a few minutes I found 2 pairs of jeans and one pair of black slacks all in my size and an appropriate length (slacks should not be confused with cropped pants!).
I also found a name brand t-shirt. My total? $35.00, or the average cost of one pair of jeans (unless you shop at a high end store and pay $200 for a pair.)
Now you may attribute this to my awesome shopping skills, but that is not the case. I know that God sent me to that store and provided those clothes for me.
I love the way The Message says it:
27-29“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference?
Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.
People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Matthew 6:29-33
Why did I tell you this story? To let you in on a simple truth:
We do our part (and I’ll share more about the practical things we do in upcoming posts), but we believe that God helps us to live on less.
Click here to read other posts in this series.
{ 147 comments… read them below or add one }
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I found you on pintrest and had to read. recently i quit my part time job of 18 yrs, total 30 at my profession. I have been diagnosed with posible fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel. these two things made it difficult to do my job but i was also very discontent and needed a change. I wanted more than anything to be home full time. Since quitting we have had to manage on about $800-1000 less a month. I thought of writing about how we’ve done it, but truthfully my husband has picked up alot of the slack. I’ve been a part time stay at home mom and a full time stay at home mom. now I have one child 16 still at home. I have to say I am excited to be at home with him his last 2 years of HS! However, I sometimes feel like I’m not contributing enough because I’ve always brought in an income but now after a devotion I read this morning I feel that God put this restlessness/disease in my life as a plan. What that is, I am not sure? I hope to read more of your blog, Thank you for sharing
@Lorie: Fibromyalgia can be painful and debilitating – I understand personally! But I would suggest reading “Foods that Fight Fibromyalgia.” It has really helped me, and coupled with knowledge of how God’s food works, and with His grace, it has been so much better!
Also remember that God did not diagnose you with sickness and disease. That is from the enemy. God wants you well and in good health. God may have intended for you to slow down but not by making you sick.
Very good point Sherri. Thanks!
I’m sorry but I don’t understand… What is from the enemy? Do you all (Sherri and Kimberlee) believe that disease comes from Satan??
Hi Maria-
I can’t speak for Sheri, but I believe that some disease occurs naturally from the decline of our bodies as we age, some occurs because we don’t take care of ourselves and some occurs because we are attacked by satan or have opened ourselves to demonic influence. An example is Luke 13:11 “and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.” Acts 10:37-38 says “You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached- how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” This verse indicates that people were healed when they were released from the power of the devil.
The main point that I was agreeing with is that God does not cause sickness and disease.
Good answer! Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in my 40′s, I can attest to the truth that illness may stem from a number of sources. We may know or not know where they originated. I’ve grown to be less intent on searching the “why” and more pursuant of my trust in God and dependent upon His grace.
I love when God provides for us more than we could ask or imagine.
I’ve had this huge armoire in my 2 yo sons room since before he was born. I thought it would be perfect! Well it’s been less than perfect but it was free and it held clothes. 
I finally decided I needed to sell it and find a more suitable storage for my son’s clothes. I figured I might be able to find a medium sized dresser for the right price. We went to a particular thrift store, the furniture happened to be half price and I got some child sized pieces that were perfect! With money to spare!!! Even though I didn’t pray specifically about that trip, me and the Lord have been having it out over our financial situation. It was such a blessing! Anyway….your posts are very inspiring and I am hoping to share them with my husband and encourage him. Thank you!!!!
God is always faithful, isn’t He?
You are not alone. I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed to find clothes I needed at a price I could afford.
I had a very similar prayer when my oven died 2 days before Thanksgiving. Prayer and travel to a store I NEVER shop – I went home with my dream stove, in cream (the color of all my appliances) for $200! When normally this model cost about $500. The clerk said it was so cheap because the color was wrong – I didn’t argue =) God ordered that stove just for me =)
Love it! Thanks for sharing.
I just have to share also… I recently discovered a hole in one of my two pair of jeans and thought to myself “God, how am I going to afford a new pair? And where am I going to find them?” I have a very hard to shop for body, in my opinion! I went on with my day and later on, decided to clear out my closet of the few items I don’t or can’t wear anymore…. and I found an almost new pair of jeans that I had put away last year when I got pregnant with my son!! They fit perfectly
God is good!
