Everyone wants to cut back on household expenses and these tips are perfect for seriously cutting your household expenses in half. Some are easy to accomplish while others may be drastic measures that only a few families can manage. All will help to cut back on the money you are spending each month to maintain your home.
Downsize as much as possible.
While this may seem obvious, many families overlook the bigger ways to downsize as they feel they are impossible. Things like moving to a smaller and less expensive home, selling the second family vehicle or simply decluttering items from your home that are no longer needed can easily create more money in the budget.
Limiting extra curricular activities can also be a great way to cut household expenses. This can mean limiting the number of teams your kids play on, your own gym memberships or even your weekly nights out with friends. You don't have to eliminate everything, but you can downsize your activities to a more manageable amount.
Start couponing regularly.
Simply Frugal brings you tons of coupon deals on a regular basis, and using these to save money on everything from food to household supplies can greatly cut back your household expenses. Just make sure to not get carried away and spend more than normal just because you have a coupon for something. Utilize coupons for the best deals on products you would already normally be purchasing.
Cut out extra expenses.
Check your household budget for things you are spending money on that can be eliminated. (Even if it's temporary.) This can be eating out, new clothing splurges or even special channels on cable television.
There are a lot of little purchases made each month that can add up fast.
You may also consider spending time calling insurance companies, policies and banks to try and eliminate any unnecessary monthly fees. Check your credit cards and pay off or transfer balances on those that have higher interest rates so you save a little more money each month on expenses.
Make your own household products.
One easy way to cut household expenses is to begin making your own products to use around the house. Homemade laundry detergent, fabric softener, stain remover or even homemade body scrubs and lotions can all be made for less than store bought products, and you will like the fact that they contain fewer harsh chemicals.
Monitor utility expenses and cut back when possible.
Usually next to mortgage/rent and food, utility expenses are the highest monthly bill. You can monitor these regularly and cut back by conserving water, adjusting your thermostat or even investing in solar panels or better energy efficient utility systems.
Grow your own food.
A garden is a great way to save moneyon your grocery budget. It can also be a wonderful way to cut household expenses by providing not only for the current food you need, but year round.
Can or freeze fresh fruits and vegetables you grow to use throughout the off seasons. In urban areas you may also consider raising chickens to provide your family with eggs and chicken to eat later in their lives.
Have one spouse become a stay at home parent.
This is a drastic choice, but it can easily lead to household expenses being less. If you are paying a lot each month in childcare expenses, take out or even someone to come clean your home, then it may be even more financially beneficial for one parent to stay home with the kids instead. The savings on daycare will be huge, but you can also save by being able to menu plan, keep the household running smoothly and perhaps doing some work at home projects.
These tips to cut back on household expenses are just a few of the many ways you can work your way to being more financially free. Reducing expenses is the number one way, which is obvious. How to do that can be difficult depending on your individual situation. Think outside the box and your household expenses can be cut in half.
There are tons of tips for how to live frugally to pay off debt out there. But today, I have gathered some of what I feel are the best ways for you to focus your income to get rid of debt and create financial freedom. Some simple changes in how you view money can truly make all the difference in the world.
Create a functional household budget.
A functional household budget is actually looking at your true reliable monthly income and true reliable monthly expenses. Fluctuating pay from part-time jobs that aren't consistent, selling something online or occasional side jobs are not consistent and shouldn't be included in your household budget. Focus on what is your primary income, then create a list of all your regularly occurring expenses. This list should include things like housing, utilities, transportation, health, savings, groceries and similar items.
A functional budget shows you what you have coming in and going out each month. If you have less coming in than going out, it's time to look closely at the differences. Is the difference because your income is too low, or is it because you're making poor spending choices? It's often a combination of both poor spending habits and an income issue. If you cannot easily change your income status, it's time to look at what your expenses actually are and streamline as much as possible. That means eliminating things that are not necessities until you are in the clear and able to meet your needs.
Understand wants versus needs.
This is one of the biggest things to understand when you want to know how to live frugally to pay off debt. It boils down to what is coming in as income and going out as expenses. Typically the expenses that are unnecessary are what have to go. What is necessary to some is not to others. For my online business I have to have Internet at home to do my work efficiently. Others can do with using their cellular phone carrier for using the Internet. What is a necessity to me is a want for them. Take the time to look in detail at each item on your expense sheet and determine what can be removed as a want until you are better able to afford it.
