Frugal Family Living: How to Economize with Children

Adjusting to the economic realities of today, there are many ways to economize for the the family with children.  Most are things we did when I was a child (one of five) involve getting back to basics.   Benjamin Franklin said it to well "A penny saved is a penny earned!"   So here are some suggestions.

Eating Out:  Fast food and restaurants are expensive.  Consider cooking real meals at home.  This can be a big cost saver not only on food but on gasoline.   Buy a good cook book, it is easy and much cheaper to make your own pizza, hot wings, ice cream Sundays or cones at home.  Consider making your lunch for work.  Buy snacks in bulk at the grocery store and leave the vending machines at work alone. (Keep a drawer stash of crackers, candy bars or granola at work instead)

Coffee:  Now our parents would have had an economic heart attack paying $7 for a cup of coffee no matter how fancy.  Substitute that Danish and coffee at Starbucks or Greenbean's or Cafe Deum you buy on your morning rush to the office with a thermos cup of home brewed and a pastry from the grocery store.  You will be surprised in the cost difference.  If you like a flavor difference buy coffee flavorings at the grocery store.

Cooking At Home:  Start cooking with "REAL" food.   Precooked and packaged meals are expensive.  Buy fresh meats and vegetables.  Buy a real cook book and learn to cook instead.  This has pay offs in the pocket book as well as heath benefits by reducing sugars and additives in the food you eat.  Look for seasonal specials on fresh vegetables and fruits.   Cut down on meats and increase whole grains and fresh vegetables in your diet.to save money.

Grocery Shopping:   Make a list of what you need before you go to the store and stick to the list.  Grocery stores, and convenience stores are set up to entice you to buy "PLUS Sales".  Items you did not intend to buy.  Never shop on an empty stomach.  Hunger will get you to buy what looks good instead of what you need.

Check the bottom shelf for bargains and generics.  The higher priced food retailers give discounts or pay the chain stores to put their product at eye level.  So look low for a better price.  Try generics and store brands, they are often just as good or better than nationally advertised brands.  Use store and brand coupons but only for the items you planned to buy in the first place, it is not a bargain if you did not intend or need to buy it.

Sodas and drinks:  Sodas and specialty drinks are expensive.  Consider buying 2 liter bottles instead of cans or plastic individual bottles.  These usually are much cheaper than cans and bottles.  This also cuts down on waste in the land fills, helps eliminate wasted drinks left half finished by children. Cut down on sodas in your house, substitute natural fruit juices, mixes like lemonade and punch, and don't forget the Coolaide.   

Snacks: Start buying snacks in bulk. Instead of a single $2.50 candy bar, by a package of four for $5.00. Buy bulk. Keep ice cream, Popsicles and yogurt at home for children's snacks. Make your own pizza or buy frozen instead of ordering in or going out.  Consider substituting junk food and candy healthy snacks like cut apples, vegetables with ranch salad dressing. (don't buy the prepared trays buy fresh and cut your own, ranch dip is just ranch dressing.) Keep microwave popcorn on hand.  Create your own party trays instead of buying them.  Consider homemade to store bought to save money.

Shopping:  When buying consumer goods, clothes or gadgets, consider if you really need or want them.  We have gotten into the habit of buying "stuff", don't know what we need it for, but we buy it.  Got to have the latest game, gadget, electronics, fashions, etc...  You can save a lot of money by changing your attitude.  Don't buy name brands for the logo.  Shop for good quality, not always the cheapest.  The adage "You get what you pay for."  Holds true for tools, clothing and furniture.  Check for quality, if it is thin materials, shabby construction, substitutes plastic for wood, it is probably a bad buy.

Buying Furniture:  Stay away from "Rent to Buy", "Rent to Own" type businesses.  They will charge you four or five times the price of the furniture or appliance.  You are better off saving for several months than paying them weekly.  Consider alternatives to buying new furniture, recycle (sometimes its called antiques, sometimes junking)  Go to garage sales or flea markets early Saturday mornings.  Check with relatives and friends for unwanted tables, chairs and dressers.  Check out thrift shops and keep your eye on curbside trash day finds.  People throw out beautiful furniture every day.  Refurbish, reuse, repaint, repair.  It can save a lot of money, especially for young people starting out.

Clothing:  Buy quality not quantity.  A good set of basic clothing that can be mixed and matched will save over a large quantity of cheaply made (and usually looks it) clothing.  Also check out thrift stores, second hand stores, garage sales  and  flea markets.  You can find some great deals on name brand items.

Car Care:   Keep your car care up.  Change the oil and services as specified by your manufacturer.  This will save you on car repairs and extend the life of your car.  Go to a good reputable mechanic.  Keep in mind dealer garages tend to be more expensive than non dealer garages.

Gasoline:  Consider using mass transit, car pooling, make the kids ride the bus to and from school, combine trips so that you pick up at the laundry on the way to dropping off Jimmy at his friends house.  Encourage the children to ride bikes.  Take vacations close to home.  Keep your tires inflated to the right pressure and your car tuned properly.   Use regular unleaded instead of premium.     

Utilities / Electricity: Talk to your family about saving money at home. Make them aware of turning off lights, turning of the TV and the computer when not in use. Consider placing appliances on power strips and turning them off when not in use. (Plugged in electronics, microwaves, TV sets, etc.. pull power on standby, even when turned off) Trade out your Edison light bulbs for the new mercury light bulbs ( the curly ones) These use a third of the electricity, do not get hot (cutting down on cooling bills) and last at least five times as long as conventional light bulbs. Buy Energy Star rated appliances when you buy new.

Water: Water is becoming more precious each day as our population grows, demands for it sore and Climate Change effects rainfall. Prices continue to go up. Conserve water around your home. Don't let faucets drip, if they do, get them fixed or better yet go online and learn how to do it yourself. Put rain barrels around your home and use rain water instead of municipal water for watering plants outside. Don't over water your yard wasting water running down storm drains. Set up watering schedules that get the water deep enough to your yards roots without saturating the ground and causing runoff. (Talk to your nursery, home center or go online for more information)

Heating and Cooling: Take advantage of days when you can turn off your air conditioning or heating and open windows and air out the house. In times when you need to heat or cool, set your thermostat to a constant temperature that is comfortable to your family. When you leave set the thermostat to save on heating or cooling while you are away.

I hope I have been able to give you some ideas.