Love it! God IS good.
And I now love that you are sharing your faith too! Awesome! I too pray about where to go, if I should, etc. Loving this!
Thanks for your encouragement Michelle.
I’m enjoying this series very much. For 10 years when my kids were young we lived on one income. Now I work part-time and we are approaching four years of paying double tuition for Christian education (elementary and high school). We know God will provide.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series Harriette!
My sister sent me a link to your site because of your Freedom account. My husband and I have been married for almost 2 years and are constantly trying to find something that works financially. Though I was super confused about the Freedom Account, I kept reading
I was thrilled when I read that you prayed about where to shop!! (God showed me the other day that I need to even pray about who to vote for on The Voice haha) Then you quoted The Message and I was stoked! I just wanted to thank you for posting and let you know that I plan to check in as much as I can to read what you have to share. Thank you!!
Welcome Ashlee! Glad you’re here.
this blog is so super inspiring!!! love love love how you talked about praying about a shopping decision.. i do this all the time!! i just lost some weight and for the life of me could not justify spending a bunch of money on a new pair of jeans when i have a son to feed and one day send to college. i had been praying to lose weight, and it was an answered prayer… and then i outgrew all my jeans… and i got a random email from a store i dont usually shop at saying that the clearance was marked down 50%. i go to the site, check it out, put a pair of jeans in the shopping cart, feeling guilty all the while.. go to the final checkout phase and suddenly $80 jeans that were marked down to $40 magically turned into $10. i have never loved a pair of jeans so much!!!
Thanks so much for sharing that story Jennifer. I love how faithful God is.
Kimberlee, thank you so much for sharing! I started reading your blog a few weeks ago, and my husband walked in to find me sniffling over this post (well, maybe sobbing once I tried to share it with him
Finances, commission-based pay, and why I can’t make a feasible budget work every month have been huge burdens on my heart lately, and even bigger sources of frustration. At the same time (but separately , I thought)God has been working on my heart in the area of prayer, and how I haven’t been in communication with Him nearly enough. I have been so seriously blessed by your blog (which I pinned from a friend), giving my the “man up” speech in both areas! Honestly it had never occurred to me to pray over the more mundane areas of spending money (mostly the “God please send more!” prayers), but it makes so much sense! Thank you!
I also loved your post about realizing it’s time to grow up and committing not spend what we don’t have. Guilty.
Since beginning to read your blog (and from the wonderful model of some Christian friends) my husband and I have started a freedom account and keeping all receipts to go over them once a week at our “budget coffee-dates” (these happen at our kitchen table during nap time
I feel so good about our finances, even though we have a lot of work to do, and my husband (who is much better about money) and I are finally a team on this! I know it can’t be easy to share such personal info, but you are making a real difference in people’s lives. Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your hard-won wisdom
Wow Ashley–I am so happy for you! I am sorry that I made you cry though–lol! Congratulations on communicating with your husband and getting everything on track and thanks so much for your encouragement.
I am so loving your blog and wanted to say that my husband and I just went through financial peace university with Dave Ramsey. Everything that you are saying he also teaches and gives step by step instructions on how to accomplish the goals. He is a Christian as well and i just thought that I would share. I am glad that God lead you to write this blog because it is so many people who need it. Thank you so much!!!
Just wanted to say thank you for these post. My husband and I are in a similar situation and your organizing skills have already helped me more than you can imagine. Even more than that though, is this particular post about your jeans. The day after I read this, I was going through the list of things by children would need for camp and my oldest didn’t have one bathing suit that fit. I prayed before I even pulled out of the driveway because all I had was $20 in my pocket to buy everything they needed including the bathing suit. I ended up going in a store that I usually can’t afford to even walk past. In that store I found everything they needed (even the suit) and was even able to replace the worn out white cami that I wear under my shirts and dresses almost daily all for less than $15. Thank you for everything you do and God bless you!
Shannon
I just love how sweet God is to provide for us! Thank you so much for sharing this story Shannon.
