Please share money saving tips!

[clc053103]

Looks like I am taking the plunge as a SAHM! Since we are losing the second income, I would love to see some money saving tips. We are not frugal in the least, so any tips or suggestions have to be an improvement over our current spending! I think I recall seeing a post like this before, but I have not been able to find it, so I hope you bargain minded mamas don't mind sharing again!

TIA!

[brittone2]

Congratulations!

We went from two incomes, to one income (became a SAHM when DS was born) to a fraction of an income (DH is pursuing his PhD so we live off his stipend and some savings selling our house in a good housing market and moving to a place where housing is relatively inexpensive).

These are the areas where we save a bit:

Minimize going out to eat. If we go out, we often try to do breakfast or lunch. We try for no more than once every 1-2 weeks.

Minimize trips out for coffee and make it at home (we still do buy, just not often)

Shop sales, "loss leaders", etc at grocery stores. We buy mostly organic/antibiotic/hormone free so that isn't always easy. We hit our co-op regularly and buy meats that are at their sell-by date and pop them in the freezer (it makes it much more affordable for us). I do quite a bit of bulk cooking (taking one day of the weekend and cooking a *bunch* of stuff and freezing.) It is like making your own convenience foods...and it is cheaper/healthier.

Closely examine what you throw out. Most people end up wasting/tossing a *lot* of food each year. Try to put leftovers in the freezer if they aren't going to get used (and eat for lunch, etc. another day).

Consider switching to homemade cleaning products. Much cheaper than buying.

We tend to consolidate our errands and run them all at once...usually one or two times a week (usually just once). Big savings on gas, depending on how far you trek for your errands. I can do a lot in my small town, but once a week there's usually some errands I need to do 20-25 mins away. I try to do them all at once.

Along those lines, don't get sucked into the SAHM going to Target 3x a week loop (and getting Starbucks while you are there :loveeyes: ). Shopping for recreation adds up to a lot of spending. My 19 month old is super active and hard to contain, so I don't really enjoy recreational shopping anyway these days. It is easy to find yourself relying on spending $$ for recreation. Look for free forms of recreation that aren't centered on spending $$. Make your own coffee, or pack a picnic and head to the park. Use the library (we also try to rent movies from the library when possible, which saves some $$ too. Obviously avoiding buying books saves $. I love the library!). Go for nature walks. Look for things to do that don't cost $.

Bump up your thermostats even 2 degrees. It saves on cooling costs. Ditto in the winter. Keep it a little cooler and it will save some $.

Wash in cold water when possible for laundry for energy savings. Consider line drying or drying on drying rack, even if just occasionally. (YMMV w/ homeowners and whether you a person that considers that tacky ;) )

Consider buying 2nd hand for kids clothes. Even 75% of their clothes, and then fill in with 2-3 more special/nice outfits per season. You can get amazing 2nd hand finds. For day to day playclothes, they really don't need anything expensive.

Consider a garden, even just containers, with the rising price of food. There's a fabulous book called Square Foot Gardening that spells it all out, clearly and makes it extremely manageable and easily understood. Low maintenance once it is in, too :) (pretty much no weeding, etc. to worry about). It also provides kids with a great little project to participate in.

Those are my major ways to save.

eta: consider cutting or reducing cable TV services, re-evaluating cell plans to see if a prepaid phone or a different plan might save some $, etc.

[Moneypenny]

I 2nd all of Beth's suggestions and add just a couple:

Switch to cloth instead of paper for cleaning and/or personal use. We use washable microfiber cloths on our swiffer stick, rags or reusable 'handiwipes' for cleaning, washcloths to clean up DD after meals, and I use little fleece squares instead of cotton balls for make-up removal, etc.

Watch your electrical use. We had no idea that leaving our coffee pot plugged in all morning while we drank coffee was costing us $15/month in electricity. We happened to have a thermal carafe lying around so now we pour the freshly brewed coffee in there and turn off the coffee pot. There are also a lot of electrical devices that still use electricy even when they are turned off, so we try to keep things unplugged unless we are actually using them.

