Moms Making Cents

I used to be diligent about money management until I became a mom, and then it fell by the way side like everything else. Sure enough though, I finally did get my sea legs (sort of), and started to figure out how to do everything I was doing pre-baby (which I used to consider a lot) while simultaneously raising a human being. Everything is not addressed perfectly, and sometimes not even in a timely fashion, but I do end up getting around to it eventually.

This is certainly true of the big financial items we all deal with: insurance policies, college funds, cars, and long-term purchases. We take the time to shop around and seek out the best deal, the one that will yield us the most bang for the buck. When we find it, we give ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done…because nobody likes to light a match to money.

And it is that exact thought which really got me thinking. I may do my due diligence for big-budget items, but my day-to-day spending does not receive the same attention. Why? Because I’m busy, like we're all busy, and I tell myself I’ll get to it later (ha, as if!). But while I wait for later to materialize, I’m spending quickly and sometimes carelessly — and it's costly. After all, pennies make nickels, and nickels make dimes. And what, I'm so rich that I can pass by the opportunity to turn pocket change into real dollars? Nope, not my reality. So I decided to give my everyday spending some serious thought and come up with a way to shop consciously that made sense and cents to my family budget. I believe that when one learns something one should pass it on, so here's what I've discovered thus far:

-Places like Costco and Sam's Club offer significant savings and are well worth the membership fee. That said, conscious spending in these stores is KEY, as each item tends to be at least $8 (so you can drops hundreds before you know it). Know what’s actually a good buy, if you can’t see yourself using the item in three months, buy a smaller quantity elsewhere.

-Go to big box stores for grocery/drug items (that you don’t need 500 of); their prices really are cheaper and it’s all done in one trip.

-Shop for your store staples in cash and make a list in advance.

-Minimize your trips to the store to once or twice a month.

-Always try to buy generic brands if you can stand it.

-Prepare your coffee at home. Columbian coffee of any kind is usually better than anything else and I think tastes good in all brands. Buy coffee in bulk (like I really had to even mention that one!).

-Set up auto-bill pay for monthly expenses, save time and stamps and envelopes.

-Mend and sew what you can. It's mindless work while watching reality TV at night and lengthens the life of your items.

-Give up bottled water. Get a purifying pitcher and some eco-friendly containers…so much easier on your wattle and the world.

-Be more conscious of lights on in the house, heating/cooling temperatures and plugs in outlets at all times.

-Freeze all poultry, fish, meats, bacon in individual family portion sizes so nothing ever goes bad. Limit perishables where you can so you don’t end up tossing them (freeze sliced bread and toast instead).

-Cook at least five nights a week. Invest in a George Forman-like grill, which can thoroughly cook four portions of anything in under eight minutes. I'm not kidding, and this literally changed my family's life.

-Get family cell plans instead of individuals.

-Switch your landline home phone to digital, or get rid of it completely.

-When you do go out to dinner (date night!), check out www.restaurants.com to see what local restaurants participate in your neighborhood. You can often buy a $20 coupon for only $10…instant savings.

-Use coupon websites like www.flamingoworld.com or www.ultimatecoupons.com (or just type "online coupons" in search sites, they’ll come up). Search for discount codes under your favorites stores and for www.restaurants.com, where you can find a code for 60% or 80% off that $10 cost, so your $20 restaurant coupon now costs you $2-4 dollars!

-Share and swap everything with friends: clothes, baby stuff, furniture. Use what's already in circulation instead of running to the store for everything.

-Get resourceful and imaginative! Finding new ways to save is actually kind of a high, especially while you watch your bank account grow in the process.


Frugally Yours,
Amy