Being on one income is HARD. Student teaching has really had our bank account in a bind, and although we still try to do the things we love, it can definitely be difficult. Mathew and I don’t get to go to the movies as much or out to eat like we’d like. When we do, it’s definitely a treat just because we have to be careful with our money.
So how do we keep the luxuries we love while being frugal on our one income?
1. Mathew and I go to weekend matinee movies. If you can hit up a first showing (or some movie theaters even have all the showings before noon or 1 pm) you can get your tickets for cheap. Ours are originally almost $8 but for matinee are about $5. If you feel like splurging a little more for 3D, this is the time to do it. Also, movie theaters in college towns usually have discounts if you show your school I.D. Make sure you don’t forget it if it’s not a matinee!
2. Invite your friends over for a pot luck! A themed out dinner is tons of fun for couples on a budget. Having Mexican night? Have people bring taco stuff, queso and guacamole, and stuff for sopapillas! The cost is so much less because you are only making 1 item. Plus, you get to spend time with your friends.
3. Would you rather have a date night instead? Make it extra special by celebrating a special event with a low-cost but insanely delicious dinner! Mathew and I recently went to BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse to celebrate the fact that he has FINALLY completed all his requirements that will enable him to get a promotion soon! Luckily, BJ’s Restaurant is a 5 minute drive from the house, so we were able to beat the crowd after Mathew got out of work.

It was affordable for us because right now until April 29th, BJ’s Restaurant is having their Party for Two deal for $19.95. You get a choice of 2 soups/salads, a BJ’s Restaurant medium signature pizza (we recommend deep dish), and BJ”s Restaurant famous pizookie dessert.


I’m gonna be honest with you- BJ’s pizza is freaking amazing. I usually love thin crust, but if you go to BJ’s Restaurant, you totally have to try the deep dish. The crust is so buttery and delicious, and I love the sauce to cheese ratio. I hate when there’s too much sauce when you order a pizza. Luckily, BJ’s Restaurant knows how to make amazing pizzas, so no worries there. I always want to eat like half a pizza, but ration it out to two pieces so I can save room for dessert.

