7 Clever Ways For Frugal Moms To Save Money Now!

When my first child was born, I thought I was ready for everything!

The late night feedings, the diaper changes, the sleep deprivation — all of it!

But the one thing I found myself totally underprepared for, is the fact that kids – are – expensive!

Just take a look at this fun little video and see what I mean.

Moms learn quickly, that from the moment our little angels are born, they need stuff! Lots-and-lots of stuff!

There’s everything from clothes, food, and daycare. To medical insurance, school supplies, and swim lessons.

On top of that, as they get older, they don’t just need stuff, they want stuff!

And of course, what parent doesn’t want to give their child the world? But I can tell you firsthand, the world does not come cheap!

Even so, it’s easy to get caught up in all the spending madness. Especially if you’re not careful about sticking to a tight budget!

*Related post: Why I Still Respect The “B” Word And So Should You.

The truth of the matter is that budgeting and kids — don’t always mix.

So frugal moms have to come up with creative ways to indulge our little angels without going broke!

And here’s my take on things that have helped me and others to avoid the spending madness over the years.

Frugal Ways to Save Money On A Tight Budget

1. Leave The Kids At Home When You Shop

Kids go insane in the grocery store!

Maybe it seems like a magical wonderland full of all sorts of enticing goodies.

Case in point, every time I take my son to the store we enter with two completely different agendas.

My plan is to get in, grab a few quick items, and get out with my budget intact.

His plan is to raid the snack aisle. Then race over to the toy section. Then harass me relentlessly until I buy him something.

This always turns into a power struggle to see who will cave in first!

And either he wins, and I end up spending at least $20 more than I anticipated.

Or I win, but now I’m so irritated that it totally ruins my mood.

Bottom line, if you want to save yourself a lot of money — and even more aggravation, then leave the kids at home!

2. Don’t Give In To Manipulation

And the Oscar goes to…our kids!

Seriously, kids should receive an Academy Award for their skilled performances.

And the category would be Best Actor/Actress in a manipulating parents scene.

No doubt, we’ve all been there!

In fact, that’s why companies spend over $17 billion a year marketing to kids.

They let the kids do all the dirty work of convincing you to buy their products.

But the moment you say “no” to something…it starts.

Before you know it, you’ll find yourself witnessing one of these five stellar manipulation techniques:

• The hissy fit
• The sulking
• The pleading
• The crocodile tears
• Or, the whine (ooo, I can’t stand the whine!)

Yes, they’ve mastered them all! And they know just how to guilt or frustrate you into giving them exactly what they want!

But don’t do it! Try this instead.

For smaller children:

• Recognize the behavior. And let your emotions don’t get sucked into it!

• Be loving but firm. Listen to their feelings, so they know that you care. But still, “no” means “no!”

• Offer a hug. It may make them feel better. But let them come to you so they understand how to handle not getting their way.

• Redirect their focus. For example, “You can’t have that toy, but you can help me pick out some new socks that you need.”

For older children:

• Set limits. For example, “They are only allowed to spend $5 of their birthday money on a video game App.” They may try to test you by spending $10. But let them know, that they could lose all game privileges by not following the rules.

• Don’t react to triggers. For instance, “You don’t care about me” or “Everyone else has one!” Again, be firm and stand your ground. The rules are the rules.

• Let them earn it. Good grades, having good behavior or doing chores, all teach the value of working for what they want.

Kids learn how to get their parents to do what they want from the time they are babies.

But do your budget a favor and don’t fall for the okey-doke!

3. Cut The Extra Activities

Does your kid’s weekly activity schedule look anything like this?

• Monday Soccer practice.
• Tuesday Gymnastics.
• Wednesday Karate.
• Thursday Music lesson.
• Friday Swim class.
• Saturday Soccer game.

Phew! Throw in 5 days of school, and their schedules are busier than a hamster on an exercise wheel.

Believe me, I understand the motivation parents feel about trying to expose their kids to as much enrichment as possible! I’ve been guilty of it myself.

But, there are some major drawbacks!

When your kids have too many activities, it quickly becomes more like work and less like fun.

On top of that, it’s overworking you!

It’s overworking them!

And it’s creating a huge financial drain on your family.

I read that some families are spending $1,000, $2,000, or even more a year, per child on extracurricular activities.

What’s even worse, is that they’re using credit cards to pay for it! And that means more debt!

But if you’re looking for frugal ways to enrich your kids without digging yourself deeper into debt, then do these 3 things:

• Choose no more than 1 or 2 activities at a time. (I suggest only 1 each if you have multiple children.)
• Set aside the money and budget for it.
• Never use credit to pay for extracurricular activities!

It took a while for me to catch on, but I did! Then I finally began living by this rule– if I don’t have the cash, then I can’t afford it!

And my post on the 5 Reasons Why I Still Respect the “B” Word is a great motivator for creating a budget and sticking to it.

Bottom line, before you sign your kids up for tons of activities just remember this — less is best!