I LOVE this post. My family (there are 4 of us) and I just love to camp. Its a pretty inexpensive “vacation” and a great way to spend time with family. In the past, we’ve borrowed tents or gone camping with people who have a large tent. So this year, I decided it was time to look for a large tent (we would like to have 4 kids one day, so I want a tent large enough to hold our whole family for years). So I found a tent at WalMart that had great reviews, but was $152. As a SAHM of 2 and living on an income of less than $18,000 a year- $152 is A LOT to spend on something like a tent for us. So…I prayed about it and something told me to check Craigslist. So, I did. I found the EXACT same tent in new condition for $70, which was much more “do-able”. God answers prayers! Nothing is too small or insignificant for him!
Great example of how God provides for us. Thanks so much for sharing Becky!
Thank you for your inspiration! I just graduated college last year and teach at a small private Christian school. I get judged frequently that I only make about 20,000. I try to explain that I am where God wants me but it’s not always understood. Thanks for the reminder today that God will take care of me and money is not the most important thing in life!
You are very welcome Lynn. Blessings!
Thanks for the lightbulb moment! I have been a Christian since I was very young & always known & been shown that God will provide for me. Lately I have been very stressed about our finances feeling like I can’t make ends meet no matter what I do. I have been getting irritated with what God has given us because of this inner struggle. I was doing our budget again this morning & trying to figure out what I could spend at a meat sale in the area. I have prayed about wisdom & God’s provision many times, but it hadn’t really occurred to me to ask God where to shop & even which items to buy there or wait for somewhere else. God is faithful & gracious to keep teaching me!
So glad you had a light go on.
I have to have light bulb moments on a regular basis-LOL!
Kimberlee, I have enjoyed reading your stories. My husband and I have had a business for 24 years now. Our income is never steady, it’s feast or famine. I have always been a good saver, can’t say that about my husband though
We suffered a near financial disaster in 2009-2010. We have since learned to live only on what we bring in, no cards. We have 14 year old twins and we work from home. I am going to look into your method, I do love figuring out how to pinch every penny. But one thing I know for sure is that I am not in control, and worrying never solved one crisis. God is in control always.
That is for sure Susan. It’s nice to know we don’t have to have all the answers.
I came here for helpful tips on how to survive living on very little income. Not to ask your deity for favours and pass off being thrifty as your God’s handy work. The deals were already there before you prayed. YOU found them, it is YOU that’s figuring out the way to allow you and your family to live comfortably. Have more faith in yourself than you do in God! You’re capable of many things. Yes, YOU, not God.
All in all, if you want to help a broader spectrum of people struggling financially, it would be nice if you eliminated the religious remarks so other people could benefit as well.
Hi! Thanks for stopping by. I am so glad that you visited (really!) and that you felt comfortable to express your views here.
I understand your point of view and you are very welcome to express your opinion here, but you probably should be aware that I write this blog about my life and how I personally save money, as well as other topics. I have a very real relationship with God and I choose to invite Him into every area of my life. While it is true that I had to go to that store and buy the clothes, I never would have thought about it if I had not prayed first.
As far as helping a broader spectrum of people, I do want to help people and help as many as possible, but helping people to get their finances in order without looking at the eternal perspective would be a cruel deception. I share my life so that hopefully people can see that God is real, that He really does love them and that He is interested in the details of their lives. Financial help without eternal hope is pointless.
I would really love for you to stick around, but I completely understand if my blog is not your cup of tea. I hope you did find some encouragement and help in what you have read so far. Feel free to email me: kimberlee (at) thepeacefulmom (dot) com if you have any other questions.
Right on, Kimberlee! What a gracious and elegant reply. God bless you, your family, and the help you are providing for others via this blog.
Thanks Nikki–I try.
I have enjoyed your blog so much! I found it through my daughter pinning it on Pintrest. You gave such a gracious answer to “L”. I pray that they come to know our great God Who gives us all things to enjoy and provides for us as a Father. Prayer is for all times and for all seasons. Many, many times God has answered a specific prayer that others might find inconsequential but it made a world of difference to me! And it has shown me that we have a personal, interested God to truly cares about our every day decisions. May He bless you always.
