We are a family of eight. With my husband’s two children who he pays child support for plus our own four children, we are quite a large family by today’s standards. We are definitely above the average in family size. As you can imagine that strains the budget to the breaking point frequently.

Watching every penny is a necessity in this house. To save money, I do a few different things whenever I can:

First, I keep our budget in a computer program so every penny is easily and correctly accounted for. It lets me see money that has gone out for any given time period and what future bills await to be paid still. Balancing the budget becomes a matter of ten minutes instead of a few hours.

Second, I pay a lot of our bills direct so there are no checks being written. No stamps, no envelopes, no mail time.

Third, I use coupons when I can. I have been known to email companies requesting coupons and to find free samples online and request them.

Fourth, we don’t spend money haphazardly separately. By this I mean that my husband and I always, always, always discuss purchases together that goes outside our regular weekly groceries and gas. He’s not allowed to run off with a debit or credit card and spend as he pleases. That brings me to my final point…

I handle the budget, shopping and bill paying. Otherwise, we would be wracking up late fees and higher interest rates which would cost us more money if I left it to my husband to handle.

These are some of the ways that I have found to save money. I am still looking for ways to bring our grocery bill down though!

In the past, there were some really bad times where we struggled financially and we needed Debt relief. I didn't know where the next house payment or grocery money would be coming from. It made for some really stressful times. We looked into Debt consolidation but we didn't know if we could Consolidate debt enough to get us out of trouble.

We've learned how to manage our budget a little better. We have learned what works for us and what doesn't.

If you need Debt help, Bills IQ can offer you the information you need to get back on track. Feeling secure that you can take care of your family will alleviate a huge burden off your shoulders.