Since my husband lost his job, we’ve been in super-frugal mode. We’ve been here before, so it’s just kind of implementing past methods we’ve found to work for us… But since we’re asked a lot by families thinking about having more kids how we make the pennies stretch (and still live comfortably), I’m going to share a few of our tricks with you.
Like the title suggests, some of this may sound a little extreme, but you can save tons if you do it right.
P.S. Check out our more recent take on saving money via technology here!
SUMMARY
These are the main methods we use to save money and still live well. You can, of course, tweak them to your family’s needs, but if you remember these basic concepts they will help you have more time and money for the things that really matter. Let me know if you have any money-saving tips to add, or view part two of this series by clicking below!
Another thing I admire you for, is buying a house that was less expensive than what you were ‘pre-qualified’ for. You were willing to wait to get a great deal on a short-sale, again, making your invested dollars go further. You also did your homework and took advantage of first time buyer benefits. Your wisdom on a large investment, is paying off now. Often, people aren’t willing to be conservative and they go for the big expensive home that might be hard to support even with a high paying job. If times get tough…the mortgage becomes almost impossible to pay.
This post was SO helpful! I am a 25 year old at-home mom to our sweet 10 month old. Transitioning to one income (albeit, a teacher’s income) is proving to be challenging for my husband & me. But, we know in our hearts this is the right lifestyle for our family. We are just constantly seeking ways to save & improve our quality of life. It’s amazing how creative you can get when working with a limited budget. Thank you so much for your insight & knowledge. I really look forward to reading more posts!
I love your tips! I wish my husband wouldn’t shower every day for 15 min! I shower every 2-3 days, and can be in and out in 4.5 minutes! Yes, I’ve timed myself. I shop thrift stores and use freecycle.org/ask friends if I need furniture. I have been a style/beauty blogger for over 3 years now and do get a lot of free products, so I can save on that stuff as well.
Zhenya
http://beingzhenya.com
Wow, that’s great you can shower in 4.5 mins haha! I prob could as well but the shower is about the only “alone time” I get with 4 kiddos so sometimes I drag it out a little. ;) Thanks for the tip on freecycle.org, don’t think I’d heard of that before!
Great tips! That’s awesome that you can go so long between showering. I have very oily hair that even dry shampoo won’t help so I have to shower every day but keeping the shower under five minutes is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. Visiting from ABFOL!
Great tips! We had to make drastic cuts a few years ago and it’s amazing how much money we wasted on things we thought we needed.
We save a lot by implementing less heat and less air-con. We don’t have an air-con unit at all (short summers here!) and in the winter we set our heat at 60 degrees.
We definitely save on not paying for any utilities other than our cell phones (chose an apartment where everything was included in the rent). We also just use free HD TV and don’t pay for cable which helps a lot. Stopping by from SITS Sharefest!
We only turn on the lights when needed.. but with water and bathing, my son could learn something from this, he wants to play with more water when taking a bath and wants to stay in the bathroom longer.. Very admirable extreme saving tips!
Dropping by from SITS. :)
Hi,
What a great post. I’m pinning it. My husband is going to be opening his own business next year and I know the transition is going to be financially hard.
Stopping by from Sits
I love these tips! We are working to save for a down payment on a home and we’re trying to do it in under two years, so I’m always looking for new ways to save.
I love this!! I’m on disability so my income in pretty slim…we buy generic as often as possible. We shower together often ;) so that helps…not really :)
We buy bulk often and I shop sales ALWAYS!! I know what’s cheapest where and we only eat real food.
We have family everywhere and travel often and this is how we are able! I’ll have to check out freecycle!!
Thanks so much!!!
Lol :) Thanks for your great comments, Chrissi!
Awesome tips here, thanks for these ideas.
The thing I struggle with is the food – usually spending less means either the quality isn’t as good, or the animals have been treated badly, or you just have a lot less (meat for instance). A very helpful post.
I really liked the helpful tips! I’m still a young college gal but I’m always on the lookout for ways to save financially whether I’m married or not. Thanks for sharing!
xo,
Angel