Put The Money For Grocery Shopping And Such Into An Envelope, In Cash

Category: Finance, Personal Finance.

The budget is one of the big challenges for stay at home moms.

But if you challenge yourself to save money, you may be surprised at what you can accomplish. In many places it is really tough living on a single budget, and money is one of the biggest obstacles for people who want to stay at home but don t think they can. If you re even thinking about becoming a stay at home mom, this can be a good idea, just to see what you can do. That is, for a period of time( anywhere from a month to a year) , you spend no money on things that are not necessary. Some people take this to extremes and do a no- spend challenge. Groceries, mortgage, rent, utilities and such are fine, but buying new clothes that aren t needed would not be. Cheaper and better for the environment.

Better in such a challenge is to get resale clothing, rather than buying new. Try driving less. Gas prices have gone up tremendously over the past few years. If you can walk to it, do so. I ve found that my family can get by almost comfortably with only one car, which my husband takes to work. This has saved us a lot of money on gas, car maintenance and car insurance.

It limits the activities I can do with my kids, but there are still enough things within walking distance. Go through your kitchen cabinets and see what you really have too much of. Start figuring out recipes that will use up your excess. Sometimes it s very easy to buy too much of something, and then it just sits for years. Stop eating out. Being able to throw a home cooked meal into the microwave when you re too tired to cook can be a wonderful feeling.

If it s a convenience thing, start cooking ahead and putting the extra meals in the freezer. Look at your memberships. On the other hand, zoo and other memberships can be a great way to get affordable and fun time out for the family. Do you really use your gym membership, or has it just been sitting there sucking up money? Try the envelope system. This can help to keep you from overspending when you re at the grocery store. Put the money for grocery shopping and such into an envelope, in cash.

Absolutely forbid yourself to use the checkbook or credit card instead. Sometimes life throws you several loops at once. There are times where it s really hard to minimize your spending. But as you improve your overall spending habits you can be better prepared to cope.