Dealing With the Economic Effects of the Pandemic as a Single Mom

The economic effects that the COVID-19 Pandemic has had on numerous households have been disastrous for some, and as a single mother to three, I cannot make clear enough just how much my family and I have been affected by the pandemic; and especially so, because I am the primary breadwinner in the family, making it precariously close to a shaky single-income household. The first few months of the pandemic were some of the lowest points in my life financial-wise, as in those months, I had, through a combination of numerous factors, both old and recent, burned through all of my emergency funds and a then-worrying amount of my financial lifelines.

It was truly a dark time, but I wouldn’t be writing down these words if I hadn’t gotten out of that slump now, would I? No, through a combination of a couple of financial tricks, lessons learned, and sometimes just pure, unbridled grit, I managed and was- in the end able to successfully pull myself out of a good majority of the financial pits I found myself in.

SAVE MORE, SPEND LESS

But what exactly did I do to get out of those financial slumps? Well, in hindsight, it was somewhat simple; all I had to do, was to save more and spend less. Seems easy enough, right? Not at all! I had to wrack my mind on which things I had to give up on, which expenditures I had to cut down, and which moves were going to be done next.

I had to cut down on the near-weekly deliveries of fast food for my family and me, minimized going out as much as possible, and perhaps most decisively of all, I had to give up on renting our current home then and return instead rather to a cheaper old home of ours, one that we had to live in.

To restate things, you need to spend less, which in turn will feed into your efforts to save more in a positive feedback loop.

INVEST SMARTLY, DON’T INVEST HASTILY

But back to the house that we returned to. By then, that house had gone dilapidated, and though some areas- the most troublesome areas, that is- had been repaired, many parts of our old home had to be dealt with. This is where the second lesson comes in, and that is to invest whatever expenditures you have wisely in investments that will definitely pay off in the long run rather than investing rapidly into different things, gadgets, and gizmos.

I’ve invested in my home by giving it a new coat of paint, as well as put money into the construction of a new kitchen, and needless to say, these investments of mine have returned dividends in terms of money saved and the capability to relax easier. The white walls and beige furniture make for a crisp, clean, and relaxing environment!

SET BUDGETS

The third is something that all should know: to learn how to set a budget. Not only does this help you figure out expenditures and incomes along with knowledge of whether or not your finances are in the green or red, but it also helps you visualize the limits of your expenditures rather than just making it a vague line in the metaphorical mental sand. It essentially gives one boundary to work with and streamlines your finances to an extreme degree.

The days were dark indeed, and still are for some of you; but with determination and smarts, you can and will be able to get out of your financial disaster with your wallet in one piece.