Money Saving Tips for Moms

Any Mom, especially those who stay at home with their children and live on one income, is usually interested in finding new, and unique ways to save money. In an effort to help you stretch that dollar even further, here are some money saving tips and tricks that any Mom can use, regardless of the size of her family.

Plan. If you plan out as much as can, from the money you have coming in, to the money you have going out, and what it is being spent on, to how you are going to spend the money you have left after you bills are paid, and what you are spending that on, you will be much more successful in stretching your money than with a series of impulsive purchases.

Use coupons only on products you normally buy. Many times coupons actually cause you to spend more money because you use them to save money on things you may not normally buy. This in turn saves you nothing. It actually costs you more time, too, because you stopped to clip them. If you see something on product you use frequently, then by all means, go ahead. Otherwise, stay away!

Make your own cleaning products. Vinegar is a great cleaning solution, much cheaper than the commercialized products. It is also free from potentially harmful chemicals, and works for nearly any cleaning application you have. So, when you stop and think about how you have separate cleaners for everything in the house, even if you are already saving by using generic options, you would save more by creating your own. Save the bottles from your store bought products, to hold the ones you make.

Shop alone as much as possible. Shopping with kids is a pain. Shopping with your husband may end up creating more items that you do not need, as they tend to be impulsive and sneak things in, too. If you shop alone, you can make your list, stick to it, and comparison shop, in peace. This may be the only alone time you get, but it is still worth it.

Use and re-use as much as you can. Buy something, and re-use the containers if possible. This saves you money on Tupperware like storage containers. Find as many uses for items as possible. Save your grocery store bags to use as garbage bags in the small trash cans in your bathroom and in your children’s bedrooms (if they have them). This prevents having to purchase an extra set of garbage bags, at the special small size.

Go to the grocery store full. Shopping hungry leads to impulsive unnecessary junk, which adds up quickly. Going full, will ward off cravings and keep food that you don’t need from looking good, thus saving you money!

Shop at many different stores, instead of limiting yourself to one. Shopping at different stores means you have access to different sales. For instance, I shop at three different stores. The first two, are the generic grocery stores. The last one is the commercialized store, and that is only for the items that are out of stock, or unavailable from either of the previous stores.

Consider once-a-month cooking. While it is time consuming for a day or two, it makes for a large monthly trip to the store, rather than several small ones. It will save you a considerable amount of money over the course of the month. If you don’t believe me, try it, and compare it to your spending in the previous month. I save $50-$100 this way, which covers another utility!

Save water. You know the water that goes down the drain as you wait for it to heat up to fill the sink for dishes? Save it in a bowl. Use it for the dog, cat, or your house plants. Less water waste maximizes your consumption, and reduces your bill.

Reduce power consumption. Besides turning the light off when you leave a room, switch to lower wattage bulbs, everywhere. Turn your water heater down (unless it’s already set at the standard 120 degrees), and use your dryer less. This will reduce your bill in no time.

Following any one or combination of all of these money saving tips, will certainly help you add a little more money to your savings account, for the unexpected, or the family vacation. Each one of these small steps will certainly make a big difference in your finances.

What else can you think of to help fellow moms save money? Share some of your favorite frugal tendencies with all of us!

Submitted by: Cindy