Things to consider that are typically wants and not needs:
Newer vehicle
Larger home or living space
Pampering like: manicures, pedicures, professional hair styling, massages or spa treatments
Eating out
Entertainment like: new video games, movie theater tickets, or amusement parks
Make savings a priority.
Ultimately if you want to live frugally to pay off debt, you need to also consider saving money in the process. For most families, debt racks up because of a lack of savings to pay for expenses that occur unexpectedly. A savings account is not just for vacations and future purchases, but for unexpected expenses. Job loss, poor health, vehicle repairs or even a new roof on your home can all happen out of nowhere and quickly incur debt if you do not have a savings fund in place.
Once you realize what you have coming in and going out each month, you can begin to focus on how and where to save money. Using coupons, eliminating expenses and cutting corners can all be done better once you understand what your true financial needs are.
Babies grow so fast, it's hard to keep them in clothes that fit! Don't miss these great places to find discount baby clothes that are of great quality and fit easily into your lifestyle if you're on a limited budget!
6 Places To Find Discount Baby Clothes
eBay
A huge powerhouse in the discount baby clothes industry is actually eBay. This online auction site is a great place to buy gently used and brand new items at a fraction of the price you would in a store. Check out various large lots of clothing for the best prices on bulk purchases with discounted shipping. You can also earn money back once those clothes have been outgrown by selling your own items on eBay for credit.
Craigslist/Kijiji
Looking at these popular online classified sites can bring you many opportunities to grab kids clothing and specifically discount baby clothes at great prices. Remember to always arrange to meet in a public place and have someone go along with you for safety.
Local Facebook Buy & Sell groups
There are so many buy & sell groups on Facebook. I happen to think they are a great place to find discount baby clothes. They are similar to a garage sale or yard sale, only online and easy to choose what you want without having to drive all over the place to find it. Much like Craigslist, it is important to arrange to meet in a public place and have someone come along with you for safety.
Thrift or second hand stores
There are tons of great thrift stores and second hand stores all over the place, and they are ideal for finding amazing discount baby clothes that will work into your budget and keep your little one clothed.
Consignment sales
Consignment stores and sales are an amazing place to sell your own gently used items, but also to buy great name brand items for your baby at deep discounts. Watch for pre-sale days, special offers and great name brand quality items for up to 75% off retail prices.
Hand me downs
Take any hand me down items that are offered to you from friends, family and neighbors. You'll be surprised at how many people will offer you items for your baby. Take what's offered and go through items to choose what you can and are able to use. Pass on the the items you aren't able to make use of to others.
These are some great places you can easily find discount baby clothes that are in great condition while staying within your budget. Your baby doesn't need a ton of clothing when they are little, but as they grow you'll find it can be costly to keep them in new sizes all the time. These tips will help you to manage keeping your baby in cute clothing without spending outside your budget.
If you are looking for a way to make planning, prep, and meals easier and faster you may want to begin by prepping in advance as soon as you bring home your groceries. Spend a couple hours on Saturday or Sunday to do food prep and you will be amazed at how much time you can save and stress you can avoid throughout your busy week.
The first part of good food prep is meal planning. If you sit down and work out at least a week's worth of meals in advance on paper, it serves several purposes in making everything run smoother.
You save money grocery shopping if you have a plan.
You won’t be wondering what’s for dinner at dinner time.
You can make healthier choices and set yourself up for success.
Meal and snack time options will be more plentiful.
Meal Plan & Shop
So sit down, make a list of dinners, lunches, breakfast ideas, plus your family's favorite snacks then make a grocery list. Grab the list, your coupons, and your wallet. Next head to the grocery store and load up on everything you need. Bring it home and set it all on the counter. Most times before I do a big grocery run I also like to scrub and empty out the fridge so it's ready to be loaded up for the week.
Once you've done your shopping for the week (or maybe even the month) and brought home bags overflowing with fresh vegetables, canned goods, pasta, meat, dairy, etc... Now what do you do with it? How do you prep it all for the week ahead so that you are not stressed with coming up with dinner every night at 5:00? I'm going to share with you my favorite tips, methods, and tricks for making weekly food prep work for you. We're going to prep for all 3 meals including bag lunches, and snacks.
