5 Super Simple Ways Your Family Can Save Money
Who doesn’t like to save money? Even if you have all the money in the world, you can’t help but smile when you happen upon a great deal and save a few bucks! Especially for all the mamas out there, finding new ways to save is a daily goal!
[bctt tweet=”The more bodies you add to the family, the more expensive things can get. And costs only increase as those little bodies grow (which happens at an alarming pace)!! ” username=””]
The more bodies you add to the family, the more expensive things can get. And costs only increase as those little bodies grow (which happens at an alarming pace)!!
Even small savings can add up faster than you think. Here are some of the super simple things my family has done to save a little on family expenses!
1. Family Haircuts
Especially while kids are small, this is a great option for eliminating costs. If you have little boys like me, there is very little styling involved. Even little girls don’t require super fancy techniques. If you’re not very confident about your stylist skills, I would still encourage you to give this one a try!
I was pretty terrible when I first started and most of mine ended in buzz cut recoveries. But, eventually I picked up a few styling tricks and was able to make it work (even for the hubby)! Between my husband and our two boys, at $10 per cut every six weeks, it adds up to over $250 a year in savings!!!
You’ll be on your way to a professional status in no time!
2. Buy Second Hand
There’s no denying, I am a major second hand shopping advocate! Little boys have a knack for destroying furniture, toys, clothes, and anything they come in contact with, and buying second hand has been a life saver for us!
[bctt tweet=”Little boys have a knack for destroying furniture, toys, clothes, and anything they come in contact with” username=””]
Accidentally spilling fruit punch on a $50 couch is WAY less stressful for mommy than if it had been an $800 new purchase!
Clothes are another big way to save money second hand. Even if you’re a clearance shopper (like me!), children’s outfits can still cost around $15 each. So, you’re looking at $150 for ten outfits. At my local thrift store, I can get 150 pieces for the same price! Then, when your toddler walks up to you with a GIANT HOLE in the knee of their new pants, you wont be as mortified!
If you’ve never considered thrifting to save money before, my post How to Thrift Like a Pro is a great place to start! I also have 6 Farmhouse Essentials from the Thrift Store, for once you’ve become addicted to the thrift life!
3. Stock Your Freezer on Sale Items
Groceries are one of our highest monthly expenses! If I happen upon a good deal for something we use on a regular basis, you better believe I load up my cart!! Stocking up on freezable items to avoid the expiration date, is a great way for families to save money!
[bctt tweet=”Stocking up on freezable items to avoid the expiration date, is a great way for families to save money!” username=””]
If you’re someone who enjoys gardening, freezing veggies is an awesome way to stretch your gardens productivity through the winter months! Even though I did not get the gardening gift, I love freezing beans, squash, broccoli, and anything else I can mooch off of friends!
4. Shop for Gifts After the Holidays
The day after a holiday is the best time to find great gifts at super cheap prices! Some items are holiday specific and can be saved until the next year. But often, the stores have excess (non specific) inventory that they need to clear out for space.
You can grab some great gifts for the upcoming year’s birthdays or holidays during these sales, without having to give out valentine’s chocolate boxes for Mother’s Day!
End of summer sales are a great option for any birthdays you’ll have the next summer or Father’s Day.
If you plan on shopping after the Holidays for gifts, make sure you have an awesome hiding spot for them!!
5. Take Your Own Family Photos
If your family is in the same place as mine, you may not be spending a ton on family photos because it’s not an option for your budget. But there is no reason that has to stop you from documenting memories of your family!
With all of the technology we enjoy today, many phones and devices are capable of taking great family photos! Even if they’re not pristine professional quality, having family photos to look back on are better than nothing! If you don’t have your own phone capable of nice photos, odds are you know someone who does!
So grab a friend (you’ll need someone to take the picture anyway), get dressed up, and head to a local park for a super fun photo opp!
[bctt tweet=”Taking your own family pictures is a great way to save money, while still preserving your memories! ” username=””]
Taking your own family pictures is a great way to save money, while still preserving your memories! We have taken all of our family photos this way from newborn pictures to extended family gatherings! The point is to have something to treasure for the future, not the fanciest best looking images.
If you’re looking for nicer pictures, you could even invest in your own high quality camera (make sure to follow number 4 and shop after holiday sales!). A camera can be a big expense, but it will also save money in the grand scheme of things!
While these aren’t the only ways to save money as a family, and they may not cover the cost of a fancy new car (maybe a somewhat affordable car), they are definitely easy enough for anyone to take advantage of! Hopefully, you were even a little inspired by this list!
Is there anything you would add? I’d love to hear all the small or easy things you awesome mamas do to save a little on family expenses!!
Loved this list! I definitely will be using the hair cutting one in the future. I can’t believe how much that saves!
Also, to kinda add to saving on family pictures, if you sign up with shutter fly they send SOOOO many coupons and discounts in their emails. Their always doing 40% offs on things. It’s a great way to get nice pictures printed cheap.
Take advantage of apps like Walmarts “Savings Catcher”, Ibotta, and Ebates. We save up the money in the Walmart Saving’s Catcher all year and then use the money “earned” to use towards Christmas. Ebates actually pays you to shop online, and Ibotta gives you cash back on things that you would ordinarily buy anyway.
Use places like Craigs List to buy big ticket items second hand. It can be a real hassle dealing with the sellers sometimes, but we’ve saved thousands of dollars buying vehicles, cell phones, TV’s, hand held electronics, etc. second hand.
Avoid buying cars from a car dealer if at all possible. They automatically jack up the price, even on used vehicles.
If you have the ability (or your hubby does), do as much of your own car maintenance and repair as possible. We never pay for any type of vehicle maintenance or repair because my hubby knows how to do it. It has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.
If you have the ability, space, know-how, etc., grow your own vegetables in a garden and raise chickens for eggs, and raise and butcher your own chickens for meat. It’s a lot of work, but it saves a lot of money and you get better food quality.
Simple things like washing and reusing zip-lock bags, hanging your clothes out on a clothesline to dry, religiously shutting lights off when you leave a room, etc., can really add up the savings over time. Some people have even given up paper napkins and only use cloth to save money (I could never get my family on board for that one).