Simple tips and savvy ways for moms to save more money.
Coupons And Sales
This is pretty much a no-brainer. Save your coupons and use them to match sale items. It’s a little bit of work to figure out what’s on sale and what coupons you have that match, but there are a host of websites that make it their mission to match sales with coupons. A quick search in Bing will yield more information than you can process in a day.
Stock Up
Anytime an item that you use a lot is on sale, buy double or triple the amount you need. Toilet paper, canned tomatoes, boxes of cereal, and macaroni and cheese are super handy to have in your storeroom.
Freeze An Extra Gallon Of Milk
Yes, you can freeze milk. When you find a special, pick up an extra gallon and throw it in the freezer. It takes about twenty-four hours to thaw in the fridge.
Mix Powdered Milk With Your Regular Milk
I’m not really a fan of powdered milk, but in small quantities, mixed with regular milk, it’s not detectable. My kids don’t even know I sometimes do this. If you’re on a very tight budget, this is a quick and easy way to stretch your food dollars.
Consignment Shops
Babies and very young children grow out of clothes before they wear them out, so you can easily find used clothes that look new.
Get Into A Clothing Co-Op With Friends
Save lightly used clothes and pass them around. It always seems that when you put a little in the box, you end up getting a lot more in return.
Plant Your Own Herbs
Fresh herbs can be expensive at the grocery store, but they’re too good to miss out on. Luckily, they thrive on a windowsill and they’re one of the few things I actually have time to tend.
Trade Babysitting With Other Moms
Okay, I’m going to be honest. This is not something I’ve ever enjoyed. It always feels like a lot of extra work for me. But my husband appreciates it so much I had to include it. It makes him feel loved to know that even if we don’t have babysitting money, I value our private time together so much that I put forth the extra effort required to arrange a date night.
Glean A Field
If you live in an agricultural area, you can sometimes find a farmer willing to let you go through the field after it’s been harvested. Kids enjoy picking up the fallen fruit, and the produce is often free.
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You do need to be a little bit careful with freezing a gallon of milk. I did this once, and I don’t know if the jug was extra full to begin with or what, but when the milk froze it expanded and the jug burst. Quite the mess!