If you need some inspiration, this book is a good resource with meal and snack plan ideas.
Gather Your Tools
Make sure you include these items on your shopping list if you are not already stocked up: Mason jars, freezer bags, sandwich bags, and plastic lidded containers in various sizes. These are key tools to meal prep success so I suggest designating a shelf or basket for storing these items handily. Reusable containers like this or like this are perfect for prepping lunches.
Bring home your groceries and set them out on the counter. You can go ahead and put away things like milk, butter, etc.. into your clean fridge. The idea behind meal prep is to get as much done in advance when you have time so that during the week you are just doing minimal work to get dinner on the table and lunches packed. Now you are ready to get started on The meal prep….
Fruits and Veggies
Wash them well to remove wax, dirt, and pesticides that may be on them. Place them in strainers or on paper towels to drain. Check your weekly menu and pre-prep your veggies for meals. Slice, dice, shred, etc.. I have a mandolinand I absolutely love it for food prep, makes it quick and easy. I just rinse between different items and move on to the next one. Once I've finished the slicing and dicing, I divide them up into bags and smaller plastic storage containers. Don’t forget to designate some for healthy snacks and put them in special containers. Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, apple wedges, grapes, cherries, etc… If salad is on your menu for lunches or dinners make those up as well. Mason jars are great for this.
Prep and cook meat
Again, looking at your meal plan, you can pre-cook a lot of your meat and freeze it for quick reheating and adding to your meals. Chili on your list? Brown and drain 1 pound of meat. Hamburgers? Go ahead with seasoning and flattening them. Place them in freezer bags divided by sheets of wax paper. If you buy meat in larger bulk packs to save money, but don’t want to cook it yet you can still divide it up into smaller portions before refreezing it.
Divide up snacks in individual packs
I tend to not buy many things already individually packaged because it costs a lot more. It's cheaper to buy a large bag of chips and divide it up yourself and really, it only takes a couple minutes to do. This is great for snack time or for packing lunches, you can just grab one or two items and toss them in the lunchbox.
Prep Lunches
If you have kids, my favorite trick is to turn an entire loaf of bread into peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. If you have the freezer space, make them all ahead and place in freezer bags, stack in the freezer then simply pull one out and pop in the lunches and it will be thawed and ready by lunch. You could do this with lunch meat and cheeses as well.
Make slow cooker meals
Make up your favorite slow cooker or Instant Pot meals in advance. Place meat, starches, veggies, and seasonings in big freezer bags. Freeze, and pull them out in the morning, dump into slow cooker and come home to a hot meal ready to go. Or pull it out and cook it quickly in your Instant Pot. If you don’t already own a slow cooker or Instant Pot you should definitely get one...or two. 🙂
Now, you're pretty much done and this gives you a fabulous start to your week with just a couple hours of preparation! Now grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up, you deserve it!
I do the bulk of my food prep in one day but during the rest of the week you should think ahead. If you make pancakes for breakfast then make a double batch and freeze extras in baggies for popping in the toaster on busy school mornings. Having soup for dinner? Freeze the leftovers in small plastic lidded containers for lunches.
I'd love to know how you prepare for the upcoming week. Let me know in the comments below!
Okay guys, today I want to know your number one money saving tip. The thing you do that saves you the most. Or some little hack that you do to to avoid spending full price on something. Then once we’re all done sharing our tips and tricks, I thought it would fun if I compiled all your ideas into one printable sheet that we can read again and again. (Don’t worry, this will be a free printable for everyone to enjoy!)
Let’s get on with it shall we?
I’m Wondering: What is Your #1 Money Saving Tip?
Do you have something you’re wondering about that you would love Simply Frugal readers to answer? Send me your questions, here.
If you need some inspiration, 
Bring home your groceries and set them out on the counter. You can go ahead and put away things like milk, butter, etc.. into your clean fridge. The idea behind meal prep is to get as much done in advance when you have time so that during the week you are just doing minimal work to get dinner on the table and lunches packed. Now you are ready to get started on The meal prep….