SAHMs What Strategies Do You Use to Save Money?

[Anonymous]

Neighborhood listservs and freecycle to get discount and free items z(but remember to keep the circle of giving and offer your stuff this way occasionally too), I have gotten bunk beds, a night stand, a stroller, a push car, a crib, a changing table, etc this way. Also search for FB groups for mom exchanges for your neighborhood.

Hand me downs, let people know you are interested. Church consignment and yard sales are also good for cloths.

Library for books and DVDs. Many libraries also have great free family and kid programs.

Sign up for a family or kid email re free and cheap things to do, like kid trips

Make friends with other SAHM for child watching exchange so you don't need to pay a babysitter to go to a dr appointment or get your hair cut

Don't eat out

Renegotiate your cable, Internet and cell phone rates. Usually you can so this every 6 months

Walk and metro

Do,vacation exchange. We live close to the metro in NOVA,we have hosted tons of friends and family who vacation here. We usually don't need to entertain them, these people ar just looking for a free place to stay vs a hotel. So when we go on vacation, we usually use someone else's beach house or stay with someone who lives in Orlando for ex for free. You have to give to receive

Amazon prime. Now I know there is a fee, but I use it for everything and it keeps me out of target , so in the grand scheme of things I save. I get everything from birthday oresents to house goods, to clothes on it. I also stream movies on my iPad with my prime subscription.

We are minimalists, so we have few clothes, toys, shoes, etc but we do have is the bet quality we can afford. I have found these items last longer, save us money in th long run, and less clutter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Luckily I don't have to worry about saving money.

+1

Not super rich, but we don't have to change our lifestyle for me to SAHM.

The reason is -
1) We always saved my entire salary and 30% of my DH's salary. So, we were always living on one salary (and saving as well)
2) Bought a brand new spacious SFH in a nice middle class neighborhood some years ago for ridiculously low price. The public schools are not that great. Kids studied in magnets.
3) Decent cars but not super expensive (so Toyotas instead of BMW). Do not lease.
4) No private schools
5) No student debt
6) No credit card debt
7) Kids will go to state schools for undergrad. Undergrad tuition is prepaid, and $ 400 K accumulated combined for both kids for college.
8) On track for retirement with our savings.


Our kids are expected to get scholarships, go to state school, go to grad school or med/law school, and start life with no student debt. We will give 50K for down-payment for their first homes. If they can save anything from the 200 K we have put aside for each of them for med/law/business school - then that money is theirs. My kids are actually looking at community colleges to get some prerequisites out of the way, looking for part-time jobs and paid internships to finance their college. Not because they have to, but because they want to maximize their education dollars and have a nice nest egg when they strike out on their own.

You have to learn to live below your means for this. You have to assume that you are only making 70% of your salary and live on that amount. Pay yourself first. Start saving 30% of your salary from the very first job you have.

BTW - being a homeowner was very low down on our list of priorities. For a number of years we were not able to save enough on 70% salary to have a down payment for a home and so we rented. We would have still saved for kids college and our retirement before anything else. That was the priority. Owning a home was not, but we were extremely lucky to buy our house at the bottom of the market.

[Anonymous]

One thing I do when we are at home all day: The sun rises in the back of our house and sets at the front. Depending on the season, I start the day with curtains on one side of the house open, and closed on the other side. When the sun switches, I change the curtains. We have window A/C units, and this definitely helps in not needing them as much. I do this in the winter as well in hopes of warming the house a bit.

When we moved in our house, it didn't have a dryer. We've been here 5 years and still haven't gotten one. I'm at the point where I don't even miss it any more. I hang clothes year around, inside or out. We saved on purchasing a dryer, the duct work we would have needed, and the electric to run it.

[Anonymous]

I'm a SAHM as well. We stopped our cable and subscribe to Netflix and Hulu because we noticed we hardly ever watch television. We also changed our cellphone plan and now save about $100 monthly. We stop our gym membership in the summer and that saves us another $100. I don't clip coupons or drive around to different stores for sales. I also don't budget but probably should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:more important than saving money - do you want to stay home? The phrasing of "my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom" begs the question.

