It is time once again for the Sherwood family to tighten their belts. It first happened in 2006 when hubby was in a motorcyle accident and out of work for 6 week and then laid off when it was time for him to go back. He was out of work from May until November, and it made things tight financially although he did a LOT of work around the house during that time. It also was a good time for him to be out of work because I had an insane schedule because I had a full-time job, a part-time job and a full-time schedule as a grad student.

Since that time, hubby and I both switched careers, which was a wise and smart move on our parts. I had been a journalist and he had been an automotive technician at a local car dealer. These are both careers where things have slowed down significantly in the past two years. My former co-workers have had their hours reduced to just over 30 hours a week and many have been laid off. Hubby notes that lack of customer cars and the dwindling stock at the dealership where he used to work. There has also been a reduction in the workforce there.

Needless to say, hubby and I were happy to be employed in other fields. I am teaching English at a university, and some of my students are adults returning for degrees after losing their jobs. Hubby is working in the oil fields and has been traveling all over to work on natural gas engines. His work involved doing complete overhauls on the engines and sometimes tearing them all down and putting them back together. There were days he would come home after 18 hours of working just covered in grease and grime.

We were both relieved we had switched careers. Hubby was averaging about 15 hours of overtime a week. But the overtime is no more. His company is trying to prevent laying people off in this slower economy, so the company wants to eliminate overtime. This keeps everyone employed, which is wonderful. But it also cuts into our income quite a bit.

I am not sure, but I suspect his overtime was about at least 25 percent and possibly 33 percent of his paycheck. This means we have to find ways to eliminate 25 to 33 percent from your budget.

With this in mind, I have been crunching numbers. I opened up my Excel program and starting plugging in numbers. I started with our income, divided by pay period. I even used the auto-sum button to add up each week’s net pay. Next, I listed all of our normal payments: house, truck, student loan, etc. I again used auto-sum. And in a third section, I listed the bills that tend to change slightly: electric, telephone, etc.

All the way to the left, I listed everyone we pay with a number next to their name. The number is the due date of the payment. Some of these due dates change a bit every month, but I have the general idea. I then looked at income and dates and distributed what needs to be paid when. I have done this for the entire year. And when I started this whole process, I had a big knot of worry in my stomach, but by the time I finished, I felt better. I felt empowered. Things were going to be OK.

Still, I am looking at my expenses and trying to figure out where we can cut back. We spend a lot of money on groceries, which isn’t surprising since we are a family of six. But I think we can spend smarter. This is going to be the biggest change for me. Personally, I think it is better to spend money on a name brand that offers quality than a discount brand that lacks quality. For instance, this past week I ran out of paper towel. I normally buy paper towel in bulk. When we ran out, it was a few days before payday, so I bought one roll of a discount brand. It sucked. It didn’t work well, and it was difficult to even pull it off the roll.

This means I am looking for ways to spend smart without sacrificing quality. I don’t mind buying a discount brand if the discount brand works, but I think I am wasting money if I buy a discount brand that doesn’t deliver the quality I expect. I’d rather buy things in bulk. For instance, I use Tide laundry detergent. We do a lot of laundry, and I buy the 120 load box of powder about once a month. It costs about $21 regular price, but I usually find it on sale from anywhere $12 to $17.

I think I am going to have to do some searching online to find ways to save money. I know I need to do a better job planning meals. And I hope to find some cheaper brands that don’t sacrifice quality. It just seems that when it comes to food, if you attempt to save money, you are gaining calories and sodium and unnecessary fat in the product. Eating healthy is expensive.

So far, I think milk is something that I can safely buy the discounted version. And in most cases, in my area, the discounted versions is the one that doesn’t use the cow hormones. While premium juice is yummy, I find that I can buy the cheaper orange juice that comes in the gallon jug without giving up a lot of taste. I make sure I buy 100 percent juice. If my favorite brand happens to go on sale (Florida’s Natural), I’ll buy it. Otherwise I buy the gallon jug version. When I buy bread, I make sure I have whole wheat bread. The brand doesn’t matter too much, but I tend to buy one of two different brands, whichever is cheaper. I buy a lot of bread at once, and I put all but one loaf in my freezer. When we need it, the bread thaws quickly, and the freezing doesn’t interfere with taste. We can go through an entire loaf of bread in a single meal, so it is important to have extra on hand. I also tend to buy off brand for things like cookies.

