Over the next several weeks, you’ll be seeing some posts about ‘How to Save’ on some of our regular household purchases. I hope to provide useful tips to help you save!
As we all know, dairy products contain important vitamins and nutrients necessary to our well being. Therefore, it’s important that you and your family make sure that you get enough dairy products on a daily basis. Unfortunately, sometimes the grocery budget does not allow you to buy an assortment of cheeses and yogurts on a weekly basis. However, follow these tips and you can learn how to save on dairy products:
Purchase Skim Milk
Since homogenized and 2% milk is usually higher in price than skim milk, you can save some money on your milk purchases if you buy skim milk instead. If skim milk isn’t your thing, consider using it only in your morning tea or coffee. Or, for recipes that need milk but don’t depend on the milk for flavour.
Buy Powdered Milk
Buying powdered milk is another great way to save. Use it in your in your coffee or tea or in your baking. Simply follow the instructions as to how much powder and water is needed to get the amount of milk that you need. If you don’t anticipate using much powdered milk, don’t buy a big bag. Buy a small quantity from a bulk food store to avoid spoiling.
Buy Food Made with Dairy Products
Another way that you can make sure that your family gets the dairy products that they need, without breaking the bank, is to buy prepared foods that contain dairy products. An example would be a spinach and ricotta cheese lasagna. It’s cheaper to buy it already made than putting it together yourself.
Watch for Clearance Stickers
When your walking the dairy section at your grocery store, keep your eyes open for clearance stickers! I regularly find them on yogurt. Since yogurt usually lasts quite a bit longer than the best before date, I know I can use it in a timely matter.
Make your Own Dairy Products
Making your own dairy products is not difficult to learn. Why not try your hand at homemade yogurt,butter, cream cheese or homemade sour cream! This is the ideal time to use those products you got on clearance.
The above tips are just a few ways that you can save on your dairy purchases. If you happen to purchase yogurt, try buying the larger containers as opposed to the individual servings as they do cost more money. Keeping an eye on your flyers for promotional sales on dairy products will also help you to save even more money.
Thanksgiving. A time to gather family and friends. Many family and friends, which of course, can be expensive! But hosting Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t mean you have to spend and arm and a leg to create a Thanksgiving to remember.
Consider these tips for a thanksgiving on a budget:
Determine your Budget
First things first, determine how much you can spend. Decide on a budget, then use it to plan how you will spend that money. Even if your budget is $75, Thanksgiving dinner can be done, but it's important to have a number in mind so you know how to divide it up to cover all the bases.
Plan the menu
Now that you're armed with a budget, it's time to start planning the menu. The best way to keep your budget in check is to plan simple dishes with in-season ingredients. Recipes that include fancy/expensive ingredients can really eat up the budget in a hurry. Don't forget to put those coupons to use!
Make it a potluck
While you're planning your menu, you decide if your guests will be bringing any dishes to help with costs. A potluck can be tons of fun. I love tasting all the different dishes, especially since they're usually different from the usual fare that is served at home time and time again.
Decorate with the outdoors
While a Thanksgiving table can simply be decorated with the food that is being served, you might want to add a few items to make it more festive. Consider using items that you can collect from the outdoors. Leaves, pine cones, and cedar branches can all add a nice touch to the dinner table. Throw in some items you already have on hand (candles, table cloths...) to finish it off.
Borrow
If you find you don't have enough plates, or you don't have a roasting pan, it's completely unnecessary to run to the store to buy those items if you can easily borrow them from someone.
Finally, you can celebrate Thanksgiving on a budget, but it really all boils down to the fact that you're celebrating with family and friends! Take the time to enjoy each others company. That my friends, is free!
What are your tips for a budget-friendly Thanksgiving? What are your favourite Thanksgiving recipes?
Halloween is such a fun time of the year. Seeing all of the little ones in their cute and scary outfits, passing out candy, decorating and parties!
Halloween can also get pretty expensive, some of those awesome costumes will run you $50 or more! That kind of money seems a little excessive for one day of fun. Getting your decorations, candy and Halloween costumes on a budget is doable and actually pretty easy.
Affordable Halloween Costume Ideas
First of all, here are some creative Halloween costume ideas on a budget that are fun and easy to put together:
Ghost: An old white sheet with cut-out eye holes.