It's also important that you discuss ahead of time that YOUR job will be to take care of your child while his is to bring in the money. It is YOUR money, not HIS.
You also need to let him know that at least once a week, you need some "You" time. Even if it's for an hour to get away from the baby and do something for yourself. Men will do this, yet they think that women don't need a break from the job (and don't kid yourself, it is a job.)

Make sure he helps with the baby, it will allow bonding. He needs to be able to change diapers and give the kid a bath in case you are out and there is an accident.

My DH HAD to change diapers when my first was born because I was bedridden for two weeks (complications.)

Make sure he is there in the delivery room as well.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you consider a budget that includes retirement savings for both of you, and debt repayment or INCREASING savings, not just dipping into savings, if that is an issue for you.

Also try to keep your skills current for if you ever need to work again in a few years.

Make sure DH has STD, LTD and term life insurance. you both need life insurance, actually.

Make sure you have 3-6 months living expenses for if DH ever loses his job (and for me to SAHM I would want more like 9 months + living expenses that I was not going to need if we dropped my salary.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a baby on the way and my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom. I'm wondering what strategies other SAHMs use to make up for the loss in their income?

First of all, kudos to you and your husband for choosing what's best for your baby, i.e. a stay-at-home parent, vs. a more showy lifestyle. Yes, I know this statement will get me flamed and I don't care.

My tips to you:

- You don't specify how far along in your pregnancy you are. Anyway, put aside as much as you can of your paycheck before you start SAHM-ing. Get used to living on your husband's paycheck.

- Your husband should have a meeting with his to-go person at work concerning financial matters and other benefits. He should find out *everything* about any possible perk, monetary or otherwise, that he's entitled to once he becomes a father. Even if you could manage without taking full advantage of these perks, don't pass them up. Don't be shy about it - they're a right and they're there to be used.

- Breastfeed for as long as you can, and then make your own baby food.

- Ditch any disposable item you can reasonably live without. Fabric handkerchief instead of tissues. Rags instead of kitchen paper towels. Family cloth instead of toilet paper for n. 1. Coloth pads for your period when it comes back after delivery instead of disposable feminine products. No paper napkins, plates, cups. Disposables are a giant money-sucking hole.

- Cloth diapers and wipes for the baby.

- If your husband shaves every day, sew him a few razor sharpeners out of old jeans so that disposable razors will last longer. It's worth buying a pair of jeans at a 2nd hand shop to make the razor sharpeners out of, if you don't have any old ones around. Better still, ask friends or relatives if they're going to throw out an old pair of jeans, and have them give to you.

- Don't be shy about finding out if people can hand down something to you or you can borrow something from them. Not only baby things, but also things thay you'd have to buy but use infrequently, e.g. tools.

- Speaking of tools, can you/your husband do basic repairs around the house? Anything that doesn't require a professional because of specialized skills or safety reasons should be handled by the two of you. If you don't know how, ask someone to teach you.

- Baking soda is your friend. You'd be amazed at how much you'll be able to save on detergents by replacing them with baking soda and water. Same applies to vinegar. With a baby around the house, you'll want to reduce the presence of hazardous chemicals anyway.

- If you/your husband/your baby need medication, buy generics. If you need only one or two dosis of a given medication, ask your doctor if he can give you some of the free samples he gets from representatives of pharmaceutical companies. Don't be shy!

- If you have an internet connection at home, discontinue any subscription to newspapers and magazines. You can read about everything under the sun on the net nowadays.

- Devote a weekend to sitting down with your husband and going over each and every utility plan/service you avail yourself of. Find out all the little costs that add up, cut any doo-daas that you can live without, and have them taken off your plan. For example, do you really need Caller ID and the like?

