|
Easiest Ways to Save Money
For Your International Adoption
The easiest ways to save money for your international adoption are often in the small ways.
Here are some ideas on how you can easily save money for your international adoption.
Easiest Ways to Save Money
Downsizing
If you have an enormously high car payment, you could trade your car in for an older version and cut your payments in half.
That's certainly one of the quickest and easiest ways to save money.
But what if you are unable to give up that car? Is there any other way to save money?
The answer is to look at the daily, small ways you are spending money.
Start keeping tabs on what you spend every day, and you'd be surprised at how much you can save in a year.
Looking at the small things are truly some of the easiest ways to save money for your adoption.
Easiest Ways to Save Money
The Nitty Gritty
Here is one of the easiest ways to save money.
Go to the dollar store in your area and buy yourself a small calendar or notebook with room enough to write down what you spend money on every day.
(Yes, it will set you back a dollar plus tax, but the expense will be well worth it.)
As you make purchases throughout the day, write down every single expense.
A Journal of Your Day
For example, let's suppose that you get up, get dressed and swing by that coffee shop for a frappuccino every morning before going to work.
Outside the coffee shop is a newspaper stand, so you buy a paper.
At ten, you're feeling a little hungry, so you get a snack from the vending machine.
Then you go to lunch with friends.
At around three, you're feeling a little tired so you go downstairs to the snack bar and buy a cookie.
You work overtime and know you'll be too tired to cook, so on your way home from work you stop by the fast food place for a meal for you and your spouse.
Here are your expenses for the day:
- Frappuccino - $4
- Newspaper - $1.50
- Morning Snack - $1
- Lunch - $6
- Snack bar cookie - $1
- Dinner - $12
Sweating the Small Stuff
We'll talk about the lunch and dinner later, but for now, let's focus on those extras.
Just by swinging by and picking up that frappuccino every day, five days a week, you are spending $1,040 a year.
That's enough to pay for most of your home study.
That daily newspaper is costing you $390 a year, and those two snacks you have every morning and afternoon cost you a whopping $520 per year.
Eliminate those costs by bringing snacks to work, and you'll save $400 per year or more.
Subscribe to that newspaper (generally about $40 a year, depending on the paper), and you could save $350 a year.
Better still, make your own frappuccino every morning, and you could save almost $1,000 a year.
Making it yourself is one of the easiest ways to save money.
Frappuccino Recipe
Here's a recipe I like to use:
- 1 cup of cold coffee
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 cups of ice
- 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
- whipped topping
Put coffee, sugar, milk, ice and chocolate syrup in a blender and blend it on high speed until all the ice is crushed and your drink is smooth.
Pour some into a glass and top with the whipped topping.
This recipe makes two drinks.
How to Save Even More
One of the easiest ways to save money is to get back to the basics.
That means making your own chocolate syrup once every few months.
This easy recipe comes from Any Dacyczyn's awesome book, The Complete Tightwad Gazette :
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup of water
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
Put the cocoa and water in a saucepan.
Heat while stirring continually until the cocoa is dissolved.
Then add the sugar, again stirring continually until it is dissolved.
Bring the mixture to a boil and boil it for three minutes over medium heat.
Then remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla. Allow it to cool.
Pour it into a clean container and store your syrup in a refrigerator.
This recipe makes two cups and will last for many months.
Other Helpful Sources
Ask many couples why they don't adopt, and they'll say finances are what are holding them back. But it doesn't have to be that way.
My husband and I had a limited income, yet we were able to adopt three children, including one child from Guatemala without going into debt.
You can too. Here's how.
Are you thinking about pursuing an international adoption?
Developing a plan for how you'll pay for that adoption is the first step you should take.
Here are some ways to get started.
There are many ways to fund an international adoption.
Learn different ways by clicking here.
Uncle Sam also wants to help you with your adoption costs through a tax credit.
Learn more.
If you're looking for more details about the tax credit, you can read more
by clicking here.
Grants are a great way to help with adoption costs.
Find agencies that offer grants by clicking here.
Want to learn about more places for grants?
Here are some more great places to apply.
It is possible to find an international adoption you can afford.
Here are some ideas to help save money.
Still wondering how you're going to pay those adoption expenses?
Find more ways to raise funds by clicking here.
A garage sale is a great way to raise adoption funds.
Learn how to finance your adoption by clicking here.
Intimidated by high adoption costs? Don't be. Paying for your adoption involves taking one step at a time.
Find some more tips by clicking here.
So how much will your international adoption cost?
The answer will depend on the country you choose and whether you choose to go through an agency or pursue an independent international adoption.
Learn more here.
Fundraisers are a great way to pay for your adoption.
Learn about some fun ones by clicking here.
The best kinds of fundraisers are fun, fairly simple to organize and - naturally - bring in the most funds for your international adoption.
Learn more.
Making and selling gift baskets are one creative way to raise funds for your international adoption.
You can read some tips on making an appealing basket by clicking here.
Thinking about taking out a loan to pay for your adoption?
Read this article first by clicking here.
If you want to pursue a loan using your home as equity, there are important things to know upfront.
Learn more here.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to pay for your international adoption is to learn to cut back on costs.
Here are some easy ways.
Do you love doughnuts? You're not alone. Help pay for that adoption with a doughnut fundraiser.
Learn more here.
When making plans for raising funds for your adoption, don't forget to include friends and family.
Learn how to write a letter to solicit funds and help by clicking here.
More and more companies are now offering adoption benefits, so it's definitely worth your while to check and see if your company offers such benefits.
Learn more.
Great Fundraisers!
Use a raffle to raise funds for your adoption. Learn more.
Sell t-shirts and pay for your adoption with a t-shirt fundraiser. Read more.
Read one person's story about raising funds for her adoption with a Garage sale fundraiser.
A benefit gala is a fun way to pay for your adoption. Read more.
How about a chicken dinner for raising funds. You can read all about it by clicking here.
One adoptive parent used a roller skating fundraiser to help with adoption costs. You can read her story by clicking here.
While you're doing one fundraiser, why not combine it with another one? Learn how.
Looking for a low-cost, simple way to raise funds? How about the pasta fundraiser? Read more.
A taste test party is another great way to raise funds. Learn more about it by clicking here.
Using the cash bash to raise funds for your adoption. Learn more.
A jigsaw puzzle fundraiser is a fun way to raise money for your adoption. You can read about it by clicking here.
Return from Easiest Ways to Save Money to the Home Page.
|
Pay Adoption Costs
Without Going Into Debt!
Adopt Debt free will provide you with the tools and techniques to completely pay for your adoption and bring your child home without having to go into debt!
Ready to learn more? Click here!.
Subscribe to My Free Ezine!
The International Adoption Ezine will keep you up to date with everything happening on International Adoption Facts and Information, as well as provide helpful tips about the adoption process, fundraising and raising your adopted child. Best of all, it's free!
Click Here to Subscribe.
|
