You probably have researched ways to save money as a stay at home mom. This lifestyle is magical in many ways but it also comes with its challenges and money can be one of them. If you’re looking for expertise from Dave Ramsey or One big happy life then, this isn’t the post for you. This post has 11 extraordinary tips on how to save money with simple principles and it all boils down to honesty. Keep reading and you’ll find these 11 tips on ways to save money as a stay at home mom simple and you’ve probably used some of these tactics but never thought of them as real strategies, but hey, they are!
This post is all about ways to save money as a stay at home mom that will change your life and bring you incredible peace
I have not always been the best at managing money. Today I’m better, but a few yesterdays ago I was irresponsible with not only my finances but my family’s. The truth is, money is hard to manage perfectly, especially if you’re unaware of the emotional aspect of money that no one talks about enough. Or how money is an extension of who you are at your core. It’s more than just managing numbers and I believe that’s what most people struggle with. They don’t truly understand money for what it actually is. Money is a neutral entity, therefore it’s only good or bad based on who is handling it. So, if money is causing you to stress then there is something within you that needs to be improved upon. Even if it’s someone else’s doing, there is something on a deeper level that needs to be addressed immediately. I read somewhere (most likely on a blog) that you can tell what is important to a person by looking at their checkbook.
The truth about Money
For a long time, I had the wrong idea about money. Literally just going with vibes, right? No real money principles or standards. I just basically unconsciously spent and made choices based on unsustainable reasons. Growing up we definitely weren’t taught about money in a real way at school and in my home money was a subject of stress and pain. When money was brought up it was always negatively presented. My parents separated and money was a big reason for that split. So as I became an adult, money was a topic I was not comfortable discussing and then I became married. Whoah! When you are married money is a serious topic because how you handle money affects another person and not just you. And you can literally hold the person you love back by not doing the right thing with your money.
The Journey of Money Management
After I finally started understanding what money is truly about, there was still a struggle in the midst of my education. I would do good for a few months and then bulldoze my progress and fall into a cycle of hopelessness. I soon came to realize that my money was going up and down just like my emotions. I was still emotionally motivated in terms of how I handled our money. One thing that helped me was being totally transparent about every dime I spent. For a while, my husband and I thought it was juvenile to tell each other about every miscellaneous dime that was used but, it helped to hold me accountable. After all, I did have an immature mindset about money that needed to mature. Money and deep honesty about yourself go hand in hand. And the more I revealed to myself and my husband about my innermost struggles with money, I became less afraid to be transparent.
“Money and deep honesty about yourself go hand in hand.”
I began to realize how powerful it is to tell yourself no and to quit spending so much unnecessary dough! The less you spend, the more money you will have. Period. As I started to become more aware of my money mindset I realized how often the thought of spending came across my mind. As a Stay-at-home-mom, by 11 o’clock, I would have already had four thoughts about going to four different stores to spend money! I realized it had become an escape for me and an escape from the depression that comes with being at home all the time. An escape from total reality! When we shop it’s an enjoyable time and it’s fun to shop because it makes us feel good. But you will feel even better when you take control of your life and your money.
So here goes……
11 Life-Changing Ways to Save Money as a Stay At Home Mom
- Take your husband with you when you shop. Ladies, we know that when we go to a store to grab a few things we “need” we come back home with the receipt showing we purchased more than a few things we needed. Taking your husband with you every time you shop is a life hack. He will make sure you get exactly what you came in there for.
- Buy the stuff then take it back. Sis keep your receipts. Listen this may sound crazy but sometimes I would go to target shop and pick up everything I see that I wanted and then, in the end, put it all back. I would even go as far as purchasing the items and then returning them all. The act of shopping is fun but the debt behind it is not.
- Kid consignment stores. We have a kid consignment store here in Georgia that is pretty good and I took my daughter’s pre-worn clothes there often. That’s also a great way to build your child’s savings account.
- Homemade stuff. I began to make my own toothpaste, house cleaner, and dish soap. It’s non-toxic and fun.
- Fitness Gym membership. Now even though money was spent monthly for the membership it was a great way to keep from spending because once you have the urge to shop you can just go to the gym. They have a great Kids Academy where you can drop off your kids and hit up the jacuzzi sauna take a class or do your own workouts.
- Have a weekly financial meeting. Have a weekly financial meeting with your husband to talk about what miscellaneous money was spent. This is a great accountability hack that will cause you to think twice about overspending because you know it’s going to be brought up in the meeting tonight.
- Call my husband to tell me to put every item back before I purchase anything. I’m telling you calling your husband is key to all of this (hahaha) he will be the reality check you need. One time I did this and he said “babe, you’re a consumer” (it kind of hurt my feelings) and he totally blew me. I put everything back and walked out of the store only paying $2.29.
- Create a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is a limited selection of clothing in your closet that complement each other. When you do buy clothes buy basics and neutral clothes. That way you can mix and match and create new outfits with the same clothes. Buying that cute floral dress is cool and all but if you buy that nude dress you can wear it more times in different ways.
- Buy groceries only for the week. Now, this may not work for everyone but buying groceries weekly helped me to only buy what I needed to cook for that week with some snacks in between. When I would buy for say the month I would end up buying things I didn’t use or we would eat everything up too fast. And it could make it easier to meal prep for the week, too.
- Facebook Groups: Community matters, and we are living in a time where there are communities you can join that have resources for help with whatever you need. And more importantly, real people who you can reach out to for support.
- Praying to help me become a master at saving and making money. Listen it’s okay to have faith while you work on your goals. And remember that’s the key, actually doing the work.