- Find out all about your library. USA libraries are *amazing*. I'm not from the USA and whenever my USA friends talk to me about their town libraries, it feels like wonderland to me. Avail yourself of any and all services that are interesting to you and come for free.

- Find out about free entertainment in your area, and take advantage of it.

- If your husband eats at work, have him brownbag his meal. IDK if it's legal in the USA, but in my country you can use the meal ticket that your employer supply you with to shop for groceries. Find out about this if your husband gets meal vouchers from his company.Do the same for yourself till you stay at home.

- Meal plan, find out about sales, coupon. Whenever you cook, make one or two extra servings to "feed the freezer". These are a lifesavers for the days you're wiped out and takeout looks oh-so-tempting.

- Clothes can be worn for more than one day, except for underwear. Seriously.

- Line dry clothes. Set up clothes racks in your home, and an outside drying line if your neighborhood associations won't give you grief about it. BTW, I'll never understand why some people get so upset about clothes hanging out to dry. It's clean clothes, for heaven's sake. But that's another topic altogether.

- Take shorter showers. Stop using hair dye if you use any, let your hair grow long so that you'll have a low-maintenance cut. If you want to have your hair done, look for a nearby hairdresser school and offer yourself as a guinea pig there.

- A friend of mine who lives in Canada saved *heaps* of money on dental work by having it done at a dentistry school in her town. She was treated for free by students who had to do practical training, under the supervision of a fully qualified professor, of course. Find out if that's an option where you live.

- 2nd hand shop for everything you can possibly 2nd hand shop for.

- Set up a cent jar, a coin-against-debt jar (if you have any debt). See the "Frugal Village" website for explanations on those if you don't know what they are.

- Shop around for insurance plan, utilities plans, services.

- Don't believe the whole hype about your baby needing a ton of things. Most of all, don't believe the hype about flashcards for babies and such nonsense. You're perfectly able to provide your child with the intellectual stimulation s/he needs. Plus, let him/her play to his heart's content and don't listen to those who tell you you need to put him in this or that "enrichment" program. You'll save a ton of money and your baby will be all the happier for that.

- Grow your own herbs if at all possible. If you enjoy gardening, learn about growing vegetables in pots. Find out about vegetables that will re-grow out of your scraps, such as celery, and grow them.

I'm sure there's more you could do but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a baby on the way and my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom. I'm wondering what strategies other SAHMs use to make up for the loss in their income?

First of all, kudos to you and your husband for choosing what's best for your baby, i.e. a stay-at-home parent, vs. a more showy lifestyle. Yes, I know this statement will get me flamed and I don't care.

My tips to you:

- You don't specify how far along in your pregnancy you are. Anyway, put aside as much as you can of your paycheck before you start SAHM-ing. Get used to living on your husband's paycheck.

- Your husband should have a meeting with his to-go person at work concerning financial matters and other benefits. He should find out *everything* about any possible perk, monetary or otherwise, that he's entitled to once he becomes a father. Even if you could manage without taking full advantage of these perks, don't pass them up. Don't be shy about it - they're a right and they're there to be used.

- Breastfeed for as long as you can, and then make your own baby food.

- Ditch any disposable item you can reasonably live without. Fabric handkerchief instead of tissues. Rags instead of kitchen paper towels. Family cloth instead of toilet paper for n. 1. Coloth pads for your period when it comes back after delivery instead of disposable feminine products. No paper napkins, plates, cups. Disposables are a giant money-sucking hole.

- Cloth diapers and wipes for the baby.

- If your husband shaves every day, sew him a few razor sharpeners out of old jeans so that disposable razors will last longer. It's worth buying a pair of jeans at a 2nd hand shop to make the razor sharpeners out of, if you don't have any old ones around. Better still, ask friends or relatives if they're going to throw out an old pair of jeans, and have them give to you.

- Don't be shy about finding out if people can hand down something to you or you can borrow something from them. Not only baby things, but also things thay you'd have to buy but use infrequently, e.g. tools.

