Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mother, it can be tricky to stick to a budget and save money when faced with a large number of family expenses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey, there were around 23.5 million employed women with children under the age of 18.
To help you out, here are some sustainable money-saving tips for moms, including meal planning, maximizing your income, and caring for the needs of your little one.
Although many of these suggestions may result in relatively small savings, combining several methods can help you find cheaper products and score some great deals on goods and services both in-store and online.
Every mom knows that buying healthy produce for their kids can quickly add up and cause you to go over your budget. A fantastic way to lower the price of grocery store products (aside from a meal plan) is to take advantage of coupons on apps like Ibotta, Checkout 51, SnipSnap, and Coupons.com that can give you cashback rebates.
While not all moms have the time to focus on their passion to sell their handmade goods, you might be able to make some extra income and sell things that your kids and their dads no longer use. Through a yard sale or online platform like eBay, it doesn’t take too much time to make some money on the side. You can put this income towards an emergency fund or save them for a rainy day.
Listing down weekly breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on a menu plan can help you prep your grocery list and score some deals when it comes to bulk buying them at the grocery store. You can even save some time by integrating day-old leftovers into creative recipes. For picky eaters, you can also ask your kids what they want to eat so that they can’t complain about their food.
You may be spending too much of your budget on branded goods. To save money, you can buy generic versions for comparable quality with reduced price tags. For instance, you can save on a lot of goods like baby formula, canned goods, some baking and cooking supplies, and even school supplies.
Although this item can be one of the easiest items to clean up spills within your home, it can be costly in the long run. Most of the time, you throw them away right after you use them, which isn’t great for the environment or your wallet. Think about cutting up some old towels, tees, or bedsheets to use as a replacement.
Instead of spending money on greasy burgers, fries, and soda at your favorite drive-thru, you can make healthier decisions for your home and find some cheaper not to mention more nutritional food items. This includes making frozen yogurt pops at home instead of going out for ice cream sundaes, making fruity sparkling soda, or using an air fryer to recreate your favorite fried chicken.
If you’re a mom, chances are you know other people in your life who have already had kids. As they grow up, they’ll frequently outgrow things like strollers, cribs, and clothing. Sharing is caring, so asking around to see if anyone’s willing to swap or share these items is one of our top money-saving tips for a stay-at-home mom.
Another way to save money as a stay-at-home mom is to find discounted gift coupons online. This list of platforms can help you score a deal on large purchases, as long as you only buy them when you need them. Many of them cater to specific brands, so it’s worth shopping around to see if you can find any time-limited offerings.
Lastly, online shopping is a great way for moms to save time and money. To score the best discounts, always look for a promo code before you check out. Sign up for brand newsletters and any rewards programs to get a special deal on your birthday, or redeem points for a lot of extra benefits and discounts.
All of the tips on this list may not be the most helpful if you feel like your spending has gotten out of control. If you feel like you’re pulling out your credit card too often, see where you can cut back in terms of subscription plans and other types of discretionary spending. It’s all about practicing self-control and unsubscribing to those promotional emails if you have to.
This resource explores several money-saving apps that help with budgeting, micro-investing, and selling unwanted goods.
This resource provides tips on how you can set your kids up for financial success in the future.
Money-saving as a mom can be an intimidating process at first, but being resourceful and finding alternatives to your day-to-day expenses is already a positive step forward.
For more tips on how to increase your savings, read our other articles at AnyCredit.com!
