1. Budget and Save
Every household should have an idea of where their money is going each month. The best way to create a budget is to add up all monthly income and expenses. Use columns for bill names, due dates, amounts owed, amounts paid, and reference numbers when paying bills online. Once a budget is created, everyone can see how much money is required for expenses versus income. Then, I’d recommend opening a savings account. Deciding how much to deposit and how often can be determined by the budget your family has created. A few options for making deposits are available. Most employers can arrange for weekly, biweekly, and monthly deposits directly from their employee’s paycheck. Also, banks can link checking and savings accounts, allowing for automatic withdrawals determined by the customer’s preferences, for free. Watching every penny spent and making consistent deposits to a savings account will allow families to rest easy, promise!
2. Groceries
The number one rule of grocery shopping is to enter the store with a full belly. This eliminates the temptation of strategically placed items in the middle or at the end of aisles. If you keep an inventory of what is on hand at home, this will also help minimize expenses. Another way to save on grocery expenses is to plan trips to shop according to sales flyers. Don’t forget to combine all errands into one outing to save money on time and gas!
3. Consignment
Having a family can be expensive. By shopping at local, second-hand clothing stores, you can keep expenses on things like children’s clothes at a minimum. Be sure to check the closets and drawers of older siblings before heading out to purchase ANY clothing for your family. Also, don’t be afraid to spend a few dollars on gently used clothes for the upcoming season. During late winter months and early spring, many families are purging clothes in preparation for the summer months ahead. This is normally the best time to find good clothing sales at resale stores. Before heading out to your local clothing consignment shop, bring your used clothing along in order to take advantage of resale opportunities. Many gently used clothing stores offer customers a program to earn money on clothing that can be worn by other children. Depending on the store details, a customer can choose between store credit or cash!
4. Gardener
My number one tip for frugal gardening is to get everyone involved. Teaching the family about gardening can lead to positive lifelong habits and pleasurable memories. It’s much easier than it sounds too, because many items lying around the home can be re-purposed for a family garden. Items include soda pop bottles to collect rain in for watering the plants, newspapers for lining the garden bed in order to help prevent weeds, small biodegradable containers for starting seeds, and ice cream tubs with handles that can be used to carry the harvest. Once you’ve saved on starting a garden, reap the financial rewards of keeping it up! Save on groceries like tomatoes, carrots, flowers, etc! Perhaps you can even make some money at the local farmer’s market!
