We are a 1 income family of four. God has been good to provide what we need, however we also need to be making smart decisions with money. Over the years the hubby and I have tried different things to save money. Here are some that have really helped us. I hope some of them will help you, too!
Here are my 12 top ways to save money:
(Keep in mind that not every tip will work for you and that’s okay. Pick a couple to try and go from there)
- If you own your home, check into refinancing your mortgage to a lower rate. We’ve re-financed our house THREE times. That allowed us to save over $100,000 dollars in interest!
- Try making products you use a lot like laundry detergent. (Click HERE to read some more information)
- Buy generic or store-brand products as much as possible. Most of the store brands I use are just as good as the name brand.
- When buying brand name products, use coupons if possible.
- Downgrade luxuries like cable or satellite. You can change to a smaller plan with a lower cost. Another option you have is to cancel the cable and use a streaming system like Netflix instead.
- When it comes to cooking make recipes with minimal ingredients. I use Pinterest to find recipes that are frugal and somewhat healthy. (Click HERE to see them)
- Buy used cars and pay them off as soon as you can. Having our cars paid off has been a major factor allowing me to be a stay-at-home mom.
- If you have the ability, fix things around the house yourself instead of hiring help. I am so thankful for my hubby that has a God given talent of being able to fix lots of things. If you don’t have this ability see if any friends or neighbors can help you out.
- If you have good health, shop around for less expensive health insurance. I have an individual health insurance policy for myself and the kids and the cost is much less than it would be if we were all on my hubby’s insurance. If you don’t go to the doctor or hospital very often, getting a higher deductible insurance plan will have a lower monthly payment. If you don’t use prescriptions often, you can pick a plan that doesn’t come with prescription coverage which will makes the monthly payment even less. (I only recommend this for pretty healthy people.)
- For women that are done having children, you can choose a health insurance plan without maternity coverage. We did that and it saved almost half of my premium! (I would only recommend this for people who are SURE they won’t be getting pregnant.)
- Buy clothes at the end of the season at clearance prices and save them for next year. This is a tip I’ve learned from my mother-in-law who supplies 80% of all my children’s clothes. For example, at the end of the summer season, she’ll buy clothes that will fit the kids next summer. She’s able to buy a ton of cute clothes for a fraction of the cost.
- Lastly, decide on a couple areas where you will spend some money. Everyone needs to have a little something fun. My hobby is photography so last year we bought a good camera. We bought it refurbished and it has worked perfectly. Having great family pictures is important to me so that was worth sacrificing in some areas to have some money to spend on a fun hobby.
I hope these tips have been helpful. What are some things you’ve done to save money?
This post was linked to Thrifty Thursday.