Mom on a Budget!

My husband makes pretty good money. He works hard and brings in a pay cheque that allows me to stay home with the kids. We are not rich, but we have enough. In this day and age though, we still need to be frugal, especially in a single income household. If you're looking for some extra cash in your pocket at the end of the week, either for saving or putting toward a special purchase, try some of the habits I have adopted to save money (or spend it wisely).

1. Budget for groceries!
Take a little time to look at food flyers for great sales. If your area does price matching, take all the flyers into the store and get them matched. Yes, it takes longer at the checkout. Yes, you may get weird looks. But seriously, I save at least $30 a week doing this (I have saved up to $50), so it's worth it. To make it a little easier, set aside 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to look at flyers. I find it's easier with a coffee beside me. Use a sharpie and circle all the deals you want. You will only save money this way though if you stick to the unbeatable deals and your regular purchases. If you buy stuff just because it's a great price it will quickly add up. It helps to make your list in advance and only circle the sale items that are on it. Checkout is easier too if you list the items and flyers you are price matching. You won't get nearly as many eye rolls if you are semi-organized about it!

2. Buy Clearance!
Clothes, appliances, toys, whatever. Just buy clearance.  A few minor stipulations though. Only buy end of season clothing on clearance if you don't intend to gain or lose a significant amount of weight by next season. In this case it's best to keep the ill-fitting wear for the season and buy your new size after the weather has changed. Appliances can be gotten at super discounts if you are willing to take the floor displays, because they typically have some minor dings or scratches. Case in point: we got our brand new fridge for half price because of 3 little scratches, which don't bother me because it will never take long for my kids to add their own scratches. Make sure any clearance toys are not broken and still safe. Bring it to the store's attention if you see a broken toy that might present a danger to a child; it should be taken off the shelf.

3. Buy Used!
This is similar to above, but you can get things even cheaper this way. Second-hand stores are popular for a reason. Most of the merchandise is still in great condition. On clothing look for wear in the obvious places, like the knees, cuffs, waistband, etc. Don't buy electronics used unless the store will let you test them first. This is also a great way to save money on sports equipment for kids, as most sports equipment is made to last a lot longer than a child will fit into it. There are several websites you can browse to look for specific things. I will post some sites for used buying on my Useful Links Page.

4. Use the Jar Technique!
So there was this show, Til Debt Do Us Part (maybe it's still on, I don't know), where the lady uses jars to sort out money for weekly expenses. I use envelopes though, they are much more discreet and can be hidden easily. The principle is the exact same though. So here's my weekly budget: $100 for groceries (that's for 4 people), $50 for gas, $100 for spending (which no one has to account for at the end of the week). The rest of the bills are in a bank account and are paid by cheque or automatically, so this is all the money I ever handle. With price matching the groceries are usually under $70, and I often don't spend more than $20 a week personally, this is on coffee of course. The money left over is saved for big purchases (like if the coffee machine breaks, OH NO!)

5. Find Free Entertainment!
There's no reason keeping children occupied and social has to be expensive. The park has become a staple outing for us, same with the local library, and other social venues. Check what events are being offered locally for free and take full advantage. Join a mom's group and meet at a variety of places to keep you and the little ones social. Use the money you save for one costly activity for each child. Our choice this year for the oldest is martial arts.

6. Coupons!
I looked into the "extreme couponing" thing but to be honest, I don't get enough excitement out of couponing to devote hours a week to it. However, I do make use of the free ones mailed to me weekly with the local paper, and often check out  coupon sites for my regular brands. Combining coupons with price-matched sales  can save you a tonne of money! I have gotten so many free Lifestyle cookies, you know the good ones with the chocolate in the middle.....Of course I only remember to bring my coupons half of the time, but for those parents with a good memory it is a helpful habit.

7. Bake as much as you can!
In lieu of buying expensive school snacks like granola bars and rice krispie squares, I try to bake snacks instead. I have found a great recipe for bear paws and one for granola bars that taste I save at least $15 a week baking snacks instead of buying them, and I love knowing exactly what's going into what my kids are eating. Of course if the snacks are on sale and I can price match them with a coupon.....but mostly I make my own. Still trying to get a recipe for easy homemade crackers though.

8. Cloth Diapers!
This is one for all those of you with babies and toddlers. Go with the cloth diapers. They are not that difficult to wash because the washing machine does all the work. The stain cycle or pre-wash cycle gets everything out and you don't need to scrub. It is one of the best ways to save  money. Time for some math: $25 a week (minimum) on disposable diapers, 52 weeks in a year, you are spending $1300 on diapers in one year. That's based on one package of diapers per week, and most use more. Buying cloth diapers from birth to toilet training could cost you as little as $300, so you are saving a lot. Then there are the wipes. One package of those a week (let's say they're on sale for $5), and you are paying $260 a year. You can make your own though, see my Random Tops page.

9. Prioritize
The reason I don't know if that show is still on is because I don't have Cable TV. Or satellite TV.  That's right. Big fan of Netflix right here. And for $8 a month, why not? It's at least $50 per month less than what we were paying for cable. And my husband and I both have cell phones, but not a landline. If we both need them anyway, why pay more for a phone at home? The point is, look at your bills and figure out what you don't need to be paying for anymore. It's much more effective if you write it down and add up all the money you would save if you got rid of A, B, and C. Oh yeah, and stop subscribing to that magazine! Just look at their website.

I hope some of this helps. I am a bit of a penny pincher and the above is only some of what I do, but I'm on a timeline. Gotta go watch Netflix (seriously, it's got the X-Files!).