Parents-what are your money saving tips?

Question

especially in this economy!

Answer 1

We don't eat out

We don't waste gas by running to town

I buy only what we need and on sale

Children's clothes and sometimes mine come from yardsales (it is hard to find good adult clothes)

Answer 2

yes in america, there is a system where the all of the companies are trying to keep sucking money from you, transforming you into a making and spending money machine, the way they do that is by putting things on sale, so the best option is just buy only a few good quality things that last long, and try to save your money, for example instead of buying a new thing because a new model came out, just use the old thing and if it breaks try to repair it yourself. And try not to go in stores too much, the moment you go into a store you are bombarded by things that try to suck money from you, like you see things on clearance and sale. To try to make you spend money.

So just try not to go into stores too much, and only go for something that you actually needed to buy, dont buy something just because it was on sale, dont watch too many TV commercials either

Answer 3

Here are a few small things that we've done recently:

I'm a Starbucks latte addict and started making my own at home most of the time... much cheaper than $5 a day!

I drink tons of bottled water and recently bought a filter (finally!) for our tap water (we don't have a fridge w/ a water dispenser).  

We also try to limit our eating out; I realized we were spending a lot more on that than I thought.  

Switched from Pampers to Luvs, they work just as good.  

Our local grocery store has some great meal deals so we started buying them and get a lot more for our money.

ETA:  I just thought of one more small change that has saved us a LOT of money!  My husband and I both started bringing our lunches to work.  It has made a huge difference!  We also started utilizing our Sam's membership a little more and now buy things like toilet paper in bulk (things we will use eventually anyway).

Answer 4

I turn off lights when not in use, I try not to go into town to save on gas, and I clip coupons for things we use to save money.

Answer 5

Coupons!!  Clip 'em, use 'em.  We buy generic brands on many things and lots of unprocessed food.  We shop a lot at Wal-Mart or Brookshires (they have a rewards card and great sales often).  We do all our errands in one day when we can.  We recycle what we can.  We reuse grocery sacks for small waste bin trash bags.  We use all fluorescent bulbs in our house and we use the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer as sparingly as possible.  It helps a lot!  We over all save about $150 a month by doing these things.

Answer 6

make your own:

laundry detergent

household cleaners

bread

these three things are SUPER easy, better than storebought and WAY cheaper. the cleaners and detergent are almost free they're so cheap. there are tons of recipes online. the laundry detergent I make works very well and cost just over 1 cent per load! it takes me 15 minutes to make enough for 125 loads. if you make the liquid, make it in a bucket with a lid so you can stir it if needed.

drive less and walk more, drive less agressively, read up on gas saving driving tips.

dont buy things you dont need. if there is something over $50 that you want, dont buy it the first time you see it. wait for a sale, or think about it more. you may decide you dont need it.

only buy second hand clothes for your kids. buy new stuff for special occasions, but you can get GREAT deals on kijiji, at garage sales, at salvation army.

use freecycle. go to www.freecycle.org and find the community in your city.

Answer 7

I've become a coupon clipper.

I get newspapers, go online, look everywhere for coupons.  I've saved pretty decent amounts of money doing that, actually.

Also, my paper items like paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, etc, I buy that in bulk from Costco.  It's wayyyy cheaper.  I also buy diapers from there, they are cheaper there as well.

Answer 8

Reuse everything.

Fix things instead of replacing them.

Remember life is not about how big your house is, how much money you had in the bank or what kind of car you drove. Make this your personal MANTRA.

Make a budget that includes saving some money and stick to it.

Spend time with people who don't shop for pleasure. Don't shop with anyone that you don't pay bills with. You have no idea if they can really afford the stuff they're buying.

Join forums that support being frugal. It's a necessity.

Turn off the tv. Advertising is meant to make you feel stupid, lonely, and needy, and make you think buying something will solve everything.

Eat at home.

Walk more, drive less.

Pay bills online (save postage).

Drink water, it's the best drink for your health anyway and it's free.

Try and borrow, or come up with a solution before buying something. Then try to find it used. Try www.craigslist.org, Savers, or garage sales.

Use vinegar to clean your house, floors, windows, laundry. It's cheaper, its safe for the environment and if your dog/baby drinks it nothing bad will happen.

Use the free things in your community, like libraries and parks, and community gardens  for recreation and entertainment.

Babysit, housesit, or dog sit on a weekend for extra cash.

Barter services with your friends and neighbors, such as baking for mowing services...etc.

Answer 9

our big thing is eating at home it safes so much money usually if I don't want to cook I will order pizza.  Another thing make only  a few trips to the store with the gas prices.

Answer 10

Fill up gas at night

Turn off all lights in the day

AC no lower then 75 but 80 in the day

Fix food at home

Pack Lunches

1 bath/shower per day

No TV or cable

Shop in bulk for only things I know will be used up