- Speaking of tools, can you/your husband do basic repairs around the house? Anything that doesn't require a professional because of specialized skills or safety reasons should be handled by the two of you. If you don't know how, ask someone to teach you.

- Baking soda is your friend. You'd be amazed at how much you'll be able to save on detergents by replacing them with baking soda and water. Same applies to vinegar. With a baby around the house, you'll want to reduce the presence of hazardous chemicals anyway.

- If you/your husband/your baby need medication, buy generics. If you need only one or two dosis of a given medication, ask your doctor if he can give you some of the free samples he gets from representatives of pharmaceutical companies. Don't be shy!

- If you have an internet connection at home, discontinue any subscription to newspapers and magazines. You can read about everything under the sun on the net nowadays.

- Devote a weekend to sitting down with your husband and going over each and every utility plan/service you avail yourself of. Find out all the little costs that add up, cut any doo-daas that you can live without, and have them taken off your plan. For example, do you really need Caller ID and the like?

- Find out all about your library. USA libraries are *amazing*. I'm not from the USA and whenever my USA friends talk to me about their town libraries, it feels like wonderland to me. Avail yourself of any and all services that are interesting to you and come for free.

- Find out about free entertainment in your area, and take advantage of it.

- If your husband eats at work, have him brownbag his meal. IDK if it's legal in the USA, but in my country you can use the meal ticket that your employer supply you with to shop for groceries. Find out about this if your husband gets meal vouchers from his company.Do the same for yourself till you stay at home.

- Meal plan, find out about sales, coupon. Whenever you cook, make one or two extra servings to "feed the freezer". These are a lifesavers for the days you're wiped out and takeout looks oh-so-tempting.

- Clothes can be worn for more than one day, except for underwear. Seriously.

- Line dry clothes. Set up clothes racks in your home, and an outside drying line if your neighborhood associations won't give you grief about it. BTW, I'll never understand why some people get so upset about clothes hanging out to dry. It's clean clothes, for heaven's sake. But that's another topic altogether.

- Take shorter showers. Stop using hair dye if you use any, let your hair grow long so that you'll have a low-maintenance cut. If you want to have your hair done, look for a nearby hairdresser school and offer yourself as a guinea pig there.

- A friend of mine who lives in Canada saved *heaps* of money on dental work by having it done at a dentistry school in her town. She was treated for free by students who had to do practical training, under the supervision of a fully qualified professor, of course. Find out if that's an option where you live.

- 2nd hand shop for everything you can possibly 2nd hand shop for.

- Set up a cent jar, a coin-against-debt jar (if you have any debt). See the "Frugal Village" website for explanations on those if you don't know what they are.

- Shop around for insurance plan, utilities plans, services.

- Don't believe the whole hype about your baby needing a ton of things. Most of all, don't believe the hype about flashcards for babies and such nonsense. You're perfectly able to provide your child with the intellectual stimulation s/he needs. Plus, let him/her play to his heart's content and don't listen to those who tell you you need to put him in this or that "enrichment" program. You'll save a ton of money and your baby will be all the happier for that.

- Grow your own herbs if at all possible. If you enjoy gardening, learn about growing vegetables in pots. Find out about vegetables that will re-grow out of your scraps, such as celery, and grow them.

I'm sure there's more you could do but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

I'm sorry, but this sounds awful. I'm a devoted SAHM, but I'd go back to work before I would live like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a baby on the way and my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom. I'm wondering what strategies other SAHMs use to make up for the loss in their income?

First of all, kudos to you and your husband for choosing what's best for your baby, i.e. a stay-at-home parent, vs. a more showy lifestyle. Yes, I know this statement will get me flamed and I don't care.

My tips to you:

- You don't specify how far along in your pregnancy you are. Anyway, put aside as much as you can of your paycheck before you start SAHM-ing. Get used to living on your husband's paycheck.

