budget

Mommy Manager: 4 Ways to Make Raising a Family Cheaper

05/02/2017 By Jenn Leave a Comment

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Being a parent is probably one of the most expensive things you’ll ever do. As kids grow, so do their needs. However, being a mom doesn’t mean you have to be a millionaire to give your kids the things they need in life.

Here are 4 ways to make raising a family cheaper

Shop Second Hand

With your first child, you may think your child needs the best of everything, causing you to overpay for pricey designer furniture and clothing. Yet, as time goes on, you’ll realize that you don’t always need the most expensive item to be able to satisfy your needs. Shop second hand stores or online local garage sale websites to find items that are in ‘like new’ condition. Usually, everything from beds, to clothing, to baby gadgets can be found locally, and for a fraction of the price you would have spent in a fancy baby store. Buying second hand can be hit or miss, so check regularly if there’s something you’re needing.

Potty Train Early

Diapers and wipes add up at an insanely fast rate. Do your bank account a favor and potty train early. While it may seem inconvenient, it could add up to hundreds of dollars in savings over time.

Get Cozy in the Kitchen

If you have kids, you’ll quickly realize that eating out and buying prepackaged foods cost more than making them yourself. If you have a growing family (or at least a growing food bill), consider spending more time in the kitchen. Eat more dinners at home, bake cookies and snacks instead of buying them, or try your hand at some online recipes. It’ll be healthier for your family because you’ll know what you’re putting in your food, and it’ll also help save you some money in the long run.

Be Smart with Your Money

We’re fortunate to live in the age of smart phones. Before you make a large purchase, check online for the same item to make sure you’re getting the best deal. It’s also a good idea to google an in-store coupon for whatever store you’re shopping in, as a lot of stores will have a 10% or 20% off coupon floating around online. You can also sign up for a couponing website, like Joinesty, which can help find deals and promo codes for you. Instead of paying full price for something, be smart with your money and make every dollar count.

Being a parent doesn’t require an endless supply of money, just an endless supply of love (and patience!). Whatever size budget you have to work with, make raising a family cheaper as far by shopping second hand, preparing food yourself, and maximizing every dollar.

This is a guest post written by Hannah Whittenly. Hannah is a freelance writer from Sacramento, California. A mother of two, Hannah enjoys writing on blogs of all niches.

How To Set A Simple Family Budget For Everyone

11/29/2016 By Jenn Leave a Comment

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Setting a family budget plan sounds far from complicated. After all, you just set a cash amount, stick with it, and everything will turn out fine, right? Oversimplification of family budget plans are the root cause of why families fail to achieve the financial goals they set out for. People cannot effectively cover all major and minor expenses, which result in surprises and setbacks.

How To Set A Simple Family Budget For Everyone

Prioritize Food

Food and water are both basic necessities for every family. Set aside a percentage of your income for monthly groceries, with the general consensus being 5 to 15 percent of your monthly income. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average household family budget for food in the United States is 12.9 percent.

By planning meals in advance, you can purchase food in bulk, which saves on cost per item and gas from back-and-forth trips to the grocery store.

Distribute Allowances on a Monthly Basis

If a monthly allowance is too big of a cost on your family budget, you can choose to do a shorter time frame schedule, such as bi-weekly or even weekly. Give your spouse and/or children their allowances for that time frame and let them manage the cash on their own. This not only lessens the burden of what you have to keep track of but also teaches them values and techniques on how to best handle cash.

List Your Transportation Costs

Going to and from place to place can take its toll on your income more than you might realize. Transportation cost isn’t just about monthly car payments, but gas, maintenance, and repairs as well. If you take the bus or train, look at the cost of buying a day pass versus the cost of buying a monthly pass. Most of the time, the latter is cheaper and avoids having to stop by the ticket booth frequently.

Consult Experts

It will cost some initial investment, but financial planning for the family is a worthwhile investment that pays off in dividends over time. Family financial planners can review your investments and insurance policies to assess its compatibility with your circumstances and goals and, if needed, make corrections to better achieve that predetermined path.

Frugality is an attribute that isn’t innate or limited to a handful of people. Any individual or family can hone the attribute into a habit that they can use on a daily basis to improve their quality of life.

Guest Post: Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.

How To Entertain Your Family On A Budget

11/01/2016 By Jenn Leave a Comment

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Most families want to spend time together and increase the bond that they share by having fun and getting out on the town. Unfortunately, it can be expensive to purchase tickets to a show or visit a ballgame with multiple people.

To ensure that you can afford entertainment for the whole family, there are a few ways to entertain your family on a budget.

