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How Being a Stay-at-Home Parent Saves Money

Are you a stay-at-home parent or want to be? Good news! While you may not be earning and income, chances are you are saving a ton of money. Here is how. Child Care Fees Let us start with the obvious, child care fees. If you aren’t staying home with your children, you will probably need to pay for child care. The cost of child care can be high, sometimes wiping out any income you are gaining by working. Obviously this depends on your position and income level, but it is the first expense you should allow for in your budget. … Continue reading →

Save Those Pennies! They Add Up

About a year and a half ago, my husband and I decided that we wanted to eliminate the car payment, and so we employed all sorts of methods of scrimping and saving to do this, including reducing our grocery bill, eating out less frequently, and finding fun and free things to do. One big step that got us closer to our goal of paying off the car loan was turning in all of our change. We had a few baby wipe tubs full of change, which we took, as a family, to the bank. We loaded the change into the … Continue reading →

Making Money When You Are Already Too Busy

These days, many of us need to find ways to make some extra money. Figuring out how to fit that in when we already have families and jobs (in the home or outside of it) to fulfill  can be tough. How do we find the time to make money when we are already so busy? Combining Jobs When I got a call last week asking if I would babysit for our church’s Women’s Bible Study that takes place one morning a week I readily agreed. While the money isn’t much, it allowed me to take my youngest child with me, … Continue reading →

How to Make Eating at Home Fun

Eating at home saves money. That is just a fact. I took my kids out to lunch at a family friendly restaurant for a treat, and with tip we spend half of our weekly food bill that feeds not only the kids and I but also my husband. Since we don’t often eat out, I had forgotten how much it really costs to eat out these days. Still, the kids love to do it. In fact, eight times out of ten that would normally be their choice. Well, it was that way, before I started getting more purposeful about making … Continue reading →

Seven Ways to Save $1,000 for Your Emergency Fund

Dave Ramsey, financial guru who has helped so many families get out of debt, recommends that most of us start on the path to financial solvency by first saving up $1,000 toward an emergency fund. By having a solid emergency fund, we are less likely to go into debt, should the unexpected happen, such as the home furnace needing to be replaced, the car needing to be repaired, or the experience of a medical crisis. Saving that $1,000 is the first step of Ramsey’s overall get-out-of-debt plan. How can you save that much when there doesn’t seem to be any … Continue reading →

Four Ways to Reduce Your Heating Bill

If the weather INSIDE is frightful because you are afraid of home heating bills, you won’t spend a very pleasant winter. A better solution is to stay warm by finding multiple ways of reducing your heating bill and then combine these strategies to reduce your heating bill to the lowest cost possible. Selective Heating Only heat the rooms you are actually using. Are there any rooms that can be closed off temporarily during the coldest part of the year? Even if your home isn’t zoned, you can make it warmer in the rest of the house by isolated unused rooms. … Continue reading →

Money Saving Meals for Busy Families

Busy families shouldn’t miss out on the savings just because they have little time to cook. Home cooked meals are one of the best ways to save on the food bill. With a little knowledge, you can spend very little to cook at home, no matter how hectic your life is. Here is how. Crockpot Recipes I’m convinced that the crockpot must have been invented by a busy mom. If you don’t have this little appliance, run out right now and get one. Don’t worry about the expense. You can pick your first one up for a few dollars at … Continue reading →

Money-Saving Packing Strategies

I took a crash course in efficient packing shortly after I was forced to fork over $100 to United Airlines for failing to keep my bags under 50 pounds. For an extra $150, I could have purchased my bag a seat and let it ride next to me on my flight. I kicked myself for months following that debacle.  It was a costly mistake that should have never happened. With holiday travel peaking in a few days, consider the following packing tips so that you won’t be forced to shell out extra dough on your flight to grandma’s house: Make … Continue reading →

How to Get More Fun for Your Money

You can be happy with less money. It all depends on how you use it and what it does for you. Apply your money in the ways that will make you happiest. Be purposeful in how you spend your cash, and your life will be enriched, even on the tightest budget. Choose Experiences Instead of Materials Experiences can be one of the best investments of your money. Long after the money is spent, you will look back on the time with many fond memories. Money that is used toward experiences generally leaves people feeling that it was absolutely worth it. … Continue reading →

Save Money During Cold and Flu Season

Cold and flue season can not only lay you out, but it can also make your monthly budget “sick.” There are doctor visits, expensive prescription medication, over the counter medication, tissues, special food, extra heat and other unexpected expenses that can crop up. Don’t forget about the expense of missing work or special “sick” child care facilities if needed. So, how can we make cold and flu season have less of an impact on us and on our wallets? Read on. Prevention First Obviously, if we can prevent getting sick in the first place, we’ll not only have a better … Continue reading →