It doesn’t matter how strict you are with your money, having kids is EXPENSIVE! It can be awkward to ask other parents what they are doing to save money and make every penny count, so I decided to do it for you! I surveyed parents on my Facebook page to see what advice they had to offer about saving money with a family. They really cam through with some AWESOME ideas!
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Buy big ticket baby items in gender neutral colors and styles. We bought monkey themed items for my daughter, so when my son was born, we had plenty of newborn things ready to go that we didn’t have to buy again. We can’t get away with it too much now that they are older, but it was great in the beginning. -Jen
Start early with a small allowance, and require your kids to purchase (in part or in full) age appropriate items. This will begin a lifetime of wise, appropriate spending habits! – Cheryl
Sign up for swagbucks it lets you to earn a little extra money without too much effort. They have your typical surveys and such, but the reason I really love this one is that you can get rewarded for searching on the internet AND get cashback on many of your online purchases. It comes in really handy when ordering Christmas gifts, but I use it year round! Sign up for swagbucks here (it’s free, so no risk!) You could start earning money for searching online, watching music videos and ordering online, today! – Paula
Shop at garage sales when you can and don’t hesitate to buy a size or two up when you’re able, especially if clothing items are $1 or less. Children’s jeans, for instance, do not change that much pick those up and maintain a tote for each child marked “clothes to grow into” – Angelina
Stop buying stuff. – Katelyn
Don’t sign up for zulilly, veryjane, pickyourplum or other ‘deal of the day’ type sites. – Rachel
Garage sales, Goodwills, Salavation Army stores… You have to be choosy, but the deals are great, especially on the sale days. – Karen
protip: if you don’t want to shop in person, try the online secondhand store, thredup for kid’s clothes and even clothes and accessories for yourself ($10 free to the store through this link… that’s enough to buy something!)
Don’t buy new for pretty much anything but car seats. Clothes & other gear don’t need to be new! Sell when you’re done. Cloth diaper. Seriously, saves you thousands, can be used for more than one kid, and they retain a resale value as well. – KC
When your child reaches adolescence and decides on a hobby/sport…rent, borrow, or purchase used as MUCH as possible. Teens change their minds almost as fast as the weather in Texas, so don’t blow a bunch of cash on a saxophone you may be pawning a month from now! – Cheryl
Store brands are just as good as name brands. – Shannon
You don’t really need much for a baby! And cloth diaper, if possible! – Tabatha
Buy the next size up at end of season sales!! – Juanita
Forget disposable diapers, use cloth diapers to save money. Diapers can be a huge waste of money. Cloth diapering is easier than I ever thought it would be and it saved us thousands. Per kid. – Find out more about how to get started cloth diapering here.
I started a clothing and food exchange and just kept recycling the clothes all the way up until they hit hard to find adult sizes. It was explained to me that men don’t have giveaway clothes because its all used in a chain (formal, dressed up, work, casual, cleaning, cleaning rags). Many times you buy food and they won’t eat it so trade it for another kids rejected item. I never bought toys since there is lots of giveaway items and special occasions where they get them. – Karen
Want to add to the conversation? Comment below or click through to Facebook to join in the fun there!
What is the BEST savings tip you could offer another parent?
Posted by Beauty Through Imperfection on Friday, February 20, 2015
What is the best savings advice you’ve ever heard from another parent?
Tracy Murchison says
Hi, Paula. I saw your blog via Your Modern Family. It caught my attention because I rarely meet any other Rollos. My maiden name is Rollo, but we have few relations that we know. But my dad’s cousin Bobby lives near Houston (the last I knew anyway).
On another topic, I use homemade cleaners (and detergent when I can make it), rags instead of paper towels, to save on some costs. We don’t eat out much, either. :)
Have a great day!
apkwhiz says
great saving tips. few are really interesting in the list.
Priscilla says
YES to the buying sizes up in their clothing.], especially if you have multiple kids, because if it won’t fit one of them, it will fit someone eventually! My three boys are skinny and we need the Gymboree pants that have the adjustable waist: but they are pricey (and now they are going out of business.) I have gotten probably 10 or so pairs of pants there on clearance that hung around in my next sizes up box in the kids’ closet until they grew into them! My tip is to use your freezer! I buy meat in bulk on sale and freeze it. I make extra soup and freeze it. My kids have food allergies, so we rarely eat out and it is so helpful to have an extra freezer to help me with that and we save the moolah! Great post!