Money: Money Saving Parenting Hacks
Today we have a guest post from Jon over at The Money Shed. As the UK’s largest community website dedicated to earning money from home there is nothing he doesn’t know about saving or making money and on to of that he also runs the 100% Online Blogging resource Totally Blogging which takes you from setting up your first blog all the way through the earning the absolute most you can from it.
Money Saving Parenting Hacks
Raising kids is an amazing experience, but it is also an expensive one. The average cost of raising a child to 18 years old is around £230,000. This is an astonishing amount of money, something that seems unfathomable when looking at it like that.
But there are some things that you can do in order to save money as a parent. We’ve put together a list of our top money-saving parenting hacks just for you.
Get your shopping organised!
It can be tempting to just pick up whatever you need, whenever you need it. And sometimes you don’t have much time so you might just grab something quick on the way home from picking the kids up. But organising your shopping will help you save loads of money. Plan your meals in advance so you won’t be tempted to buy more than you need to.
Organise your subscriptions
So many services and products are available on a monthly basis now. Whether it’s Netflix, Amazon Prime or something else – it’s easy to forget what you’re actually paying for each month. These subscriptions can soon add up and end up costing you loads. Go through all of your subscriptions and make sure that you’re only paying for what you use. This is especially important if you have a family Apple or Android plan – just to make sure that your little ones haven’t signed up to anything without you knowing!
Research rewards
There are so many different companies now which offer reward schemes. Have a look at companies that you use which offer them, and make the most of this! A lot of companies do deals on days out with kids, or money off family holidays. Many people aren’t even aware of them, let alone use them – so check out your companies.
Coupons and discounts
Similar to reward schemes – there are thousands of coupons and discounts available. It’s just about looking to find them. Newspapers and magazines offer coupons all the time. And if you sign up to something like Tesco Clubcard you will get coupons delivered through your door every so often. It’s worth having a look at what your local shops offer and see if you can get some money-off coupons each month. It can end up saving you a load on your weekly shop – especially if you have growing children who never stop eating!
Buy clothes second-hand
Anyone who has ever spent any time around children will know how fast they grow. You buy them a pair of shoes one week and the next they don’t fit them. This can add up to one expensive bill each year. Cut down on this cost by going second-hand shopping instead. Charity and thrift shops are great places to buy children’s clothes – often for half the price of buying them new. There’s absolutely no point in buying brand new expensive clothes only for your kids to have grown out of them in a few weeks!
Sell your old stuff!
And if you do have a load of old clothes that your kids no longer fit into you can always sell them online. There are so many places now that can help you – from eBay to Gumtree, and even Facebook! Get rid of any clothes that your kids no longer fit or wear, as well as any old toys that are just taking up space. This will give you a bit of extra cash, as well as freeing up some space in your home. You can choose what to sell, how much for and whether you’re happy to deliver. It’s so easy and works perfectly around you and your life.
You can follow Jon for more great advice and tips on his social media channels: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Lukeosaurus And Me
Rachael is a 31 year old mum to 10 year old Luke and 5 year old Oscar. She lives in England and writes about family life, crafts, recipes, parenting wins(and fails), as well as travel, days out, fashion and living the frugal lifestyle.
17 Comments
Kate
What a good reminder I sometimes meal plan but when I don’t I do waste such a lot of money!
Talya
Some great tips here – I am in the process of selling off a lot of our old things on eBay which is making a nice bit of extra cash!
l dove
Great tips! I use coupons and discounts on every online purchase where possible. Ive just installed a chrome extension that does it for me!
Rachel
Im not a parent but this was still and interesting and usual read. I need to consider second hand clothes more I think!
Karen
We definitely need to be more organised with our shopping – picking it up or having it delivered to avoid exposing ourselves to our children’s extra choices/pester power would save us money too. Love second hand shopping, I’ve often found items still with their original tags on too.
Melanie
Being an organised shopper is key. Coupon codes are an easy way to save money x
Cath - BattleMum
It’s shocking when you see figures like that but I’d easily believe it. I definitely find organising my shopping a good way of keeping costs down. I also buy lots of clothes for my son in the sales a season or year in advance. Saves me a fortune that way.
Anosa
These are some really great and handy tips to save money because that estimated amount of money is a huge heap for sure.
lucy mackcracken
I totally agree with checking the subscriptions tip, I have definitely been guilty of signing up to various schemes and then forgetting to use them! I’m also lucky to have a big family so there are always lots of children to pass clothes onto and receive from.
Rachel
We have been meal planning for a while now and it has saved us quite a bit of money as before we would not have planned anything for dinner and end up getting a takeaway.
Mel
Lots of great tips here! That reminds me I have a bag full of stuff to sell but I never make the time for that! Must do it
Rochelle
Some great tips here – it’s so easy to lose sight of how much you spend when you shop day to day! And we have far too many subscriptions – it’s top of my to-do list to go through and weed them out a little…
Sonia Cave
I am good with planning our shopping and that definitely helps us out. I get a little overwhelmed with the selling old things, as I’m good at having regular clear outs of clothes and toys etc, but then it sits in the cellar waiting to be sold and then I feel it’s so much it is too overwhelming!! I need to get better at tackling that part more often
Emma
Yes, these are all brilliant tips! I think making the time to go through your bank statement each month and checking your outgoings is also really important. You can find that you are still subscribed to services that you no longer need and forgot to cancel. Also, discount codes save me so much money!
Jen
Really helpful tips here. It’s so easy to lose track of subscriptions like Netflix. I completely forgot I was paying for a Spotify subscription we never use!
Lukeosaurus And Me
Oh no! I have done that before too with Kobi and Audiable!
Rachel
Some great tips! I plan our meals too!