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Stay at Home Moms
Post for saving $$...bring all ideas in :)
Our problem: Any suggestions?
We are spending about $500/mo on groceries. We do try to eat as organic/healthy as possible and would like to continue to keep that lifestyle. We are just about to have our 2nd child and need more ways to save $. Any ideas/websites on how to save while eating healthy/organic?
So I figure we can all post a little on what we save and how we do it 
My way to save:
1. I buy one size bigger in my son's clothes for his shirts...This fall we only have to buy a few pairs of jeans & a jacket..He has a entire tub full that he can wear again from last year!
2. Energy efficient lightbulbs...does make a difference in the electric bill!
3. When i see BOGO free breads..i stock up & freeze!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Post for saving $$...bring all ideas in :)
Cloth diapering is a great way to save money when you have little ones, but I realize it is not for everyone. We broke even during month 4 on what we would have spent the entire time he will be in diapers. And the energy and water usage was negligible (didn't notice any change to electric bill and a tiny rise in water).
I make big meals and then freeze some for another day (that's our version of 'microwave dinners'.) I make our own fruit bars instead of buying granola bars and then freeze them so that they will keep longer. And this way I know exactly what is going in our foods (packaged stuff can be really high in sodium and other not-so-great things a lot of the time.)
Rewards clubs can help too. I love the BabiesRUs and ToysRUs rewards club because you get discounts on toys, baby clothes, food, formula, etc. and coupons that you wouldn't get without being a rewards member.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Love the fruit bar idea..what is your recipe?
We also have a water filter & refill water bottles up to 3x before recyling the bottle.
Yes, do tell about the fruit bars!
We cloth diaper as well and that helps a lot. Also I am a huge coupon clipper which saves a lot of money. I check out ads for all stores on a weekly basis and find where the best deals are and will shop at 2-3 different grocery stores if needed. I also plan my meals based more on what is on sale/special than just a recipe.
I have two.
Yogurt Cereal Bars
And Apple Breakfast Bars
Combine all ingredients. Let stand 10 minutes. Press mixture into 8" x 8" baking dish. Bake at 375? until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Loosen with spatula, and cut into bars while warm. Serve hot for breakfast or snack
Both of these came from www.wholesometoddlerfood.com.
That sounds very yummy!!!
Anyone else have ideas?? I thought this post would be blowing up w/ all of the SAHM
I **LOVE** all the ideas in this post so far and I love that you started this post! I bet after some of the East-Coasters get the kiddos in bed this post will have more participants.
1. Call your Insurance Agent ASAP and discuss a "restricted mileage" discount on your autos. For State Farm Drivers, anyone putting 7,500 miles or LESS annually on their vehicals get a major discount, nearly $75 a month in our premiums! Both my DH and I qualified for it years ago and I am always passing this tip along to others. Several of the ladies here took my tip and got big discounts themselves.
2. CHECK, RE-CHECK and DOUBLE-CHECK those cell phone bills for a pattern of unused minutes so you can reduce your minute rate plan and be sure to switch carriers if you aren't Company-loyal and someone else is offering a better deal.
3. Be sure you aren't paying for too much cable service and too much home phone service that you really don't need or maybe didn't know you were paying for!
4. Make your own household cleaners out of vinegar, lemon juice and water and store in $2 spray bottles from Home Depot rather than buying expensive cleansers. Use, wash and reuse sponges rather than buying pre-moistened cleaning wipes.
5. Check the grocery ads that come in the paper or in your mailbox each week for "Buy 1, Get 1 FREE" specials and stock up if you have the room to store/freeze.
6. Plan your meals for the week around what is on sale in the grocery ads, check for what you already have, make a list of things you don't have, go shopping for ONLY what is on your list, especially produce and dairy products that spoil quickly.
7. Check how your trash is billed - here in CA it's by the size of your grey trash can (compost and recycling is unlimited and free!) so, we compost and recycle as much as possible and got the smallest trash can we could to reduce our monthly bill by over $20.
8. Unplug things from the wall when you aren't using them, don't just turn them off, as they still draw a small amount of power that can really add up!
9. Have a clothing/toy/gear swap with family, friends, neighbors, your church, classmates, and anyone else you can think of that might be interested rather than always purchasing new things. This has been incredibly successful within my Mom's Group and my neighborhood.
Okay, those are my very best money-saving tips that we have used for years, even before having a child and before I was a SAHM.
