7. Have a yard sale. If possible, get friends and ward members to donate items for you to sell, especially big items like serviceable furniture. We made $1000 at our first yard sale attempt! Advertise well, listing specific high-demand items in your newspaper ad. We made $1000 at our first yard sale attempt!

8. Use a mileage credit card. If you can be trusted with a credit card, use one earning airline miles for everything you possible can! A great trick to avoid over-spending is to record each purchase in your check register as you go, and then pay off the bill each month. You can pay for everything from dental bills to groceries to even your mortgage (with checks issued by your credit card company) with your credit card. If you can’t be trusted with a credit card, however, don’t use this tip. It’s not worth the risk!

9. Apply for grants (see resource links in last section of this post). Especially if you are adopting an older child, sibling group or a child with special needs, there are many grant options available. One important caveat: be aware that “Christian” organizations typically require the signing of “faith statements” which necessarily exclude LDS families; others specifically exclude any religions not fitting their criteria for “Biblical Christianity.” If you’re LDS, a Jehovah’s Witness, Seventh-Day Adventist or even Catholic, your options for grants from Christian organizations are severely limited. I spent a good deal of time being up in arms over this, until it dawned on me that I’d much rather have the knowledge I do (about the Godhead, or any number of other things) than money coming from people who don’t have that knowledge. ;) Be aware, also, that most grant programs require submission of a completed homestudy.

10. Check with your employer(s) to determine whether you have any adoption benefits. Many larger employers offer such a benefit, most ranging from $2000-5000. Of these, many are reimbursement benefits, meaning that you turn in receipts and other proof of expenses, and you’re reimbursed up to the maximum benefit amount.


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