Thanks so much Michelle. I always pray for wisdom as I answer comments.
I want to congratulate you for this blog. I am very thrifty and frugal, but I still have problems making ends meet, because I am just not disciplined enough. I love to read about what others do, so I can find a method that I will be able to maintain.
I do not pray God, but I do send requests to the universe (which in my sense is the same thing, with a different belief). It does work. Many times, I needed something, and it came to me.
Once, it was a vacuum cleaner. We needed one, and wanted the Electrolux brand, because it works forever. We went to a store but did not find any at a budget price. When we came back home, someone had put one right beside the door of our apartment building. We only had to replace the hose ($10), and it still works, 7 years later! I do send those requests all the time.
Thank you for helping people who struggle with money, which is a vast majority of people.
Near our home is an amazing thirft store (about the size of a walmart) and they sell everything for the same price. they start on Thursday with all items at $2 and drop the price daily until Weds where everything is .25 cents! almost, all of our clothes come from there and I often find nice name brands…it was truly a God-Send when a family friend told me about this place…Bless You and Your family for leaning on the Lord…we do the same and have found that he gets us through alot!
Wow–$.25 sounds great!
The trick to thrift store shopping is being consistent- you have to go ALL THE TIME- Most of the time you will leave empty handed, sometimes you will find useful items or something you’ve been looking for, and every once in awhile you hit a gold mine and come in the day after someone your size and style has donated their entire wardrobe! Those are the hard days to not over spend
I also use Freecycle and Craigslist a lot. I have managed to clothe our twins on about $200 total, since birth, and they are set for at least another year with what I have stashed away
Saying “Thank you,” seems insignificant compared to the blessings I have already received from your blog! (just found it an hour ago) I have always believed that God won’t lead us where He can’t sustain us. Your testament is proof of this covenant. I am not a SAHM but due to medical issues over the past 3 1/2 years, I have been the primary source of income for my family (hubby, dog-kid, cat, and bird). I am humbled and inspired by your commitment, your compassion, and your faith. May God continue to bless you and this blog.
Wow Leah–thanks so much! You made my day.
So glad I found a pin to your blog series on this topic in Pinterest. I should be sleeping right now, but my annoyance of being woke up by the teenagers is now a realization that there might have been a greater purpose in my getting online tonight (or this morning, depending on your location). Thanks again for sharing. I really need to do this.
Sorry you were woken up, but glad you’re here.
This has been a good series so far. (I found you through Pinterest) But I have to say that you bothering God about a pair of pants seems… I mean, with all the horrible things in the world, to pray for a good deal on a pair of pants and to feel that He took a moment to direct you to a good outlet store just seems vain to me.
I think what you’re doing is awesome, and helping others as you are doing is a beautiful thing. Very Christian of you. But I have to agree with the other commenter that you should really have more faith in yourself. God’s taking care of a lot on a global scale, and so are you on a smaller scale. I would think He would have more pride in you for doing this on your own with the bravery and spirit and smarts He gave you so you don’t have to go bothering Him about bargain hunting.
Don’t mean to sound harsh. We all have our own views of religion, I suppose. Especially, it seems, those in the same faith. This just struck a chord with me, especially as it seemed incongruous with the previews installments of the series. And I just hate seeing hard working women belittle their own strengths. You’re awesome, just as God made you. Don’t be afraid to own the awesome He wanted you to be!
I am a single mom struggling to make ends meet on a Louisiana teacher’s salary. I am so thankful for your post about trusting God with the “less” so that He can be more! I needed to read that today when I’m fighting with feeling sorry for myself and hopelessness. I know I really do have hope-thanks for the reminder and your website! It has been a blessing.
I am so sorry that you are struggling Shannon. Being a single mom is really difficult. I am glad that you found some encouragement here though.
I learned a lot, when I decided to pray about every decision that I make – even the seemingly little ones. I learned that many times, the Lord would lead me down paths that I never knew existed – and that included shopping at places that I would have never thought of, or had forgotten about. He blesses us when we seek Him, in ALL that we think, say, and do: ) Bless you for sharing your helpful info!
Thanks Kristy.
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