Money Saving Tips and Stay-at-Home Parents

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Stay-at-Home Parents

Money Saving Tips

Reader's Frugal Hints

Even during the best of times it can be difficult trying to make ends meet on one income. Saving a few cents here and there can make a big difference at the end of the month. In previous articles, our readers shared their frugal tips. This week, I would like to share more tips that parents have submitted. Thanks to everyone who has sent in their frugal hints!

Money Saving Tips

From Janice:
Dont throw out baby bottles; when finished use them for paint bottles. The brushes fit in well and you can use the disc to seal the top when not in use.

From Kerry:
To give a nice finished look to a picture or needlework you are framing for yourself or as a gift, cut a piece of brown paper grocery bag a bit bigger than you need to cover the back of the picture once you have the picture or needlework all inserted and held in place, etc. Run a bead of white glue around the back edge of the frame. (It doesn't take a lot of glue but it does need to be continuous) Then dampen the paper and place it on the glue. If there if printing on the bag you want that down so it doesn't show. Let it dry and it will be as tight as a drum when it has dried. Just take a bit of old sandpaper (finest grit you have laying around) and rub it gently on the edge of the paper against the frame edge. It will cut through the excess paper and trim it really neatly. This method looks really neat and professional as if you had taken it to a framer.

From Ashley:
Two tips to take advantage of consignment shops:

1) Clean out all of your closets, and bring anything you have not worn in a year, or that does not fit to a consignment shop. Kids clothes sell especially fast. When your clothes have sold, use store credit to buy clothes for your child. (I have done this since my son was a baby, and very rarely do I ever have to spend money on clothes for him- the old clothes pay for the new ones!)

2) Go yard sale shopping and pick up anything that you see that is in like-new condition regardless of size and take it to your consignment shop. I know people who do this for fun and make a few hundred dollars a month in profit!

From Jen:
My sister swells when she gets bee stings so we usually mix baking soda with water to draw out the poison and it also soothes and reduces the itching.

From Kerry:
Another obvious tip: Don't buy ice. I am amazed at how much money is spent on people buying ice when it is something anyone can make ahead and have ready with a little planning. For block ice you can use an ice cream bucket and with the lid on it won't leak as it melts and spoil anything in the cooler. (At the gas bar I work at part time people pay $2.09 for a block of ice!) Ice cubes can also be made ahead and saved in an old ice cream tub in the freezer and will stay fresh there.

From Karen:
My husband and I have three children, ages 11 and 3 yr old twins. When we go out to eat we all order water. It is not only free but the little-ones are not filling up on soda. We have found they eat better. At $1.00 or more per soda was are saving over $5.00.

From Leigh:
Here are tips that helped me save money:

1: When I moved for grad school I couldn't afford to rent a truck to move my things (mostly books and clothes, no furniture). So, I simply mailed them to myself through UPS. Not only was it very cheap, they brought the stuff right to my door (up two flights of stairs) which made it very easy for me to move.

2: I save paper bags from the grocery store and use them to wrap parcel packages. That brown paper costs a great deal when you buy it in a roll.

3. To keep my pantyhose from getting runs while in drawers I put each pair in the leftover cardboard rolls that hold toilet paper. Works great.

From Erica:
It takes time, but I ALWAYS comparison shop for groceries. When the circulars for the two big chains near me come out, I sit down with them, a calculator and a pen and decide what to get where. Also, don't assume that the bulk wharehouse places are always cheaper; sometimes they're not. We have a Costco and a Smart & Final (restaurant supply) near us, and Smart & Final is almost always cheaper than Costco (except for meat). I've managed to get my grocery bill down to about $70 every two or three weeks, which is about half of what I spent when we first got married and had two incomes!

Also, I recycle my ziploc bags whenever possible (I don't if they've had meat in them, though, or something really smelly). I just wash them with the dishes and dry them on a bottle drying rack, and they're fine. I haven't been as good about this one lately as in the past, but using cloth napkins also saves a bundle.

For birthday gifts, I keep my eyes open all the time for good deals -- pretty journals at Ross or Marshalls for $3 each, a box of 5 colored picture frames at Costco for $10. I've even started buying my greeting cards in the big assortment box at Costco. They may not always be the style I would have chosen, but people care more about what you write inside than what the outside says anyway.

From Diana:
I save a lot of money by borrowing videos from the local library. They have a children's selection and an adult selection. There is no charge and the videos can be kept for 7 days. Also, my 9 yr. old daughter loves to play office. She searched yard sales until she found a nice adding machine for $5.00. I save all my junk mail for her, and when she says she's bored, I hand her the mail and say, "Here, why don't you play office?" She likes to fill out the forms and use the envelopes. Often, she finds stickers, note cards, etc. in the mail which makes it even more fun. It keeps her busy for quite a while.

From Jenny:
When refrigerating celery, green onions, carrots and even lettuce, try wrapping them in foil. It keeps them fresh and crisp for very long periods of time.

I want to thank everyone for their tips and hints, and please keep them coming!

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