How to save money as a stay at home mom!?
Once we have children some of us women would like to stay home and be with them as they grow. Call it maternal instincts or maybe it’s just personality types, either way when mom’s want to stay home many think it is impossible to live off one income.
That is not true! There are so many ways you can save money and live comfortably off one income. Will you need to sacrifice some? YES, but you can decide where you want to sacrifice and where you don’t. Easy-peasy.
As I said before there are many ways to save money as a stay at home mom, these are just a few that I personally have done to save loads of money and make it so I can enjoy being home with my kids without the stress of finances.
Simple money savings tips for moms
It won’t be easy but it most definitely can be done and once you get into a routine and everything running smoothly you won’t even have to think about it.
So, here are 11 things to stop buying so you can save money as a SAHM and not stress about finances!
1. Junk Food
I am not sure about you, but where I live junk food prices are on the rise and show no signs of slowing down!
Instead of buying junk food I now purchase IN season fruits OR I bake snacks which lasts way longer then those boxed snacks I use to buy (you know the ones with like 5 candy bars).
If you are not fond of baking or don’t have the time then buy your snack foods at the dollar store! I still do this also, especially in the summer months since we are usually very busy.
Use this free meal planning printable below to help you plan your meals better and save money in the process!
5 foods to buy at the dollar tree
2. New Things
I very rarely buy anything new anymore, you will save a ton more if you purchase things second hand.
Keep in mind I am not only just talking about clothing, I also buy my furniture, tools, toys and basically anything we may need or want second hand.
You can also make money from home by selling your own things! If your child has outgrown toys or clothes then sell them on your local buy and sells.
3. Cable T.V
Seems like a lot of people are doing this now, but I had to include it because it saves tons of money every month.
What we did was keep internet and cancel your cable T.V, where I live we saved $120 just from that.
I then asked a couple family members if they wanted to split the costs of Netflix and Disney Plus! I now only pay $5 per month for them both, so to save $115 per month this is a huge help!
4. Shopping at Stores
I stopped going to stores to shop and save tons of money. I love shopping online, so in a way you need to be careful not to get addicted!
However, shopping online saves gas money and I find I am more calm and aware so I can make better purchases.
Shopping in public I often get anxiety and with small children it can be overwhelming so I end up rushing and either buying too much or not enough.
You can purchase almost anything online these days, even groceries!
I use Amazon a ton for my online shopping so I invested in Amazon Prime which saves me even more money and free fast shipping!
Try Amazon Prime for 30 days and see if you find the savings worth it!
5. Takeout Coffee
I love me some coffee! So of course I still have a coffee every morning, I just found a brand I enjoyed from home and started making my own.
It saves my household the gas money and $5 every morning (my husband and myself).
When I do want takeout coffee I get free gift cards off my Swagbucks account and use those!
Swagbucks is a great way to earn gift cards to splurge once in a while and the plus side is that it is all free money!
No taking from your budget, all you need is a valid email address and some extra time to complete the daily tasks.
6. Costly Outings
I am not saying you should never have fun and just get used to living a lonely life! We don’t want that!
There are tons of free and low cost fun things to do, you just need to look for them! Limit your big trips to once a year or every couple years if you are on a really tight budget.
7. Decorations
I used to spend a lot on seasonal décor, it actually costs a lot to try and keep up with all the holiday decorations! Now I use minimal décor (I still love to decorate on holidays) and I always check out Pinterest for DIY decorations to make with the kids!
I make tons of DIY decorations for Halloween since it is my favorite Holiday!
8. Takeout Food
Ok, we all have our “thing” we splurge on, mine is takeout food, I just love going out to eat! Unfortunately it is SO expensive, so now I do my best to cook at home.
I hate meal planning so I did invest in the $5 meal plan which helps me so much that the $5 per month is worth it. Without it I probably would spend more on take out foods since I know I wouldn’t take the time to meal plan.
Since I do love take out I save up money by completing surveys on Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, so I can still enjoy what I love once in a while without taking away from other more important things!
With Survey Junkie you can earn up to $50/per survey! Plus it is FREE to join!
9. New Toys
It is a great feeling to see your child’s excitement at receiving a new toy, but the cost vs the amount of time they actually play with the toy doesn’t seem worth it.
Now I always keep my eye out for second hand toys that are practically new, it helps me still give my kids that joy of getting a “new” toy but at the fraction of the price. Win-win!
10. Gym Membership
Being a stay at home mom makes this one very difficult anyways since we can’t really bring our kids to the gym with us.
Once I decided to stay home I did keep my gym membership for a while until I realized I was paying and never using it!
Now I force myself to go for daily walks or try and do a work out video at home. There are tons of quick work outs you can follow online!
11. Random Junk
My husband is bad for this, he is what you call an impulse shopper! Buying little things may not seem like much at first but once you add it all up it ends up costing way more!
We also end up with a cluttered house and it makes it more difficult to shop because the house gets so cluttered I don’t know what we have and what we don’t have.
There you have 11 money saving tips for moms!
Looking for more ways to save money from home?
- 30 HELPFUL TIPS FOR LIVING WITH LITTLE MONEY
- HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH DEBT TO LIVE
- HOW TO MAKE A BUDGET IF YOU HATE BUDGETING
- HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR BILLS