- Your husband should have a meeting with his to-go person at work concerning financial matters and other benefits. He should find out *everything* about any possible perk, monetary or otherwise, that he's entitled to once he becomes a father. Even if you could manage without taking full advantage of these perks, don't pass them up. Don't be shy about it - they're a right and they're there to be used.

- Breastfeed for as long as you can, and then make your own baby food.

- Ditch any disposable item you can reasonably live without. Fabric handkerchief instead of tissues. Rags instead of kitchen paper towels. Family cloth instead of toilet paper for n. 1. Coloth pads for your period when it comes back after delivery instead of disposable feminine products. No paper napkins, plates, cups. Disposables are a giant money-sucking hole.

- Cloth diapers and wipes for the baby.

- If your husband shaves every day, sew him a few razor sharpeners out of old jeans so that disposable razors will last longer. It's worth buying a pair of jeans at a 2nd hand shop to make the razor sharpeners out of, if you don't have any old ones around. Better still, ask friends or relatives if they're going to throw out an old pair of jeans, and have them give to you.

- Don't be shy about finding out if people can hand down something to you or you can borrow something from them. Not only baby things, but also things thay you'd have to buy but use infrequently, e.g. tools.

- Speaking of tools, can you/your husband do basic repairs around the house? Anything that doesn't require a professional because of specialized skills or safety reasons should be handled by the two of you. If you don't know how, ask someone to teach you.

- Baking soda is your friend. You'd be amazed at how much you'll be able to save on detergents by replacing them with baking soda and water. Same applies to vinegar. With a baby around the house, you'll want to reduce the presence of hazardous chemicals anyway.

- If you/your husband/your baby need medication, buy generics. If you need only one or two dosis of a given medication, ask your doctor if he can give you some of the free samples he gets from representatives of pharmaceutical companies. Don't be shy!

- If you have an internet connection at home, discontinue any subscription to newspapers and magazines. You can read about everything under the sun on the net nowadays.

- Devote a weekend to sitting down with your husband and going over each and every utility plan/service you avail yourself of. Find out all the little costs that add up, cut any doo-daas that you can live without, and have them taken off your plan. For example, do you really need Caller ID and the like?

- Find out all about your library. USA libraries are *amazing*. I'm not from the USA and whenever my USA friends talk to me about their town libraries, it feels like wonderland to me. Avail yourself of any and all services that are interesting to you and come for free.

- Find out about free entertainment in your area, and take advantage of it.

- If your husband eats at work, have him brownbag his meal. IDK if it's legal in the USA, but in my country you can use the meal ticket that your employer supply you with to shop for groceries. Find out about this if your husband gets meal vouchers from his company.Do the same for yourself till you stay at home.

- Meal plan, find out about sales, coupon. Whenever you cook, make one or two extra servings to "feed the freezer". These are a lifesavers for the days you're wiped out and takeout looks oh-so-tempting.

- Clothes can be worn for more than one day, except for underwear. Seriously.

- Line dry clothes. Set up clothes racks in your home, and an outside drying line if your neighborhood associations won't give you grief about it. BTW, I'll never understand why some people get so upset about clothes hanging out to dry. It's clean clothes, for heaven's sake. But that's another topic altogether.

- Take shorter showers. Stop using hair dye if you use any, let your hair grow long so that you'll have a low-maintenance cut. If you want to have your hair done, look for a nearby hairdresser school and offer yourself as a guinea pig there.

- A friend of mine who lives in Canada saved *heaps* of money on dental work by having it done at a dentistry school in her town. She was treated for free by students who had to do practical training, under the supervision of a fully qualified professor, of course. Find out if that's an option where you live.

- 2nd hand shop for everything you can possibly 2nd hand shop for.

- Set up a cent jar, a coin-against-debt jar (if you have any debt). See the "Frugal Village" website for explanations on those if you don't know what they are.

- Shop around for insurance plan, utilities plans, services.