For a long time, I bought microwave popcorn in the largest package you can get, and I focused on price. Then I went to a softball game and happened to buy popcorn from the concession stand. It was Pop Secret, and it was very yummy. The next time I went to the store, I bought the Pop Secret brand even though it was more expensive. The taste was worth it. But I wonder — can I reproduce that quality of taste by buying kernals and making it myself? For the kids, I prefer they use the microwave popcorn than trying to pop kernels on the stove and deal with melted butter.

Other than that, I currently don’t buy a lot of discount brands. I try to buy bulk and on sale whenever I can. I just hate wasting money trying out discount brands that I might not even like.

I am considering giving up our home phone. We have cell phones, and it seems silly to pay for both each month. But there are pretty serious downsides to not having a home phone, and I find it difficult to give up a phone number we have had for more than 17 years. It would also mean adding phone lines to our family plan so that there is always a cell phone at home. Plus, if I go to completely cell, I would be more likely to exceed my monthly minutes, and if I did, that would be costly. In the end, I am not sure I would actually save the $90 I currently spend on my home phone. Of the $90, I would have to spend at least $30 a month for internet access. This leaves a possible $60 savings. Adding one phone to our current cell plan would cost at least another $10 a month, and it will likely be more like $15 a month if we want a text plan, too. I don’t think the possible $45 in savings is worth it yet. I am not 100 percent convinced there would be a $45 a month savings.

I think one place I can cut money is on our satellite service. I need to figure out what channels we tend to watch and consider going with a cheaper plan. We currently pay about $55 for 150 channels plus $5 for an extra box, $6 for Tivo service and $13 for a premium channel package. The premium channel package is for hubby, and it gives him some of his favorite channels: Speed and Outdoor. The Outdoor channel has a lot of hunting shows, and hubby really likes those. He tends to watch them in the morning on weekends, so it isn’t like they aren’t being used.

I think I am going to revert to one of my old habits to help control my grocery spending. I decide ahead of time how much I want to spend, and I take JUST that amount with me, in cash, into the store. I then mentally keep track of my spending as I shop. I go over it again just before I head for the check out lane. If I am over, I have to put something back because I don’t have any way to spend more than the cash I brought in with me. I leave my checkbook and credit cards at home or in my vehicle. It is a method I have found to work very well.

This cost cutting stuff is tough. Anyone have any suggestions? Does anyone have discount brands that has a great quality too?

It turns out I don’t have to worry about my child driving yet because the school delayed the driver’s training program. It is on hold right now. Bummer.

And yesterday, I received one of the best phone calls I could receive.

The phone rang, and Autumn answered it. She handed the phone over to me, and it was her orthodontist. As soon as I heard who it was, I didn’t want to take it. Their records showed I owed money, and I did, but there was an insurance problem involved, and I was waiting for the insurance.

Initially, the insurance company said we didn’t have coverage. Then the insurance company said, we did have coverage, but my daughter wasn’t on the policy. It was a Pain. In the meantime, it was slowing down Autumn’s treatment because without the money I expected the insurance to pay, the orthodontist wouldn’t move ahead with the treatment.

Periodically, I would get a call from the orthodontist, and I would review all of this with them, but I couldn’t really do anything out of my own pocket yet. I was out of cash, particularly when it came to this child. In one month earlier this year, I spent $3,000 just on her, and most of that had to do with her teeth. She is an expensive child.

But I didn’t have to go through the entire explanation this time. The woman called to let me know that, The check had arrived! This was wonderful news. Finally! This is just such a relief. And I was just thinking that very day that I needed to follow up with the insurance company again to find out where it was at in the process.