Zombie: Torn-up old clothes, dark makeup, and fake blood (which can be made at home with corn syrup and food coloring).
Mummy: Toilet paper or white bandages.
Tourist: Hawaiian shirt, shorts, a camera, sunglasses, and a fanny pack.
BlackCat: Black clothes, a headband with DIY cat ears (made from cardboard), and drawn-on whiskers using eyeliner.
Superhero: An old bedsheet or towel as a cape, tights, and a t-shirt with a drawn or taped-on emblem.
Vampire: Black clothes, a makeshift cape (old sheet), and dark makeup for the face. DIY fangs from paper.
Hippie: Tie-dye shirt, headband, bell-bottom jeans, and peace sign accessories.
80s Workout Enthusiast: Neon leggings, headband, and an old sweatshirt cut at the shoulders.
Skeleton: Black clothes with white tape or paint to create a skeleton outline. Add some face paint for extra effect.
Pirate: Striped shirt, a bandana, eye patch (which can be DIY with cardboard), and some torn pants.
Witch: A black dress, DIY pointy hat from cardboard, and a broom.
Robot: Cardboard boxes, tin foil, and silver paint.
Lumberjack: Plaid shirt, jeans, beanie, and a cardboard or plastic axe.
Now that you have some simple to put together costume ideas, let's take a look at even more ways to save.
Host a Costume Swap
In mid to late September put together a Halloween costume swap. Invite moms from your community to bring costumes from previous years to the swap. Everyone at the swap gets to look for costumes that fit their children. This is a great way to get a free costume and connect with other moms in your local area. You can advertise your costume swap by work of mouth, flyers or create a Facebook group for people in your area.
Shop Second Hand Stores
Come early October second-hand stores will be flooded with Halloween costumes. Before you look at any high-priced costume shops make sure to check out local thrift shops. You can find basic costumes to very impressive and expensive costumes. The best part is the prices are great!
Shop Late
Halloween stores need to sell all of their merchandise before Halloween. Once Halloween is over these shops close their doors for the year. Try shopping one or two days before Halloween and you will probably see lots of costumes that have been discounted by 50% or more! This could mean some huge savings but the downside is the inventory is usually limited.
Make Your Own
Making your own Halloween costume is possible and can be done without touching a sewing machine. Look around your house and see what you already own and what you can turn into a costume. Have an old cheerleading outfit, football uniform, golf clubs or just a scary mask sitting around. Get creative and let your imagination run wild. Get your children used to making their own costumes and not dressing up in the same costume everyone else is wearing. You can also spend some time searching Pinterest for creative and fun costumes to make at home.
Visit a consignment shop.
Check out local consignment shops for used costumes. Many consignment shops carry children’s costumes during the fall season, so you can often find one at a great price. If you want, you can even take some of your old costumes in for cash. This will help free up some funds for this year’s costumes. Call your local consignment shop and ask if they will be carrying Halloween costumes this season.
Saving in Other Areas
For Halloween candy and decorations there are also ways to save. Make sure to check your local Dollar Store for decorations and candy. Typically, they have a large selection of holiday items. Shopping the day after Halloween can sometimes save you up to 75% on next years decorations!
What are your favourite Halloween costumes on a budget?
I thought I'd share a frugal tip that my mom taught me quite a few years back because I happen to think it's a really great tip!
Before buying any new clothing, always consider the Cost Per Wear. I like to think that an article of clothing costs me $1.00 each day I wear it. So, for example, consider the basic t-shirt that costs $10. Can I see myself wearing it for 10 days out of the year at the cost of $1.00 per wear? If so, then it's absolutely worth purchasing.
Another example: You spot a really funky top that you can see yourself wearing to the office party next week. It is on the clearance rack for $20, but, can you see yourself wearing it 20 times? If you can only picture yourself wearing it to one event, $20 per wear, might be a bit much. Of course, that's ultimately for you to decide.
The cost per wear of $1.00 might seem really low to you, but aiming for a goal of a Cost Per Wear of $3.00 or less is ideal if you want to get the most bang for your wardrobe buck.
Considering the Cost Per Wear is important because there’s a tendency for some bargain shoppers to focus only on the price of an item, rather than the usefulness of the item. In the long run, purchasing something you don’t need, will make any savings you may have initially made during the purchase, seem silly.