[brittone2]

What is kind of nice in the current climate that is so "green friendly" is that being frugal and being green can often go together (in terms of reducing energy use, etc.) and I think it has become more socially acceptable. Things like not buying paper products as a PP said are frugal and green :)

I was looking around my house and another place we save money is diluting things like handsoap, shampoo, etc. with some distilled water and using foaming pump dispenser bottles. It makes the product last *much* longer. You can do this w/ dishsoap, etc. as well. Kids like the foaming pumps a lot too :)

[mommylamb]

I just wish that homeowners associations/zoning laws etc. allowed for line drying. We hang things on a drying rack in the house, but it would be so much better to have an ouside line. It's a stupid rule, and I think it's kind of classist (from the time when a dryer was seen as a real luxury item).

[vludmilla]

I'm not as frugal as I used to be but here are a few ideas. I'm sure you will get many more from the others.

Reduce or eliminate cable (use digital reception or get the most basic cable)
Reduce cell phone plan to the minimum. Eliminate extras.
Avoid processed foods as they generally cost more than whole foods purchased in bulk.
Don't buy regular cleaning supplies. (Use vinegar, baking soda, castile soap...which you can buy in generic, bulk sizes)
Don't buy paper towels, use cheap washcloths, etcetera)
Buy food you love in large quantity when it is on sale.
(I love Victoria sauce which is usually 5-6 a jar, it was on sale for 4 so I bought ten at once.)
Reduce eating out and buy less when you do eat out. (E.g., When we eat lunch or dinner out, we rarely buy appetizers, I usually drink tap water, and I usually bring food for DD rather than buying her a meal she won't even finish. I eat at nice restaurants and do it fairly often but I've cut the expense of doing so by about 25% with these strategies.)
If you have an expensive car, consider selling it and getting a much cheaper car for you and the kids to drive during the week.
Reduce or eliminate memberships (gym, Netflix, Blackberry service, etcetera.)
Reduce cleaning service frequently, if you have one.
Plan less expensive vacations, less frequently.
Buy b-day and holiday gifts in advance when you see something on sale rather than waiting until you need it and paying full price.
When it comes to clothes, toys, books, etcetera, rarely pay full price.
Reduce the amount of clothes/shoes for DD/DS. I find that I have WAY more than I really need and could get by with probably half of what I have for her. I end up with a lot of hand-me-downs that are in great condition so I shouldn't buy more)
Use the library instead of buying new music and books.
Eliminate or greatly reduce the need to buy drinks and snacks while you're out with the kids. Always bring drinks and snacks for you and the kids. Use an insulated cup so you don't have to worry about things staying cold.
Track your expenses for a month (every expense, even little ones) so that you can review it and maybe find more places to trim.
Good luck!

[WatchingThemGrow]

My favorite way to stretch $$ is to borrow/trade stuff with friends. We have an Baby Einstein exersaucer I got for $25 off Craigslist (oh, yeah, use that a LOT) and it has gone through 3 more, soon to be 4 children. I trade/borrow gear with friends from playgroup and church. I also look on CL or at consignment/yard sales for a long time before buying something new. I'll even purchase Swaddlers and Cruisers on there. I pay $.06-.09 for those and only pick them up when I have other errands in that direction.

We also cook batches of meals and swap them with other people, so an entree for 4 only costs about $6-7 to make, and the variety comes in with the swapping with others.

Find other families you trust and trade babysitting with them instead of hiring babysitters. I am having a teenager down the street play with my kids every so often for an hour or two so I can have "deep cleaning" time for $6/hour instead of hiring someone when I can't catch up for $18/hr.

Finding alternatives to haircuts has been a mixed bag. I can get a color at our local Aveda institute for $30ish to cover my gray, but I didn't like the cuts I got there a couple times and decided it is worth it to me to pay a little bit more less often for a quality cut. Pedicures only happen when I'm given a gift certificate now.

I think being organized about things would save me a lot of money, but I'm still learning and growing there :)

On the other hand, I decided there are some things I choose to buy brand new and expensive and not have to settle. See the stroller story thread for that one...

I think it is fun and great(for me) to stay at home. Congrats on your decision.

