Saving Money

Saving money - the big thing that is important to all, but especially us stay-at-home moms. I know that since I stopped working, I have made it my mission to save as much money as possible and bring in a little extra income where I can. All these tips are things that I do or have done, take them as they are. No plan is perfect for everyone, apply at your own discretion.

1. Costco - probably the biggest way I save money is by buying in bulk. I buy anything that I can at Costco that won't go bad before we use it. I buy a lot of food and freeze it: bread, cheese, cold cuts, buns, hotdogs, etc. I'm working on buying a big freezer for the garage, but for now we get by. I also buy all my diapers and wipes there. They only carry Huggies and Kirkland but I can't complain, plus I only have to shop for diapers and wipes about once a month. Complaint, they don't have newborn diapers. They do carry some types of formulas. My son was nursed so I'm not sure of the brands. I wish they carried the gerber snacks, because I'd invest in their stock. :) In general though, I love shopping there...they also carry some really cute and affordable clothing. Their gas tends to be anywhere from $.10 - $.30 cheaper than other gas stations.

2. Clothing - I only buy clothes that are on clearance. This tends to mean that I shop at the end of the season for next year. But I save a ton of money. My husband is very hard on clothes so when a sale comes up, I stock up on everything. Just recently Old Navy was having a sale on their men's jeans - they were $10 each. I bought my husband 15 pairs. It should last him a while. I also refuse to spend over $5 on his t-shirts. I hardly ever buy myself clothes, but that is because I'm really picky to my fits. But I still only buy clearance clothes. A great place to look for your little ones is The Children's Place. They have awesome sales at the end of the season. Usually $2.99 - Amazing! I bought my son some jeans for $.99. They really are a bargain. You usually have to guess on size for your little one for next year. But some stuff is wearable year round.

3. Gas - As I said before I buy my gas from Costco. But I also limit my driving greatly. My husband drives daily so we pay for that gas. I plan my trips very carefully so that I'm not just wasting gas with stupid trips. When I go out I always hit more than one place. I would say that on average I only drive my car once or twice, max. It saves us a lot of money.

4. Limit the eating out - I know that there are certain days when the last thing you want to do is cook. But when you think about it, going out costs so much money. Especially if you have multiple kids. Our son is just starting to be able to eat his own meals and I can't believe how much more our bill is. I limit our eating out to once a month. It's actually easy to do. I'm a pretty good cook and I like to learn to cook my own version of certain restraunts. I put my own spin on them. My husband and son love my cooking, so it works out great. I always make extra for leftovers or for my husband's lunch.

Tune in tomorrow for the continuation of this information :)