Another thing I enjoy doing is decorating my home. Making it a place of comfort and refuge while being appealing to the eye. I've found myself, over the years, drooling over beautiful magazine spreads and jaw dropping images of interiors around the web.
Not to be discouraged by the high price tag of the rooms I've been admiring, I've found my own ways to create rooms I love on a budget.
Paint
I'm sure you've all heard this before, but a can of paint really can do wonders to a room. Painting one, three or all four walls can transform the feel of a room in an instant, for less than $50! Take a whole bunch of paint sample chips home and place them against the walls throughout the day to pick a colour that will be right for you.
Don't always think of paint in terms of walls. Pick up a quart of paint for some old furniture that needs a facelift. Or my favourite, spray paint! I spray everything from candlesticks to mail boxes. I like to go with bright colours for these items since they add a bit of personality or drama.
Repurpose
I've been known to take old greeting cards and frame them in a cheap frame to create art for the walls. Or another favourite of mine, I buy nice, inexpensive dish towels to use as table runners for my coffee and kitchen tables. Think creatively!
Accessorize
Really, it's all in the accessories you use! Accessories are cheap in comparison to furniture pieces. Go for items in colours you'd never have the guts to use in large areas. For example, my kitchen, quite accidentally, is full of red accessories. These accessories happen to be practical though. A dish towel here, a red spatula there, and my piece de resistance, my beloved red KitchenAid mixer!
Play around and have fun with smaller items. I have a shelf of items that I like to rotate around my home so I don't get bored with a certain look. I like to call it shopping at home!
Splurge
Yep, you heard me, I said splurge! Just be smart about it. I'm a believer that with some items, like furniture, you'll save money in the long run if you purchase quality the first time. Have patience when it comes to buying the more expensive items as they will most likely end up on sale at some point!
Be Inspired
While looking through magazines or the like, ask yourself if you can recreate something you saw with items you already have or something from the thrift store. Fell in love with a dramatic black dresser with glass knobs? Make it yourself! It'll be a fraction of the cost. Inspiration can be found everywhere. A store window, a piece of fabric, a photograph or even scrapbook paper!
All in all, use your brilliant ideas to create the home of your dreams, that functions just as you want it to and is full of your own personality!
Being a stay at home mom isn't always roses and sunshine. Sure, we love being able to raise our children but there are times things get stressful. Money is usually pretty tight when there is only one income. We are always looking for ways to save money or bring in a little extra money! This list should give you some tips on how you can be saving and making money as a stay at home mom.
Turn Your Hobby into a Business
Just because you're at home taking care of the house doesn't mean you can't be a business woman at the same time. Think about your hobbies and skills and start a business out of it. Maybe you love to bake, sew or create graphics. Whatever it might be, try turning it into an online business. More and more stay at home moms are now starting businesses that they can run all while staying at home with their children.
Find a Work at Home Job (WAHJ)
There are several companies that will hire you to work from home. Some companies have a set time you have to work and others allow you to pick your own schedule. Working from home is a nice way to bring in some extra money and do it around your families schedule. Here are a few places that hire out of Canada.
If you’re just looking for coffee money I highly recommend joining Survey Junkie. If you want to do a few paid surveys for fun Survey Junkie is awesome for that.
Paying for mommy & me classes or any other classes for socializing the little ones can become very expensive! Try setting up playdates with other moms. This is a great way to save on those expensive classes and you have a chance to bond with other women in your community. You can set up playdates at your local park, library or at your home.
Get a Membership
As stay at home moms we love getting out of the house from time to time. No-one wants to be cooped up in the house all day, every day. You might want to consider investing in a membership to a local zoo, water park or any other local entertainment. Having an annual membership means you always have something to do without any large expenses involved.
Swap Services
Being a stay at home mom isn't always the easiest thing. There are times when you just want to have an afternoon to yourself or maybe you have an appointment and can't bring your little one. Paying for daycare when you're a stay at home mom is something just financially out of the question.
Look into swapping babysitting services with another stay at home mom. Maybe you can wash her children one day a week so she can have one day to relax or run errands and vice versa. This will help you save on those very expensive drop in daycare costs.
How do you save or make money as a stay at home mom?