- Don't believe the whole hype about your baby needing a ton of things. Most of all, don't believe the hype about flashcards for babies and such nonsense. You're perfectly able to provide your child with the intellectual stimulation s/he needs. Plus, let him/her play to his heart's content and don't listen to those who tell you you need to put him in this or that "enrichment" program. You'll save a ton of money and your baby will be all the happier for that.

- Grow your own herbs if at all possible. If you enjoy gardening, learn about growing vegetables in pots. Find out about vegetables that will re-grow out of your scraps, such as celery, and grow them.

I'm sure there's more you could do but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

I'm sorry, but this sounds awful. I'm a devoted SAHM, but I'd go back to work before I would live like this.

i agree. wow. especially: Family cloth instead of toilet paper for n. 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:more important than saving money - do you want to stay home? The phrasing of "my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom" begs the question.

It's also important that you discuss ahead of time that YOUR job will be to take care of your child while his is to bring in the money. It is YOUR money, not HIS.
You also need to let him know that at least once a week, you need some "You" time. Even if it's for an hour to get away from the baby and do something for yourself. Men will do this, yet they think that women don't need a break from the job (and don't kid yourself, it is a job.)

Make sure he helps with the baby, it will allow bonding. He needs to be able to change diapers and give the kid a bath in case you are out and there is an accident.

My DH HAD to change diapers when my first was born because I was bedridden for two weeks (complications.)

Make sure he is there in the delivery room as well.

yikes
Marriage is supposed to be give and take for both
both take care of kid, both bring in money. But do not make the man into a maid.
some are not into changing diapers and despite this are great fathers

[Anonymous]

I use Kidizen app to get new sizes in kid clothes. Have a garden. Shop sales. We only have one car. We buy our cars used. We don't eat out much (once a month?). When going to movies we see matinees.

[Anonymous]

Definitely stay away from a Target and Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:more important than saving money - do you want to stay home? The phrasing of "my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom" begs the question.

It's also important that you discuss ahead of time that YOUR job will be to take care of your child while his is to bring in the money. It is YOUR money, not HIS.
You also need to let him know that at least once a week, you need some "You" time. Even if it's for an hour to get away from the baby and do something for yourself. Men will do this, yet they think that women don't need a break from the job (and don't kid yourself, it is a job.)

Make sure he helps with the baby, it will allow bonding. He needs to be able to change diapers and give the kid a bath in case you are out and there is an accident.

My DH HAD to change diapers when my first was born because I was bedridden for two weeks (complications.)

Make sure he is there in the delivery room as well.

yikes
Marriage is supposed to be give and take for both
both take care of kid, both bring in money. But do not make the man into a maid.
some are not into changing diapers and despite this are great fathers

Who is into changing diapers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:more important than saving money - do you want to stay home? The phrasing of "my husband would really like me to become a stay at home mom" begs the question.

It's also important that you discuss ahead of time that YOUR job will be to take care of your child while his is to bring in the money. It is YOUR money, not HIS.
You also need to let him know that at least once a week, you need some "You" time. Even if it's for an hour to get away from the baby and do something for yourself. Men will do this, yet they think that women don't need a break from the job (and don't kid yourself, it is a job.)

Make sure he helps with the baby, it will allow bonding. He needs to be able to change diapers and give the kid a bath in case you are out and there is an accident.

My DH HAD to change diapers when my first was born because I was bedridden for two weeks (complications.)

Make sure he is there in the delivery room as well.

yikes
Marriage is supposed to be give and take for both
both take care of kid, both bring in money. But do not make the man into a maid.
some are not into changing diapers and despite this are great fathers

Did you just time warp here from 1950? Any father who won't change diapers kind of sucks. It is part of being a parent. No one really likes it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a SAHM as well. We stopped our cable and subscribe to Netflix and Hulu because we noticed we hardly ever watch television. We also changed our cellphone plan and now save about $100 monthly. We stop our gym membership in the summer and that saves us another $100. I don't clip coupons or drive around to different stores for sales. I also don't budget but probably should.

I think I'll just keep working. I make $100 in a hour.