Look for Groupon Deals

Groupon and other daily deal websites offer a number of entertainment services and goods at discounted rates each week, which can make it easy to purchase admission to attractions in the local area, according to blog.cengagebrainiac.com. Revolve your fun around the deals that are available to ensure that you can visit theme parks or the movies at a lower rate. You can also follow certain social media pages like ACN Inc to stay updated on deals that are available throughout the month to find ways of having fun without compromising on the activities that you can enjoy. Everything is always more fun when you can find a good deal!

Search for Discount Days

Many different museums or comedy clubs offer days of the week where prices are lower to get in, making it easy to save more when you pay at the door. Call around to local establishments and attractions to ask about upcoming days when admission is priced at a lower rate. Student discounts are also available if you or any of your children are currently enrolled in college.

Purchase Entertainment Books

Entertainment books include hundreds of different coupons that will allow you to visit restaurants and attractions at a lower price in your city. Purchase one or two books each year to obtain savings and browse through a variety of coupons that will allow you to have a selection on where you want to spend time as a family. You can enjoy staying busy by attending Broadway performances or racing go-karts at a fraction of the price.

Ask About AAA Discounts

Many establishments offer AAA discounts for those who have a membership with the auto club for additional savings that can be obtained, according to moneycrashers.com. Find theme parks or local theatres that offer discounts and obtain a AAA membership to save more on various entertainment options throughout the year.

Purchase Annual Passes

Annual passes are a great way of paying a flat rate to visit theme parks or museums without spending more money on tickets each time you want to enjoy a bit of entertainment. Many companies and establishments are willing to reduce the cost of visiting the park with annual passes that allow you to visit the location multiple times throughout the year without spending more, making it easy to receive more entertainment at a lower price.

Visit New Establishments

Many new attractions in each city often try to get people in the door by lowering their prices after they’ve opened their doors. You can also ask if they price match their fees compared to other places in the area for a chance to obtain lower rates and visit new places as a family. You can also win free giveaways or tickets by attending grand openings at places that offer entertainment.

Purchase Tickets at Wholesale Clubs

Wholesale clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club sell tickets to the movies and theme parks at a lower rate throughout the year, making it easy to save more money and use the tickets at your convenience. Obtain a membership to the wholesale clubs to have access to the lower prices and frequent water parks or the zoo in your local area.

Overall, there are tons of great ways to save money on fun ways to entertain your family. All you have to do is take your time to do your research. That way you can save as much money as possible while still being able to have a good time with your friends and family.

What are your favorite ways to entertain your family on a budget?

Guest Post: Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.

Money Saving Tips for Decorating the Home and Staying On Budget

09/07/2016 By Jenn 9 Comments

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When it comes to decorating your home you don’t have to break the bank to show your decorating skills. Finding great deals to decorate your home is all a matter of planning and timing.

There are many different ways to decorate on a budget. Here are money saving tips for decorating the home.

Shop thrift shops, second hand stores, and garage sales

Thrift shops, second hand stores, and garage sales are all great ways to find amazing deals on good quality items for decorating your home. You have to look past the dust and old paint but look at the bones of the item. If it has good bones, you can clean the items up or repaint the items.

Refurbish items yourself

This is the part of fixing up the good quality used items that you find for great deals. Cleaning the item, repairing any damage, and painting will go long in making a used item look new again. There are so many things you can do to take items that are used and recycle, reuse and make a difference in your decor. It is, also, valuable to the environment to reduce, reuse, and recycle by keeping items out of the landfills.

Buy your big items during the big sales

There are times of the year that you can get amazing deals on the pieces of furniture or other big ticket items to decorate your home. Save up your money and buy during black Friday sales, New Year’s is another good sales time, or during Memorial weekend. You can save a lot of money by shopping during these times of the year.

Make small changes that make a big difference

Even making small changes can make a big difference. Small changes like changing your curtains, adding a new painting or re-staining your dining room table can make a huge difference in your overall decor.

Use your creative side

Whatever you like to do, bring your creative side, and decorate your home putting your personal touch. If you like to paint, repainting your room will make great strides in redecorating your home. If you like to sew, make new curtains or new pillow covers for your sofa. All the small changes add up to help you get the decor look you want.

Whenever you can DIY

Just because you’ve never done something before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Use DIY websites to look up any project you want to take on. If you want to refurbish a piece of furniture and you’ve never done it before, find a website to get instructions. You can watch videos to show you demonstrations on how to do the project you want to do.