I should also note that I don’t have anything bad to say about this orthodontist. They have worked with me through this whole thing very nicely and helpfully. It was just a frustrating process to get the insurance coverage we expected.

And today, my child is on her way to the orthodontist to get her wire and bracket fixed. And with just 12 more monthly payments of the low low $165, her straight smile will be all mine to enjoy. Oh wait. It will be hers. Why am I paying for this again?

I should note that this is the child’s second set of braces. The first set was $5,000, and are all paid for. She has also had oral surgery (that was during the month we paid out $3,000 for her). And this second set of braces for another $3,000 to $5,000. Of that amount, insurance paid roughly $3,000.

And she wonders why I want her to wear a facemask when she plays softball. I have nightmares about her having her teeth knocked out.

And that picture was taken of said teeth after the first set of braces but before the second set.

I have TRIED to delay this moment. In fact, this moment has been delayed, but it cannot be delayed any longer. If it is, my husband assures me there will be resentment that we will hear about at every family gathering for years and years to come. It may involve therapy that starts, “My mom ruined my life when….”

It is time, (shiver), to sign up the oldest child for driver’s training.

I am not interested in this. If it was up to me, it would NOT happen now.

There are reasons, big and small.

For one, the child in question drives me insane very slowly and diabolically. It involves teenage boys and a good girl’s interest in bad boys. It involves some lying and/or creative half-truths.

But, as the child herself has said, if we ground her forever, how will she every learn to make choices? That child, she is SMART (about everything but boys).

I remember being worried about my daughter having $250 perched on her nose (glasses), and I was RIGHTLY worried. But when Autumn wanted contacts, I hesitated because I wasn’t sure she was responsible, but I decided to let her try, and she did, and she did wonderfully with her contact.

So I know that when Autumn really wants something, she can be a very responsible person. And she REALLY wants her driver’s license.

Well, she really wants a license AND a vehicle to drive, preferably a yellow sporty car, but she will settle for her dad’s truck, and although she doesn’t really want to ,in a pinch, the minivan.

I am willing to see her through the driver’s license thing and once in a while, permission to drive. We’ll have to go from there.

Tonight, I have to attend a required meeting before she can start driver’s training. This is where my second objection comes in — driver’s training is four days a week and starts at 6:50 a.m. Except, I have to work two days a week in the other direction. Plus, my other three children have not yet left the house at 6:50 a.m., so I will also have to abandon them in the morning.

My mother-in-law volunteered to fill in on the days I have to work, and it looks like the children can get ready without me, but we’ll know more about it all tonight.

But most of all, I have to remember that this girl is no longer 11, and she no longer forgets things (mostly). I know she will one day be very successful in driving around 2 tons of vehicle.

As always, I’m just worried about the time it takes to get from here to there.

Last night, my youngest daughter handed me a letter. It was from the middle school. It was a generic letter, as in, it wasn’t addressed to me specifically, but it read, in part, “your child has been referred for one of our extended day programs. This recommendation has been made by one or more of his/her teachers.”

And I was crushed. Again? It thought she had improved. I thought things were getting better. Her grades were up. Her attitude about school had changed drastically. She had never had a bad attitude about school, but for many years she thought the number one priority of school was socialization. It wasn’t until the last year that she realized she was there to learn stuff, and she has worked hard since making that realization. At the end of last year, she made huge achievements and really brought her grade up because she made extra effort rather than no effort.

Receiving that piece of paper, I was disappointed that her teachers weren’t yet giving her the chance to prove her attitude change. After all, it is only the second week or school — the first full week of school. How can she be recommended already?

And then, this morning, my son handed me the same form. This is a child who would rather read than go outside for recess. He has never had trouble understanding that school was a place to learn. He is the kid that needs to learn he can socialize there a little, too. And yet, he too, was recommended?

And suddenly, I was a little ticked off. After a few questions, I realized the school had handed out that darn letter to EVERY ONE! It probably has to do with some federal program that needs to reach a certain quota.

Needless to say, we aren’t signing up either child.