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

12:45. The few times I went to kid to kid they liked things ha were current season, so I would hold off on winter things for September or October. The Rockville one always answers my questions when I call. Thin they might always be looking for boots, winter coats, and snow pants though.

Have an annual garage sale! I have one every spring, and constantly add to my ongoing garage sale stash throughout the year. I make $800-$1000 every time.

I still pass kids clothes to friends, but every now I and then I have a load of kids stuff tha I bring to kid to kid. Might get me 30 or 40 bucks of fun money

Quick question: if I have last winter's stuff ready can I take it there now or do I need to wait until the fall?

Back to the topic at hand. I was never irresponsible with money but when I became a SAHM I actually became annoyed at my old self for the waste, so saving money and being minimalistic has actually become a sport to me. Stay away from the stores like everyone said. Target and any factory outlet shopping centers were my weakness. How many cargo pants from gap outlet do you really need anyway?

Other things...
Wash clothes that I used to get dry cleaned
Line dry when the weather is beautiful, like today
Clean the house yourself and do your own yard work
Use ebates for everything. Love my checks from them - I always use them to treat myself to a manicure
Sell unused stuff on Craigslist ( I love my clean basement!)
Limit buying toys - my kids don't even remember all of the stuff they have, it is ridiculous how spoiled they were, and even still are
Groceries are a huge budget suck, so now you will have time to go to multiple store. Asian markets are great for produce, and limit whole foods trips
I still pass kids clothes to friends, but every now I and then I have a load of kids stuff tha I bring to kid to kid. Might get me 30 or 40 bucks of fun money
We did have to reduce college savings so I need to work on getting that back up
In general, jus stop shopping. It sounds obvious, but sometimes hard when you are bored. I had a bad habit of buying several toiletry items at once and I never reall finish anything, so before I buy new hair gel, I empty the bottle first. Same goes with lotions, bath gels, etc.
Read mr money mustache. Even if you don't get as extreme as some of those people, it helps to keep perspective.

Good luck!

I went on moneysavingmom.com and iheartcvs.com to get the best deals for the week at CVS. That way, I was able to buy all toiletries and some cleaning products for close to free. I did it for about 6 months and I 'm set now for the next 5 years on toiletries and such.

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?

Save your income and 10% of DH income for 6 months before you quit your job. Only quit your job to sah if you want to- don't do it because your DH wants it. It has to be a joint decision.

Drive past Target and head over to Walmart.

Go to the library and get your entertainment there. I.e., books, movies, CDs, etc.

Also, take full advantage of free storytimes at both the library and Barnes & Noble.

Anonymous wrote:You need way fewer clothes. Just washable things that look good.

+1. I need so little, clothes-wise, now that I'm home and doing active stuff with my kids. I miss shopping for cute stuff, but I don't miss the bills and there is seriously no point in having more than a few cute outfits given our lifestyle these days.

We eat out MUCH less. Too much of a hassle anyway with LOs.

We buy very few toys since our parents have so much fun doing it!

Having a mortgage we can afford on one income
Breastfeeding
Only one car
Going to free playgroups/activities and story times at the library
No cable
Menu planning/cooking from scratch/ packing lunch
Pre loved baby gear
Prepaid smart phone/ very limited data plan

Here are things I personally do to save money:
-breastfeed for a year if possible, longer
-cloth diapers and wipes (we cloth diaper about 60% of the time, much easier to do in the summer than winter)
-use coupons for disposable diapers and buy in bulk, usually cheaper
-use a clothesline to dry clothes, linens, towels, cloth diapers, etc, (when it makes sense)
-cook and bake from scratch (about 70% of the time for me)
-yard sales: you can find such great deals, my most helpful tip is to go to well off subdivisions and stop at the ones that don't even look interesting, you can't see everything that's for sale from the inside of your car
-kids consignment stores for kids clothing
-we also buy used cars and with cash
-I can salsa and strawberry jam every summer
-the strawberries for the jam come from a u-pick place, fun to go and it's much cheaper than the grocery store's berries
-I only wash my hair once a week, maximum twice, many bloggers I've read do the same thing, after a couple weeks your hair will start producing less oils and you will not need to shampoo as often, bonus is that you won't have to buy as much shampoo as before.
-I bought reusable, soap foam dispensers for the bathroom and fill those with water and a squirt of dr. bronners liquid soap, instead of buying liquid soap refills at the store.
-instead of disposable pads and tampons, I use a "sea sponge" tampon, about 80% of the time, these are reusable and great for the environment, another option is the Diva Cup, which many people love, but just didn't work out well for me
-buy a dozen or so of kitchen towels and try using those instead of paper towels.
These are all things I do, hope this helps!

Breastfeeding.
No cable, etc.
We cook, clean, maintain the house, do the yardwork for ourselves.
No eating out (we really don't like to).
No target unless someone gave me a gift card and I want to buy something very specific
When I want to buy something I plan a bit ahead and buy clearance or use a coupon
No debt, credit card debt, etc.
Autopay pretty much everything, including ira, savings plans, etc. Out of sight, out of mind.
Search ebay or craigslist first if you need something expensive, like furniture.
Enjoy free activities in the dc region, or take classes from the parks department. DH and I are doing ballroom dancing right now!


It sounds a little bit tedious, but it's sort of a state of mind. I prepare a little bit ahead of time before a purchase, and I focus on what I need more than what I want. We don't feel deprived, and I like my lifestyle. I love gardening, cooking, crafts, etc.

Our biggest money savers--

Buying a house we could afford on one income (which means living in a so-called not great school district)

Just owning one car

Living in a cheaper area so less pressure to keep up with the Joneses; activities, lessons, camps and everything else costs less.

living close to metro

walking every where to save gas and get exercise

do things that require more time and less money (like joining a babysitting co-op instead of hiring a babysitter, donating hours to a food coop in exchange for food, etc.)

IME, church and nursery school rummage sales are better than yard and consignment sales. Since everything is donated and the sale is usually a day long the merch is priced to move. Spring and fall are the main seasons for these sales. I buy a large chunk of my DS's clothes for peanuts, usually good labels too. For retail purchases I do Children's Place which does free shipping and big discounts every Monday.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:stay away from Target and other retail. Simple--if I don't go to stores, I don't spend money.

This is so true. Target is a money suck. I would add to go to yard sales and those seasonal consignment sales for toys. Everyone buys the same learning table so there will be 15 to choose from at a consignment sale for 75% less than brand new. I got an amazing stroller for $25 at a yard sale.

Yep, and be sure to go to yard sales in rich subdivisions where you can usually find name brands in great condition.

We also grew a veg. garden. Easy and cheap starters are green beans and tomatoes and basic spices. Def. saved some bucks at the grocery store over the summer with fresh veggies from the garden. Plus it forced me outside during postpartum time to start and maintain garden instead of sitting inside like a lump on the couch.