Buying smart, refurbishing items, making small changes, using your creative side, and doing it yourself are all great ways to help you decorate your home while saving money. You can have the home you’re proud of with a little planning and creative work.

What saving money tips to decorate would you add to this list?

How To Save On Groceries Without Using Coupons

07/13/2015 By Jenn 2 Comments

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Trying to save on groceries when you are a tight budget can be difficult. For many years when my kids were little and I decided to stay home couponing was my thing. I got things for free, stores would pay me to “buy” items and my grocery budget was in check under $50 every week for a family of 5.

Well 5 years later it has not been as much as a priority for me. Don’t get me wrong I still use them here and there but researching, printing, clipping and going from store to store became to much work for me. It really does not take that much time when you know how to play the couponing game but it got harder as my kids got older.

I have played around with how to save on groceries without heavy couponing for a few months now. And yes I am spending a little more money each week but I am not burnt out from chasing deals and it feels great to just hit up one or two stores each week.

Here are my favorite tips to save on groceries without using a single coupon:

I Still Shop The Sales

Each week when my circulars come out I browse through them. I make a list just based on what’s on sale that week and stick to it as best as I can.

Score BOGO Items

BOGO is an instant savings of 50%. When a product goes BOGO at my grocery store I stock up for the next few weeks so I know I get the best savings.

Menu Plan

I have always used a menu plan but I have really cracked down on it this past year. I only buy the sale items for the week and plan my menu accordingly.

Shop Once A Week

As I menu plan I go through my pantry and see if I ran out of a staple for that week. I know if I go back to the store a second time during the week I am bound to wind up with more in my shopping cart.

Set A Weekly Cash Budget

I always did this, even when I used coupons. For our family of 5 I try to stay under $125 each week. That includes groceries, toiletries and cleaning items. Most weeks I come in way under so I take that cash and apply it to the next week.

I do miss all the freebies from time to time, I mean who doesn’t like the word free? So, I may go back to heavier couponing once all my kids are in full time school. But for now these tips help me feel like I am still in control of my money and still saving where I can.

What are your favorite ways to save on groceries?

How To Start Budgeting – The Easy Way

07/03/2015 By Jenn 7 Comments

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Just about everyone at some point realizes they have been spending too much money and recognizes the need for budgeting. This need to learn how to budget spending properly is a valuable skill that many people need to improve. The process is a little like losing weight: you start out slowly by making a few easy changes to your lifestyle, and these changes gradually build up until they become second nature.

Here a few thing that you can get started with on your budgeting adventure.

Get Started – Make the Decision to Save

As an example, a person who realizes they’ve been eating too many high-calorie foods starts losing weight by reducing portion sizes and slowly replacing unhealthy foods with whole fruits and vegetables. In the same way, a person who realizes he’s been spending too much money can begin building a life-long financial plan by reducing unneeded expenditures and then finding more cost-effective solutions for his necessary expenditures. Recognizing where you can save is essential to success and a preliminary evaluation is necessary in most cases. Take a look at where you can improve or ask someone to audit your spending for you.

Don’t Shop at Convenience Stores

A possible scenario could be someone spending $10 to $15 every day on energy drinks and snacks from convenience stores or gas stations. Every month, this person spends $300 to $450 on unhealthy food and added sugar. This type of spending can become a habit that’s hard to break, so doing so gradually might be the only option. After eliminating junk food, sodas, energy drinks and cappuccinos, the next way to save money is by cooking all your food at home instead of eating out. By eating only at home, you not only make it much easier to plan your monthly budget, but you make it much easier to count the calories you’re consuming every day.

Eliminate Unnecessary Expenses

The next step is to use a budget calculator to add up your monthly expenses and see what can be eliminated. Write down all your monthly bills, and then add up the total amount of money you spend each month. Begin reducing your expenses by making a second list only of bills that can’t be avoided, such as rent, utilities and credit card payments. Ideally, your monthly expenditures should resemble this shorter list as much as possible, but you will probably need to spend a reasonable amount of money on entertainment each month. It’s okay to spend money on something that isn’t strictly necessary if it enriches your life and makes achieving your goals easier.

If you’ve never thought about optimizing your budget before, you may be surprised by how much you can save. The bottom line is that you won’t be able to stop wasting money without a minimum level of self-discipline. If it helps, you can start your new lifestyle by throwing a wasteful, gluttonous party for yourself to get all the bad urges out of your system.

This is a guest post written by Meghan. Meghan is a freelance writer, blogger and researcher from Oklahoma.
She enjoys being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise as well as researching new topics to expand her horizons.

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