[Music] well it seems like there's a new headline about inflation every single day and don't get me wrong we all feel the pain in the grocery store like when we go in we know it is happening and we know that people are really really struggling with this but we only have control over so much when it comes to our life and sadly the percentage of inflation like we don't have control over that but today I do want to talk about how to afford four essential expenses is what we call our four wall that are non-negotiables even during inflation now before we jump in make sure to subscribe and share this episode with a friend all right first let's clarify the four expenses that are non-negotiables for everyone that is food housing utilities and transportation so let's go through each of these categories and find ways that we can beat inflation because let's be honest we have to do all four of these all right now let's go over some ways to beat inflation when it comes to food so number one shop around for deals that may mean you hit multiple grocery stores but you guys deals are great when it comes to coupons or BOGO deals and finding like what you actually need and shop around those deals is so helpful and just know like what grocery store you walk into will determine how much money you pay it's amazing so find those budget friendly grocery stores and when they have deals running you're golden next is to buy food that has more bang for your buck so think about this like apples and bananas are going to be relatively cheap in the produce section and you don't always have to buy meat for every single meal right you can find ways to kind of cut back on that cuz meat's going to be very expensive canned foods it's going to last for months won't go to waste but think about you know dry foods like pastas or rice um those are also some great uh foods to buy that will have a long shelf life because there's so much waste that happens when we grocery shop so eliminating that is really key now for a more detailed idea of meal ideas and tips I will put my meal planning guide for you down below so make sure to check that out next is to cut out non-essential wants at the grocery store so you know those specialty popsicles that are like $12 with four of them in a box like just say no to that stuff right there's so many things that we add on that we just don't need and if you're looking for ways with food to save specifically at the grocery store this is a great thing to think about now I do want to take a minute and talk about one of our sponsors Christian Healthcare Ministries you guys when you go against what Society thinks is quote normal like avoiding debt for example it might feel weird at first first and that is totally okay we want you to be weird if that means you're doing things intentionally including how you spend your Healthcare dollars and one way to be intentional is with Christian Healthcare Ministries chm isn't health insurance they're a health cost sharing ministry that's helped hundreds of thousands of families like yours take care of health care costs without sacrificing their freedom programs start as low as $98 a month so find out more and join at chministries.org budget that's chministries .org budgets all right let's look at housing oh this is a tough one because sometimes it's like you're fixed right you get you're in a house you got a mortgage but there's some ways to get creative now if you are single a great way to do this is to get a roommate so if you're renting and there's another bedroom I know it's not fun if you're living on your own and you enjoy it you're like oh my gosh but listen that could cut your housing in half you know possibly even when it looks like living with family people are doing this a lot they're moving back home but you know when you do this I would say to have an in date because I think being out on your own is really important when it comes just to being an adult overall but if there's some ways to save money in this for a period of time you could look into that number two is to sign a longer lease so if you're renting some landlords will lower the monthly payment if they know that you're going to be there for the long term number three is to move to a more affordable area this is a big way to save money everyone you know usually when you get closer to a city the more expensive things are but the further out you can be you'll probably save some money also for a season number four is a temporarily downsize and again not always fun if you're used to living in a certain square footage but if you're really struggling with rent find something smaller um and again it's going to help you my sister they were doing this for a season uh because they were doing some work on their house and they moved you know to a significantly smaller area and she was like you know it's she's like it's really encouraging to know like you can do this like so if you're in a position that like yes we have to move to something smaller for a period of time for whatever reason it's always good to know you're going to be okay you're going to be okay next is utilities so number one on this one is don't run appliances until they're full so think about your dishwasher or doing a load of laundry that will save water and energy number two is adjust the thermostat when you're away we do this all the time when we leave to go out of town we'll like you know have the air not on as much you know during the summer or the heat with the winter uh remember to turn it back on as soon as you get home because it may not be very comfortable when you get home but again it's going to save you money number three is to turn off lights don't leave your water running unnecessarily it's like these small little habits turn off the light when you leave a room it will save you money all right let's look at transportation number one is to join gas reward programs so Kroger Plus Costco gas is usually cheaper than other places around but these reward programs are great because you will get a better deal when it comes to gas number two is just go around the corner for cheaper gas I'm terrible at this Winston's good at it he like looks at gas prices and I I don't but it is amazing when you go to a more affluent area of a city it's going to be more expensive so maybe you drive a little ways down the interstate and half a mile even and that could save you $5 to $10 when you're filling up your tank number three is to car pull or use public transportation this is a great way to minimize the transportation cost out there if you're able to do it it's great number four is share a car with your spouse uh one car family can be difficult I know especially if you're in an area that you have to be driving but a lot of families do this for a season especially if you're trying to get out of debt and like you're selling a car because it has a crazy payment on it people do this all the time and they survive they eventually will go back to a two-car family but for a season this could be a great option all right for more tips on how to spend your money the right way make sure to check out my episode on home upgrades that are and aren't worth your money you can click here or if you're listening on podcast click the link in the description all right you guys remember to take control of your money and create a life you love
