Ep. 15 | How We Afford a Family of 9 | Part 2: Practical Ways We Make It Work

Everyone wants to know the secret.
Not because we’re financial experts. Not because we’ve always made a lot of money.
Simply because we have seven kids.
People assume there must be some magic formula that makes a family our size work financially. But the truth is much less exciting—and much more encouraging.
There isn’t one big secret.
It’s hundreds of small decisions made over and over again.
The little rhythms of everyday life have done more for our finances than any raise, bonus, or financial windfall ever has.

Peace Doesn’t Come From More Money

It’s easy to believe that if we could just earn a little more, life would finally feel less stressful.
We’ve believed that before too.
But over the years, we’ve learned something surprising.
Financial peace isn’t tied to your income.
It’s tied to your stewardship.
We’ve lived through seasons of job loss, unexpected expenses, medical bills, and raising seven children on one income. We’ve had months where the budget felt incredibly tight.
Yet we’ve also experienced incredible peace.
Not because there was always plenty.
Because we had a plan.
A budget doesn’t restrict your freedom.
It gives your money direction.
Instead of wondering where everything went at the end of the month, every dollar already has a purpose before it’s spent.
That simple rhythm has changed our family more than almost anything else.

We Try to Make Decisions Once

One lesson we’ve learned is that good systems remove a lot of daily stress.
Take meal planning, for example.
For years, we’ve planned our meals before grocery shopping. We make a list, shop with intention, and buy what we actually need.
That one habit saves us money almost every single week.
But it also saves something just as valuable—mental energy.
When dinner time comes, we’re not scrambling to figure out what’s in the pantry or making another expensive last-minute grocery run.
The decision has already been made.
The same principle applies to so many parts of family life.
The fewer unnecessary decisions we make every day, the more margin we have for the things that really matter.

Simple Living Creates Margin

Our culture constantly tells us we need more.
A newer vehicle.
A bigger house.
More subscriptions.
More activities.
More stuff.
But we’ve found that every new possession asks something of us.
It costs money.
It takes time to maintain.
It competes for our attention.
Choosing a simpler life hasn’t felt restrictive to us.
It’s been freeing.
Our kids don’t need every trend or every new piece of technology to have a meaningful childhood.
What they need most is parents who are present.
Some of our favorite family memories have cost almost nothing.
A hike.
A picnic.
Playing outside.
Board games around the table.
Watching a sunset together.
Those moments have shaped our family far more than expensive entertainment ever could.

We Ask a Different Question

Whenever we’ve faced a financial challenge, we’ve tried to avoid saying one phrase.
“We can’t afford it.”
Instead, we’ve learned to ask:
“How can we make this work?”
That question changes everything.
Sometimes the answer is waiting.
Sometimes it’s saving.
Sometimes it’s working extra hours.
Sometimes it’s deciding we don’t actually need it.
But asking that question keeps us looking for solutions instead of getting stuck in discouragement.
It reminds us that we still have choices.

Generosity Doesn’t Start Someday

One of the biggest misconceptions about generosity is that it begins after you’ve “made it.”
We’ve never found that to be true.
Some of the seasons when money felt the tightest were also the seasons we continued to tithe and look for ways to bless other people.
Not because we had extra.
Because generosity reminds us that God is our provider—not our bank account.
Again and again, we’ve watched Him provide in unexpected ways.
A refund check we weren’t expecting.
Someone meeting a need without even knowing it existed.
An opportunity arriving at exactly the right time.
Those moments have strengthened our faith more than they have grown our savings account.
Generosity has never made us feel like we had less.
It’s reminded us that everything we have belongs to God in the first place.

A Rooted Life Is Built One Decision at a Time

If there’s one thing we’ve learned after fourteen years of marriage, it’s this:
The life you want isn’t built in one giant financial decision.
It’s built in hundreds of ordinary ones.
It’s built when you choose to communicate instead of avoid hard conversations.
When you make a budget together.
When you meal plan instead of winging it.
When you say no to something today so you can say yes to something better tomorrow.
When you choose contentment instead of comparison.
Those quiet choices may not look impressive on social media.
But over time, they build something far more valuable.
They build a home marked by peace. No matter what your income looks like today, our hope is that you’ll remember this:
Financial peace isn’t reserved for families who have the most.
It’s available to families who choose to steward what God has already placed in their hands.

If you’d like to hear more of the stories, practical rhythms, and honest conversations behind these ideas, we’d love for you to listen to How We Afford a Family of 9 (Part 2: Practical Ways We Make It Work) on The Rooted Family Podcast above. Listen in to Part 1: The Mindset That Changed Everything to hear the first part of this series. We hope it encourages you to take simple steps toward building a more rooted, peaceful, and intentional family life.