How We Live a Full Life on a Single Income | Family of 5

Living on a single income, it's not always easy and there are seasons where it can feel like you're always one step behind everyone else. But what if abundance wasn't measured by a paycheck? What if a full life doesn't require a full income? I've wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. When I held my daughter for the first time, I just knew. I knew that I didn't want to miss her first laugh, slow mornings in the kitchen making french toast together, little discoveries in the backyard. I didn't want someone else witnessing those moments meant for me. Hi, I'm Brittany and my husband and I chose to structure our family life so that I could be fully home and present with our children. Because we believe building a close rooted family matters more than comfort, convenience, or having more. And we believe that childhood is something sacred and worth protecting. Not everyone understood that choice. Some people encouraged me to have a backup plan or to go to work and not rely on a single income. But the desire the Lord had put on my heart, it was stronger than any fear. This is the life that I wanted, one that felt like calling. For us, living on one income meant starting from the bottom. My husband worked in the produce department at our local grocery store. Money was tight and a lot of times stressful. We were a family of four with our first mortgage and other new bills to pay. My husband took some night classes, learned a trade, and became an HVAC technician. Over the last six years, I've watched him steadily climb his way forward. Not fast, but steady. I won't pretend that we haven't grown and stretched through the years. There were seasons where the budget felt tight and I wondered if we were making the right decision. And yet, God kept showing me that a meaningful life doesn't depend on money. It depends on what's already been given to you. We don't thrive because money is overflowing. We thrive because we refuse to measure our worth by what we lack. And through every tight season, God provided. Sometimes right at the last minute, but always right on time. Part of how we live this life, and honestly how we've been able to stay afloat on one income, is by being intentional with what we buy and what we don't buy. We don't take out credit cards. We don't finance furniture or appliances. We don't take on new car payments just because it's the normal thing to do. My car was used when we bought it. We made payments on it for a year and then paid it off with our taxes the following year. And when my husband needed an upgraded vehicle, he sold his Jeep Liberty and used that money to buy the pickup truck he has now. No payments. No stress. We're content with our used vehicles and we don't want expensive car payments hanging over our heads. I don't window shop at Target or even Walmart. If I need something, I check the thrift store first. And nine times out of ten, I find exactly what I need for half the price. If I don't find what I need, I wait. I remind myself that I've lived without this item for a whole year, and I can wait a little longer. When we moved into this house, we essentially started from scratch. And that mindset, if I have lived without it for a whole year, I can wait a little longer, helped me buy only what we truly needed instead of filling rooms just to fill them. And I'll be honest, sometimes I feel that I need this right now feeling rise up in me. But when the money isn't there, I have no choice but to wait. And a lot of times while I'm waiting, I realize the item I wanted right now starts to lose a little value to me. Like maybe it wasn't such an urgent need after all. It can feel defeating in the moment, but God always softens my heart. He reminds me of his promise that when the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen. And he always has. Almost everything in my kitchen has a story. My two cast iron pans came with us from our old house into the bus and then here again. When I wanted to start baking and cooking more from scratch, I needed more cookware, but I refused to pay full price. I found glass cookware at the thrift store for half the price of a brand new one. And I waited over a year for a pot and pan set to come up. And one day there, it was a vintage set, brand new, still in the box at half the price. My husband offered to buy me a new set many times, but I wanted to be wise and I wanted to wait. And I was doing just fine with what I had until the right moment came. Thrifting has saved us so much money, but it's more than that. It's taught me patience and gratitude. There were even seasons when we had to sell things just to get by. We sold an old fridge so we could buy clothes for the next season. Years ago when I was pregnant with my first baby, I sold a beloved guitar I had since I was a teenager just to buy things for our new baby. And I would do it again a thousand times over. She mattered so much more than something I was holding on to. We've let go of a lot over the years, but we never felt like we had less than because of it. We were simply doing what we had to do. And the relief of being able to meet a need, even through sacrifice, is something that I'll never forget. We also say no to a lot of things, not because we want our kids to go without, but because we want them to have a childhood that isn't dependent on constant entertainment or the next new thing. Some people might call our approach boring, but honestly, outside is their playroom. Filled with adventure, filled with creation that God has provided. Sticks, rocks, mud, climbing trees, making up their own world. The richness of what they create out there is unmatchable. And the imagination they've built playing outside is something no store-bought toy could ever replace. We don't live with a scarcity mindset anymore. We used to, and honestly, it wasn't that long ago that I lived that way. Always afraid we wouldn't have enough, always holding my breath waiting for the next paycheck. But God has been working on my heart. He's been showing me over and over again that