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
this board is pretty slow compared to some others.
we started using mint.com to track our spending and found that including tolietries (but not baby stuff like diapers) we spent $600 in july. I used to do a big shop for the month at the commissary on base (cheaper, but a hassle) and then go to the supermarket down the street (more $$) throughout the month when i ran out of things. I'm not doing that any more. Making meal plans and lists and sticking to them really helps (i haven't been doing that). Also, there are some things that it really doesn't matter if they're organic, like bananas. i'm sure you can find a list out there if you want to see which are recommended and which are just a waste of money.
other tips: check out garage sales, CL, resale shops for clothes and toys. organize a toy swap with friends - their kids are probably bored too and swapping toys can give them 'new' stuff for free.
call your companies (cable, phone, cell, etc) and see if you can knock anything off your bill. i just talked to the cable co for the 4th time and the 4th time was the charm - he split packages for me and lowered the bill- i had prev. been told they couldn't do that!
shop your car insurance. having a higher deductible will make your payments cheaper (as long as you have savings to cover it if you end up needing to pay the deductible). if you or dh are current or past military, i HIGHLY recommend USAA. They were almost half the price of our old insurance.
don't be brand loyal- just buy what's on sale. deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste. i haven't spent money on those things- or VERY little because i buy on sales, stock up and use coupons.
LOL!
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
Ditto the cleaners! Seriously I haven't spent more than $2 every three to four months on a cleaner since I've started using Benzoyl Peroxide to clean.
We tend to do a lot of chicken because I don't really like a lot of meat. I always buy chicken in bulk when it's on sale at the grocery store and freeze the pieces individually. It's on sale every four to five weeks, which one package usually gets me through that time so we save a lot that way. We also do a lot of beans in stuff to stretch a buck or two.
Has anyone mentioned not eating out as much? We eat out maybe once a week and it's usually a pizza so that saves a bundle.
Switched phone to magicjack.com
Switched cell phone to a prepaid cell (saves tons!)
Grow your own veggies! Things like tomatoes & lots of herbs do well in pots, so even if you don't have a lot of room you can grow a few things. Not to mention, fresh from the garden veggies are SO wonderfully yummy. You could even team up with other people in your neighborhood or family, each of you growing one or two things, and share. My sis, mom, grandma, and I do this.
Grow an aloe plant. They are nearly impossible to kill and are great for sunburns and other minor burns. While they probably aren't much useful for adult sunburns, they are great for when you only need a small amount - say for a tiny pink nose or ears. It also can be used for many other things. One website I found said this, "Situations to try it on include blisters, insect bites, rashes, sores, herpes, urticaria, athlete's foot, fungus, vaginal infections, conjunctivitis, sties, allergic reactions, and dry skin."
Definitely check your phone plan. I changed minor things on ours and it dropped more than $10.
Figure out when your grocery store usually marks down their meat (usually a day or two before the use by date), buy the bulk packages, repackage in smaller portions and freeze immediately.
Really investigate and compare "sales." I noticed one store had toilet paper on sale in large packages the same week that another store had the same tp on sale in smaller packages. I realized it was actually cheaper to buy more of the smaller pkgs than to buy the bulk pkg.
Check out flea markets for more than just furniture and home stuff. One flea market in my town has a small room where they have dry goods, soup/spice mixes and razors and other toiletries. For instance, I found a bottle of the same mustard I paid $1.67 for, for $.94 and $3-$4 pkgs of razors for $1.
If you aren't a huge tv person, invest in Netflix and ditch the cable. Most tv shows can either be gotten on DVD through Netflix or watched online.
Very True Stacy! I always was one to pay more just because it was a "better" brand and once I actually tried some of the grocery brands of certain things they were not bad at all and tasted identical to the "expensive" brands.
Try not to eat out as much. We use to "waste" alot of money on eating out. The worse part was that we always had food in the house and it would end up going to waste because I did not use it in time. Whenever I have an attack that I want to eat out or dont feel like cooking i stop and think of what I could possibly make from things that I have available in the house. We still eat out occasionally but not as often as before.;) Tobemrsshavers tip on the insurance is also a good one. I have been meaning to do it myself.
1) I have 5-7 casserole and crock-pot recipes that the family loves. Once a month, I go to BJs and buy the ingredients and throw away pans for 3-4 pans worth of each recipe (for the crockpot, the ingredients all go into one labeled bag).
This has not only saved us a couple hundred dollars a month, but time throughout the month.
2) We went over our insurances with a fine tooth comb and looked for any/all special savings.
3) Baby clothes from walmart, kmart and target. And I too buy bigger.
