I love my children more than anything, but the fact is that it is not cheap having them. Would I have been more aware of this fact in the past, I would have started to save up for them long before they were even born and when I still had the possibility of doing so.
Anyways, they are here and I wouldn’t change that for the world so let’s look at some ways to cut expenses instead.
1. Meal planning
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I am very into meal planning. The reason for that is that it saves both time during the week to try and come up with ideas and it saves money on groceries as our shopping becomes much more focused on the things that we need for that week as we only buy what is on our list. Another great plus is that we through away much less food!
2. Cutting down on trips to the supermarket
When we go to the supermarket we buy stuff and that is just the way that it is. Every time we go we almost always get something extra that wasn’t planned beforehand. You know how you go to the store to get milk and then you come home with lots of stuff, but forgot the milk? By cutting down on the number of times we actually go there, we automatically cut down on the sum we spend.
3. Buy second-hand or exchange
Children’s clothing is something we spend a lot of money on so why not try to see have we can save some money. Second-hand places are a nice place to look, they often have high quality clothes in good condition for much less. Another option is to exchange with friends and family. There is always someone who can pass something on to you and someone that you can pass on to…
4. Plan free activities
Sometimes the best activities don’t cost a think and gives us much more quality time together as a family: trips to the beach, the woods or just a walk or bicycle trip in the area where you live. Other activities like watching a movie together as a family with the curtains drawn and homemade popcorn can be really nice on a weekend afternoon. Or what about the library?
5. Babysitter swaps
We have good friend with kids exactly the same age who happen to really like playing together. So once in a while we babysit each others kids when the other couple goes out. An extra bonus is a sleepover…. The great thing about this, is that you save the babysitter costs of a date and the kids really enjoy it as well.
Do you have any saving tips you want to share?
Have a great weekend,
Veronica
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