[clc053103]

thank you not only for a plethora of money saving tips (even if I just can put a few into action, we would still be saving over our current lifestyle) but also for your kind words of support for our decision to SAHM.

I only have 1 DS. Even just working part time, I feel that I was missing out on raising the only child I will ever have. And I am tired of paying people to watch my child sleep and wander aimlessly when I could find him a good part time preschool in it's place, where he sleeps and wanders aimlessly under MY roof! LOL! I'm scared financially, but also really excited! Wish us luck!

C

[anamika]

Just wanted to add that I loved being a SAHM and I wish you good luck and hope you have a great experience.
Just wanted to add a tip (or two) - We too love our library ( for reasons mentioned above) - ours also has free passes to all the local museums, zoos, aquariums also. It is so much easier to get passes for weekdays than weekends. Plus they usually have free and very conveniently timed story hours.
Also check out local bookstores and toy stores. The ones around here all have free story hours (yep, the operative word is free :bighand: ). Look for playgroups also - most communities have some free or minimal cost ones.
Here's another tip - don't read the bargains forum :ROTFLMAO: Just kidding! But it is so easy to fall into the trap of going to the store to entertain the kids.
Hmmmm....this became more of a 'how to entertain the kids without breaking the bank' post.
HTH,

[HIU8]

We went from 2 incomes to 1 1.5 yrs ago when I was PG with DD. Here is how we survive in an area that is extremely expensive:

1. DS goes to half day preschool, 3 days a week instead of full-time daycare
2. We go out to eat once or twice a month and it is usually to kid friendly very economical places (or we go on nights when kids eat free).
3. We do our major grocery shopping at Walmart and Costco once a month and only go to the grocery store or Target for fill in items if we absolutely need them.
4. I have not bought new shoes/clothes for myself since I became a SAHM.
5. I buy DD and DS clothes at consignment shows and on sale at stores (never pay full price for their clothing). Ditto for toys.
6. Get a PT job and work from home while your DC naps or at night.
7. turn off your baby monitor, wipe warmer, fans (in the upstairs if you spend most of your time downstairs), unplug your coffee maker and DSL when not in use.
8. We bundled our cell, DSL and phone and lowered the total monthly cost.
9. mow your own grass (most people around here have a service)
10. Clean your own home (most folks have a service or a person that does this. I do not. Admittedly, my house gets a thorough cleaning only once a month these days).
11. We don't do a lot of extra's like vacations, spur of the moment purchases. We get hand me down stuff from neighbors and friends (which we pass on when done with them).

That is all I can think of for now.

[hollybloom24]

Buy reusable Rubbermaid juice boxes and refill them rather than buying juice boxes which are a total waste of money!

Same with raisins and any other snack that comes in small boxes - buy reusable packaging and refill.

Buy good water bottles that you can refill and forget about buying bottled water.

Buy produce that is in season.

Do serious cost comparisons at the grocery store - some items at Trader Joe's are so much cheaper than at my other local grocery stores, it is unbelieveable!

Investigate online grocery delivery services - I pay $9.99 to have my groceries delivered instead of paying a sitter $13 an hour for me to go to the grocery store.

Buy clothes at the end of the season on sale in sizes appropriate for next year. I bought my kids' entire fall wardrobe at the end of the winter last year for a fraction of the price I'd be paying now. I just bought summer clothes for next year too. Just remember where you store things!!!

Look up the savings strategies people use at places like CVS - people have it down to a science with the Extra Care Bucks! And only buy what you need.

Buy things like diapers, Children's Tylenol, etc. at places like BJs. If you don't have a membership, ask around to see if any friends or neighbors do, and don't join yourself until you are 100% you will save more than the $45 annual free annually.

I never bought diapers without a coupon - sign up for all lists and get your relatives to do the same.

[clc053103]

I love the entertain your kids without breaking the bank ideas!!!!!

DS will be going from 3 full days to a 2 mornings a week with potential for some extended days (just till 1:00). So I have three full days with which to find activities. We always go to the gym (huge kids club that he likes) and there are some classes he can take as part of our membership, but I am definitely interested in finding other educational and recreational activities.

I am going home now to turn off the monitor that has literally been on in my house for 3 YEARS!