4) We keep the ac at 75 (even though we are in FL) at all times. We also keep the heat at 68 (before baby it was at 65).
I SAH and I have a large family (5 kids and 3 stepkids, here pt). The main ways I save money are
1. Thrift store shopping
2. I make my own laundry detergent. This helps because I do 2-3 loads everyday.
3. Stay out of the mall...no more shopping just for something to do...
4. I get inspired on mommysavers.com
5. Before I buy anything, I think to myself if I have something already that would be just as good.
My budget for all of us is $600/mo on groceries. Aldi shopping saves me a ton.
It seems simple, but a lot of people forget. Make a list of all organic makers of food you like and look on their websites for coupons. Especially easy to find milk and dairy coupons (though you are usually limited in how many you can print in X amount of time).
Watch your local grocery stores for double coupons so you can get any non-food items then so you have more free cash to spend on organics.
For herbs and such which get expensive FAST, grow your own. Herb gardens take little tending, I've learned.
I keep a "master list" of recipes we use a lot or that freeze well in my coupon thing so that I have a quick mental "go-to" list when I see, for example, that flank steak is on sale I see how many things I can make to stretch it out rather than making too much of any one thing.
Garage sales are awesome for kids clothes and toys. Coats hardly get used depending on where you live, same with dressier clothes.
1. Make your own baby food. We sprent practically nothing on baby food because we we grind whatever extras of veggies and fruits we had after a meal and freeze the extras.
2. We are doing disposable diapers still because of our washer and dryer are old and not efficient. To save, I watch for sales and combine my store and brand coupons to get the best deal. I also buy the huge packages of wipes because it saves money. (I spend usually around $20 a month on diapers)
3. We live in a bad garage sale area, but about 10 minutes north of us is a great area for garage sales. I buy a lot of the more expensive items like jeans at garage sales because they don't wear out as easily. Also I'm learning to barter.
4. MOMS groups have great sales for a lot less work than going to a garage sales.
5. Farmer's market. We are stocking up on organics produce that can be frozen for winter in our deep freeze. The produce is way cheaper and better tasting than anything I've found in the groccery store.
how do you make your own laundry detergent? my son has sensitive skin and we have a new baby in the house...would it work for us too? how much do you pay to make it? how long does it last?
sorry for sooo many questions but it sounds like something we could do, we do a load a day...and our newborn isnt even here yet!
The main thing I do to save is just not go to the store! Seriously though, when I was working I would go to Target or the mall just to 'look' and I always bought things I didn't need. Now we go maybe once a week to get the things we need or I just have DH go so I don't impulse buy
I do however buy things on sale or clearance. For example, DS has nearly a full fall/winter wardrobe because we bought things on clearance this past spring.
Use Target brand diapers during the day. They are so much cheaper and work just as good as Pampers. I do use Pampers at night because DS had a few leaks with the Target diapers overnight but I only buy Pampers on sale and with a coupon.
Cut dryer sheets in half and get double the uses per box!
In summer use fans and turn up your AC. In winter layer clothes and turn heat down.
I use body wash as a shave gel so I don't have to buy that!
Watch local restaurants for deal/savings nights. Our Pizza Hut has a large 1 topping for $5.99 Mon, Tues, and Wed. So we have pizza night one of those nights instead of our normal Friday and we save at least half!
I took someones advice on here and called our auto insurance and they were able to take $15/month off my car for restricted driving. I'm happy with that because thats 180/year that we dont have to pay!
I'm sure I have more but thats all I can think of right now:)
Lately I have been saving a ton of money by replacing all my girly "must haves" with around the house or cheaper stuff.
Face wash = regular old hand soap or EVOO, I've always just used regular hand soap and everyone compliments me on my skin.
Lotion = a little EVOO lightly patted on dry parts
Hair routine = suave naturals coconut conditioner only ($1.00) and maybe a little aloe vera gel or KYJelly on the frizz.
Make up (ha a rarity) = Everyday Minerals 'free' trial pack where you only have to pay the $3 for shipping. The trial pack full of foundations actually lasts for like 3 months for me. Unlimited trial packs.
Highlights = loreal excellence creme, developer, and I brush on certain strands throughout my head. All in all costs about $8 versus $130.
One other way my DH and I have unknowingly saved a ton of money this summer was replace our dinners with protein shakes and salads. We originally did it to lose a few pounds but now we are REALLY saving money. Plus it's so easy for us to make 'dinner' now. Though this is probably not a realistic idea for most people still thought I'd share.