he will provide everything we need, and even some things that we simply want. And when I finally do purchase something that I've been waiting for, whether it's a piece for our home or something I've needed for months, I feel so much more thankful for it. There's a joy that comes from patience, and from knowing I didn't rush his timing. When I read Jesus's words, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven, it always stops me. Because he's reminding us that everything here is temporary. The stuff we chase, the things we cling to, the things that we think will make us feel secure. But then he says, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And that part gets me every time. Because it makes me really look at my own heart, what I'm holding on to, what I'm building my life around, and whether my treasure is actually in the right place. With grocery prices being what they are now, I've also had to learn how to budget very strictly. Not just now, but always. We've always had to budget. We have a grocery plan, and I have to stick to it. There really isn't room to just grab things because they look good, or because we're in the mood for something. I use an app on my phone where I put in every single grocery item, along with its price, and the app calculates taxes. So by the time I get to checkout, the total is almost exact. It keeps me from overspending, and it takes away the stress of wandering. Do I have enough? I know exactly where we stand before I ever get to the register. It's one of the ways we've learned to steward what we have instead of feeling overwhelmed by what everything costs. Another thing that's helped keep our grocery budget down is cutting back on snacks. There are some weeks that we don't buy snacks at all. And I'm talking about the boxed and the bagged snacks that add up so quickly. If we have fruit on hand, or oatmeal and peanut butter in the pantry, we can make our own simple snacks. It saves us so much money because if you walk down the snack aisle and start adding it all up, that alone can take a huge chunk out of your grocery budget. And honestly, my kids will eat snacks within a day or two anyway. So it's not like they're missing out when having snacks all week. They'll eat them in the first 24 to 48 hours like it's a feast. When I think about Jesus's words in the Sermon on the Mount, that hits me every time. He tells us not to be anxious about what we'll eat or drink or wear. Life is more than the things we're constantly trying to manage. And then he points to the birds, how God feeds them without them striving or storing anything up. And he reminds us that we are so much more worth than the birds are. It's his way of inviting us to trust his provision instead of letting worry take over. We also don't go on lavish vacations. I don't even remember the last time we went on a vacation. I would love to go on a beach trip every year, but I know a lot of single income families who use their tax money to do something like that. And there's nothing wrong with that at all. Over the years we've chosen to use our tax refund to put back into our lives, back into our home, into things that support us every single day instead of a one-time experience. The last time we went anywhere, we were living in the bus and we traveled to Virginia Beach with almost no income. And that whole trip is a story in itself. That season on the bus taught me what little I could live without and honestly, what little I even needed. It showed me how much I could do without and how much sweeter things become when you wait for the right time, when God's timing is running the show instead of my own. And the season I'm in now is teaching me something different, to be content with what I have, to be creative with what is already in my home. I've learned to make things work for more than one purpose. If I can buy one item and use it in multiple ways, it saves me money, it saves me time, and it keeps me from filling my house with more than what we actually need. Both seasons, the tight one and the more comfortable one, have shaped the I see our life. And both have taught me that thriving doesn't always look like having more. Sometimes it looks like needing less. And even on the hard days, we're learning and growing and discovering that thriving doesn't always look like what the world calls abundance. Sometimes thriving looks like peace. Sometimes it looks like contentment. Sometimes it looks like trusting that God will provide, even before we see how. I grew up not knowing financial struggle. My husband grew up knowing it very well. And through this life, God has humbled me in the best way. As a family, we have learned humility, gratitude, and discipline. We don't burden our kids with our financial realities, but we teach them when the time is right. We teach them what enough looks like, how to appreciate what they have, how to live a life not driven by more. I look at my children, the days that we share, the peace we found in simple living, and I know deep in my bones, this life is so worth it. We've gained time together, unhurried mornings, afternoons full of imagination, a home where learning happens in everyday life. And I get to be here for the one childhood my children will ever have. That is a kind of wealth the world cannot measure. And through every season, the lean ones and the easier ones, the Lord has reminded me, when the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen. If you're living on one income too, and wondering if you're doing the right thing, I hope this reminds you that there is beauty in choosing a simpler life. And a family can thrive in ways money will never define. Living on a single income may feel like a sacrifice, but it's also a calling. And the Lord equips us. He sees you, he knows your needs long before you do. And he will provide in ways you may never have expected. If this video encouraged you, I would love for you to stick around and subscribe. Come join this little community of women learning to build homes full of peace and purpose. Thanks for being here today. I'll see you on the next one.