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Having a family is one of the greatest gifts we could ever receive as moms—but we all know, the best things in life aren’t free. With that slowly building college fund, sports equipment, open mouths to feed, and family trips to everywhere from Disneyland to the movies, anything and everything adds up!
And if you don’t plan well, headaches and stressful days will be a daily battle you need to face. It would be best to check out what others do effectively and apply them to your own approach. Who knows, that may be the best thing you can do to not only fulfill your obligations but also set aside some funds for a rainy day.
There is hope, though. A few cost-cutting tricks in various facets of life can save money on monthly expenses, and so you can be a #ProudMama not only of your kids but of yourself for keeping the family afloat and in smooth financial sailing:
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With multiple family members using the power at all times from every end and room of the house, it is fairly easy to drive up the utility bill.
Smart home appliances are a good long-term investment if you have the resources. These technologies could range from high-efficiency washers and dryers to smart-controlled LED light bulbs.
You can control your connected devices from other smart devices, such as your iPhone if you want to shut off the lights at work while you’re away.
Come to think of it: If you have very old and outdated appliances, especially your HVAC system, they might be the primary reasons your electricity bills are taking an upward trajectory. It would benefit you in the long run if you invested in a newer and more efficient model. You’ll notice that your natural gas heating bill will be much more tolerable, especially during the cold winter months.
Apart from optimizing energy efficiency with smart devices, there are other ways to save energy.
Reduce Your Cell Phone Bill
Cell phone bills can get pretty pricey, especially if you don’t take the time to look into what you’re actually paying for. If you’re not already on a family plan for all the cell phones ringing in the house, it’s time you get on the money-saving train.
Carriers like T-Mobile are making this easier by offering various phone plans which give everyone unlimited data. This is perfect for your teenyboppers who are constantly Instagramming and Snapchatting (and playing Pokémon Go) and hiking up data usage.
This means no more surprise overages, and combining all the lines under the same plan saves you significant money compared to individualized options for each person. Even being able to save as little as $10/month can really add up.
Surprising Ways to Cut Household Costs on Entertainment
It’s 2016—cable is not a necessity, but something like the Apple TV might be. In a day in age where you can stream every show essentially online or in an app, all you really need is a device that connects to your TV monitor to house all your entertainment necessities from music, shows to movies.
So, cancel your pricey cable contract, and opt for a device like the Roku, Google Chromecast, or Apple TV and stream apps with super-low monthly subscription fees like Netflix.
In some homes, having three television sets does not mean you also need three devices subscribed. It would be better to practice TV-watching as a family bonding time and just opt for at least two devices under subscription. This way, the monthly plan is a bit lower. You will not only save but also have fond memories with your family streaming horror or funny movies and eating popcorn.
Plus, if you still have friends with cable, here’s a pro tip – use their cable provider login for access to premium channel apps like Showtime Anytime and HBO Go.
Save Money Each Month on Food
Buying in bulk is one of the perks for feeding a family because you can fully capitalize on a Costco or Sam’s Club wholesale discount.
However, cooking at home is also an obvious money-saving trick and an often healthier choice to keep the entire family eating well and having control of exactly what nutrients are being taken in.
Money-Saving Hacks for Wine
With all the stresses of taking care of others, it’s more than okay to take the edge off by sipping a glass of wine. But buying individual bottles of wine can add up, and it’s not a necessity (although we moms know it is).
Try getting boxed wine— no, not Franzia, but a premium quality vino like Bota Box. There are four bottles in one box, it’s less than $20 and it lasts way longer than opened corkscrew bottles.
It’s a switch-up that allows winning and winning in every way.
Extreme Budget Hacks for Transportation
Carpooling is the way to go when you want to save some dough on regular trips to soccer practice. Make some friends with other parents on your kid’s team and coordinate a carpool. You get more free time and amplify your social network indirectly.
Another way to drive and save is taking ride-share services instead of taxis. If you need to get the crew to the airport for the family vacay, opt for Uber to cut the cost of that long trip to the airport in half.
And if you’re looking to go from one side of town to the other, try public transportation and make it an adventure for the kids!
When you have a family to take care of, every penny counts. There are so many ways to save on monthly expenses, so start taking charge of those financials to ensure a bright future for everyone you love!
Do you know any other household hacks to save money?
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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Very good tips. We cut the cable years ago and have been using Amazon Prime and Netflix. I think we are going to drop Netflix and go with HBO go or add it. The cost of both HBO go and Netflix is still sp much less than what we were paying for many channels nobody ever watched.
We still have cable. It’s really only there for my husbands sports.
These are great tips to save! As always, I truly appreciate the advice as we are definitely a family on a budget!
What helps your family save money?
These are great tips, thanks for sharing! We have never paid for cable and just use streaming. Before streaming we relied solely on DVDs/Blu-rays for entertainment. I also try to plan my weekly shopping trips with a list and try to make from scratch as much as I can.
Wow, never have paid for cable. You must be pretty young, although like you said you could get by with DVDs and such. That’s def a way to save money!
Great tips. We have to have cable though because there are so many shows we like to watch.
What shows? You’d be surprised what streaming services have and they can save you a lot of monthly bills.