money saving tips
for mom
Help in
tightening the budget...
Do you ever
find there is more month than money? So
many people today are looking for ways to
save money and cut a few corners. If you
are a stay at home mom I’m sure you are
always looking for ways to stretch the
dollar. We have compiled a few simple but
effective tips to help.
-
Try
cooking once a month or once a week and
freezing. You’ll find yourself eating
out less. It will be convenient to go
home, take something out of the freezer,
and have a meal in minutes.
-
Shop in
bulk if possible. To prevent spoilage
and waste use a vacuum sealer or food
saver and break the bulk food down into
meal size packaging and store.
-
Soups are
nutritious and help stretch the budget.
You can slow cook a big pot of soup and
eat on it for days. Plus it seems the
soups taste better when they are
reheated. When you get tired of them
they freeze easily.
-
In
many cities there are wonderful resale
shops for the kids. You will normally
save 80 to 90% on
kids
cloths.
-
Learn to
buy the kids cloths at the end of season
when the retail stores are clearing
their rack for new shipments.
September, October, February, and March
are great months to shop ahead for the
kids and you. Most stores are
discounting a minimum of 50% and many
will be at their 75% off rock bottom
prices.
-
If you
want to really get frugal don’t use
disposable diapers. You do the math.
Using cloth diapers compared to the
disposables one is a no brainier.
-
Do you
have a blender? Make your own baby
food. You do not need to buy baby
food. When cooking for you and the
older members of the family learn to
save a little out for the baby before
you season the food. Use your blender
and make your own pureed green beans,
peaches, or anything that the family
eats the baby can too.
-
Shop
smart and learn to really read the
label. What appears to be cheaper is
not always what it seems. Many
manufacturers will advertise small loads
on their laundry detergent. You do the
math. If you do large loads calculate
how many loads of laundry you will
REALLY get. Now that you know the real
cost compare. Bulk is not always the
best buy. Most of the time buying
concentrate is the best buy. You will
normally pay about the same per
container but you will add water and the
concentrates will end up making several
times the number of containers for a
great savings.
-
Learn to
read and follow the directions on
manufacturer’s labels. Many time people
think that more is better. That
philosophy is not only a waste, but it
can cost money.
-
Clipping
coupons has long been a great way to
save a few dollars. However, many
grocery stores will run unadvertised
sales during the week many times to move
out certain products before their shelf
life expires. It is common to find 2
for the price of one on many items
during these sales. Since stores do not
advertise these sales you need to ask if
they have a day during the week when
they do unadvertised sales to move items
off the shelf.
-
Be sure
to have a household budget and stick to
it. Use an envelop with cash in it for
the extras in the house and when you run
out of the cash you don’t dip into the
checking or savings. This cash concept
works well to keep miscellaneous
spending in check. When you have the
visual of cash in the envelop you will
find yourself counting to see how much
is left and then asking yourself if
there will be enough there to last the
month.
-
Always
ask yourself before spending, “Do we
really need it?” This is the best tip
of all. Don’t spend spontaneously.
Always ask yourself, “Do I really need
it or would it just be nice to have?”
Then make your decision!
_________________________
A penny saved it a
penny earned.
by Grandma
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