The Party for Two ends with an awesome pizookie. It’s like a huge cookie baked into a small cake pan with ice cream and whipped cream on top. We’ve had the original pizookie before and were pretty obsessed, but wanted to try something different this last time we went. We got the Cookies N’ Cream Pizookie and it was AMAZING. I’m for real drooling about it right now!
4. Hit up happy hour! Mathew and I enjoy the occasional margarita, and if we want drinks at a restaurant we make sure to check out restaurants with good happy hours! We even know a place in town that not only does cheap drinks once a week, but they even have appetizers for a good deal so you can snack with friends!
5. Have a shopping date during a holiday weekend! Mathew and I like to shop- him for work ties, and me for cute tops. Shopping all the time isn’t an option on one income BUT when we do, we try to shop on holiday weekends. Holiday weekends are usually the best time to go shopping because of sales. We can get more for our money and have fun walking around and spending time together! It’s a win-win!
Being on one income but keeping your luxuries can be difficult. It takes taking a little more thought and planning ahead but it’s worth it!
How do you keep the luxuries you love when you’re on a budget? And have you ever tried BJ’s Party for Two or their Pizookies? Sound off in the comments!
This blog is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Bj’s Restaurants but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #Bjsrestaurants http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO
My husband and I are on one income since he went back to school last fall. Some months are ok and some aren’t so great (like this month, we just moved…and so we had a lot of expenses–paying off old cable bills and new cable bills, buying new things for the house we are renting etc).
We always try to hit up those 2 for something deals (in our area they are usually 2/$30 for dinner but we recently found one that is 2/$25 (score!).
Also, we tend to try to “go to lunch” instead of dinner. We can get sandwiches or somethng off the less expensive lunch menu, and will usually have a late lunch around 3:00. Then for dinner we aren’t super hungry so we will just make a sandwich at home or have a cup of soup or salad.
I try to shop grocery store sales. Also, even though it seems like a bad time to shop when you are on one income- sometimes its a necessity. I like going to department stores with coupons to get the most for my money. And although we don’t love credit cards, sometimes we will put less than $100 on a credit card when clothing shopping and the rules is pay $50 immediately in teh store and $50 when the bill comes in! This way, it spreads it out over 2-3 weeks and you still don’t have a balance on your card…plus you are “using your credit wisely” which helps build good credit.
We also like to invite friends over for wine tasting nights. Everyone brings a bottle to share and gets to taste wine. I will put out cheese and crackers or a hummus dip (make it from scratch- it tastes just as good and costs about $1 to make it yourself).
We are food “snobs” a bit so we like quality. whole foods and tend ot eat clean, which is expensive. To combat the high prices at places like Whole Foods, we do a trader Joe’s trip once a month (its about 40 minutes from us) and we buy at the local farmer’s market on Saturdays (a good chance to get out, get some food, and buy some low price lunch from a food truck)
Gluck with the one salary living- we have about 1 1/2 more years left- and it feels like forever!!
Love this post! We are def on a budget saving for our vacation so we cook at home a lot and rely on netflix hahaha
Kudos to you for almost being finished with student teaching! I don’t know how people do it! Imagine being single and having to take out loans…so essentially you’d be paying to do the work.
I’m starting my Masters in Ed. program in June. Luckily it’s only 13 months (including 1 semester of student teaching) AND I am receiving a grant for math and science teachers so that’ll be HUGE. I have worked as an online tutor for Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth for about 3 years now and plan to continue. Since it’s an international program, my students don’t all fit into my time zone which means I can work from home during my free time. My husband started there too while he was in grad school. It has been a huge help to both of us!
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We totally did that BJ’s date this month :). Awesome deal and delicious food!
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I love the idea of a matinee, movie tickets in NYC are $17 each!
xx
Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
Kelly recently posted…Ryan Lochte … He Was Mine First!
Haha… we’re pretty much on two incomes (law internships pay enough over the summer for it to count), but I’m obsessed with paying cash for all purchases, including cars, and paying off our mortgage ASAP so we live pretty frugally with stuff like food and entertainment. We haven’t seen a movie in a theater in over 2 years (we just do Redbox, which is usually free thanks to coupon codes!), and we eat dinner at home most of the time… I like to cook anyway, so it works. We do have an awesome good-deal Happy Hour place that also has awesome appetizer deals, so we go there once every few weeks and do apps for dinner!
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We’ve been on one income the entire time we’ve been married, and I like it that way! Unfortunately, we don’t have good options for cheap theaters around here….but one of our favorite dates that feels like a splurge but isn’t too pricey is to go to the arcade and get $10 worth of tokens and play Dance Dance Revolution and other arcade games for the night! That’s my favorite date. We’ve also found that at most restaurants we can buy one plate and split the meal between us. 🙂
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my husband and i are practically on one income because we both work non-profit work. which doesn’t add up to much. we save and budget for date nights and have weekly potlucks with out other poor friends 🙂 it is great when we all are in the non-profit world so we can all relate!
we actually LOVE breweries but not BJ’s. we think it is too pricey and not as great as some others. we only go there for dessert because they do have the best pazookies hands down! we live 5 minutes away from colorado mountain brewery and that is our favorite. rock bottom is also DELISH and a splurge.
our* not out
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We live for Redbox movie dates 🙂 Since a lot of times we just can’t make it to the theater to see things! We also love our minor league hockey team and a good baseball game! We always eat before and just enjoy the time out!
We also love hiking! Free and fresh air is a win win
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Great post! There is always a time in your life that you can be on one income – and boy do I remember my 20’s! I had gotten married at 24, and we were both working, but obviously just starting out in our fields – so we were always on a budget as A. we lived in EXPENSIVE Bermuda and B. we were saving to buy our first home in Expensive Bermuda! – but by the time you hit your 30’s – you are more established and things pan out – so right now you are in the what I call “building stage” of your lives, and soon it will all come back.
Love the Tips about what you do and where you go – that restaurant is very cute – love the look of that pizza, would love some right now!!
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Love this post! i have plenty of “free Redbox” codes I can send you 🙂
We always look for free wine tastings as well!
Happy Friday!
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I loved this post because I know what you mean about having to be a lot more frugal than you normally would be. My program was so intensive that I pretty much quit trying to have much of a life, so that resulted in me not spending that much on going out and doing stuff!
Do you guys have a discount theatre near you? There is one in my town and the 1st show of a non-3D movie is always $1.00.
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