4. Carpool And Save Money

Busy moms practically live in their cars!

Whether it’s school, dance lessons, birthday parties, or play dates. We are always dropping kids off or picking kids up from somewhere.

And all that ripping and running around town can wreak havoc on our vehicles.

Because not only is stop-and-go driving murder on the brakes, but it also wears out tires, and burns gas faster!

Plus, the more you’re in your car, the more traffic you encounter, and that means more time being wasted.

So one of the best ways to solve your kid’s transportation needs is to try carpooling.

Frugal moms have done this for years!

And nowadays, there are free apps like gokid to make it even easier. It works by helping you to coordinate your schedule with other families that you know and trust.

The best part is that when it comes to saving time, gas, and vehicle wear and tear, you can’t get more frugal than carpooling.

5. Ditch Designer Stores The Thrifty Way

I absolutely love designer kids clothes!

I can’t help it! So sue me.

And when my daughter was a baby, I would pay $30-$50 for a cute designer outfit in a heartbeat!

Obviously, I wasn’t very money savvy back then!

But after about 6 months or so, I started feeling the money pinch. Especially once I saw just how fast kids can grow!

Sometimes my daughter would only get to wear an outfit one or two times before she outgrew it.

And I was not getting my money’s worth at all!

So that’s when discount department stores like Ross, Marshalls, and T.J. Maxx became my new favorites.

I found out that they actually receive the out of season inventory from upscale stores like Macy’s and Nordstroms.

So that means you can get the same designer clothing for 30% -50% or more off the retail price.

And seriously, who really knows or cares if clothes are from last season?

The cool thing is, it was a super smart way to keep my kids stylish and my budget intact!

BONUS TIP: Don’t miss out on this frugal tip from Kevin O’Leary in his no-nonsense, yet amusing sort of way.

6. Do A Frugal Babysitting Swap

All moms need a break!

Otherwise, we’d go insane!

And being a mom should not mean the complete and total death of your social life.

After all, it’s good to catch up with friends, get a mani-pedi, or make a date with your spouse from time to time.

That little bit of kid-free “me time” is just what every mom needs to stay balanced and to prevent mommy burnout.

But paying for a babysitter every time you need to get away is not the most frugal option.

So what can you do?

Try making a deal!

Do you have any friends or relatives that you trust, who also have kids?

Chances are that you do! So why not arrange for a babysitting swap?

That’s means, you both schedule a time where you agree to watch their kids for free, and they do the same for you!

I have relatives that do this all the time.

And they all feel that it is a safe and a great way to save money for both sides.

7. Skip The Yearly Birthday Bash

Do you know the most important thing that I learned after giving my kids birthday parties for12 years in a row!

It’s that…I DID NOT NEED to give my kids birthday parties for 12 years in a row!

OMG! If only I had wised up sooner to this juicy tidbit of information!

It would have saved my family thousands of dollars over the years!

I remember spending over $1,100 on my daughter’s first birthday party.

I had the bouncy house, the clown, food, decorations, and even a train!

All of that, just so that she could fall asleep halfway during the festivities! Sigh!

It made me realize, that when we parents throw extravagant parties for our kids, it’s often more about us than it is about them.

Basically, we just want to show everyone else what good parents we really are!
In the meantime, (while we’re showing off) most of us have bank accounts that are sitting on empty!

*Related post: How To Overcome The Gut-Wrenching Pleas Of A Neglected Bank Account.

When you really think about it, that doesn’t make much sense, does it?

Well, I finally got smart! And I don’t do things to show off anymore!

Now, when we celebrate our kids birthdays, we take a much more budget-friendly approach.

And as it turns out, my kids don’t even care about having a party every year anyway!

For instance, sometimes my daughter prefers to have $100 cash instead, to do what she wants with it. And my son loves to go to the electronics store or toy store and pick out whatever he wants (within reason, of course)!

And that is always a huge saving for our budget! Especially when compared to the several hundred dollars we would have spent to accommodate party guests.

Truthfully, some of the best birthdays we have had are when just the 4 of us celebrate as a family.

We make a day event out of it! The child gets to choose their favorite restaurant for a family birthday dinner. Then they get to choose which gift they want like cash, or the trip to the toy store for instance.

After that, we finish the celebration at home by having cake, ice cream, balloons, and singing Happy Birthday! The end.

Simple, to the point, and most importantly…affordable!

Now with that being said, we do still give occasional birthday parties.

But only for the milestone birthdays, like when they turn 10, 13, 16 and so on.

The Takeaway

It’s easy to see how spending money on our kids can quickly get out of control.

But frugal moms know how to avoid the spending madness!

Fortunately, you can also use these clever ideas to make simple changes that could save your family a ton of money.

And just think, that is money you could use to improve your family’s budget — instead of breaking it!

So if you know some moms who are looking for a few clever ways to save money, then please share this information with them.

Also, I’d love to hear your ideas on other creative ways for frugal moms to save money! So feel free to comment below.