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What did you do to make it work to be at home?

Erin - posted on 11/16/2010 ( 2 moms have responded )

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I still consider myself a sahm even though I had to go back casual/part time to keep up with bills. Still no one else watches our children but myself and my husband. I also babysit which helps as well. I still just want to be home with my kids though. I want it to be them and me, just us, with no other obligations. I've tried cutting in a few areas which does help, but not enough. What are your suggestions, things that have worked for you or others?

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Good Day! - posted on 11/16/2010

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I agree with everything Jennifer just said. A good resource for helping you cut back on the grocery bill is here...http://moneysavingmom.com/31-days-to-a-b...

After you read that, take some time to explore the rest of her website. She gives such good financial advice and encouragement.

Forgive me if your answer is "YES" but do you have a budget? A budget is soooo important! It can help you determine where you are letting your money escape.

Also, I pay for everything (except gas) with cash. Each payday, I take a specific amount (determined by our budget) out of checking. I use that cash for groceries, clothes, eating out, fun family days, etc. Once the cash is gone, it's GONE! That really helps keep me and my husband from overspending. It's too easy to overspend with a debit or credit card.

Jennifer - posted on 11/16/2010

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One thing that really helped us ou, was cutting back on the grocery bill. We were spending anywhere from $400- $600 a month on groceries. I started making a meal plan for two weeks at a time, then making a list of everything I would need to make those meals. Then I would check out fliers and coupons and go shopping to buy only those things on my list. Sure, sometimes it means going to 3 or 4 different stores to get the deals, but it is definately worth it, because now our grocery bill is between $250-$300 a month. Also, you can get rid of some of the things that don't really matter. At one point we got rid of t.v. There is never anything worth watching on anyway, and it also provided us with more family time. We have a lot of friends that switched to netflix. It is only $9.00 a month, and they get shows and movies whenever they want. Another way to cut back is don't eat out very often. It is ok sometimes, but it can really add up. For 5 of us to eat a McDonalds (this doesn't include our baby, because she is only 1 mo. old) It normally costs us about $25. If we would eat there twice a week, that would be $50! Instead, if I make the meals at home, I can usually make them for around $5-10 a piece. That saves us $30-$40 a week! For our kids clothes, I find as many as I can at garage sales and thrift stores. No, my kids aren't dressed in rags, most of the time they wear brand new clothes. If you go to enough places, you can find brand new things, even name brand for a lot less. For my daughter's school shoes this year, I found a $35 pair of Nike's at a garage sale for $5 and they were still new in the box! There are so many ways to cut back, you just have to think outside the box sometimes.

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