Frugal Tips and Stay-at-Home Parents
Here are some frugal tips that other stay-at-home parents have shared with us.
From Debbie:
I have six kids (four still at home). For a snack, I save the juice from canned fruit. I add a little water and make pop-cycles. The kids love it and I'm not throwing the juice down the drain.
From Cindy:
This tip came from the Tightwad Gazette: When you cook spaghetti, put the water in the pan and then the spaghetti and put a lid on it.
When it boils, turn it off and time for 10 minutes, keeping the lid on it. This saves energy and money by not keeping the stove on the whole time the spaghetti boils. Also, it minimizes mess, since you watch it for when it is boiling and not let it boil over a time or 2 while rushing to get dinner on the table.
From Nancy:
Clip coupons and use them; it is a great way to try new things and watch the weekly sales ads, a lot of times I get items completely free. I regularly save 25 to 50 percent off my grocery bills! Also, watch the sales ads for meat on sale and stock up. If you have a seperate freezer you can really take advantage of the sales (it's the only way we can afford to eat top of the line meat and poultry)!
From Elizabeth:
When we got the internet, we could only afford it one way - we cut out long distance on our phone bill, and went to using phone cards. This has saved us a ton of money! Now, we only call long distance if it is NECESSARY, because of having to use the card. You can get the ones a Wal-Mart, and get them recharged for .06 a minute.
The ones at Sam's Club are even cheaper. If you have trouble reading the small numbers, simply type up a page with the numbers displayed large, and keep it handy by the phone. My husband has even memorized the number!
From Kim:
I only have one baby...she is 1 this week...but I grew up in a 3 child family so I learned how to stretch a dollar pretty far! Do you have a wholesale club nearby? They sell in bulk (including fruit) and you will save a ton of money! Some even accept coupons! My mother and I both shop once a month for everything except milk, and only venture to the grocery stores when we like what is in the circulars! This way, you save time and money, and have a lot of food to get you through the month. Things are usually cramped the first week, but you will find that bulk foods don't take up that much room! Anyway, I hope this helps!
I want to thank everyone for their tips and hints, and please submit your tip!
From Debbie:
I have six kids (four still at home). For a snack, I save the juice from canned fruit. I add a little water and make pop-cycles. The kids love it and I'm not throwing the juice down the drain.
From Cindy:
This tip came from the Tightwad Gazette: When you cook spaghetti, put the water in the pan and then the spaghetti and put a lid on it.
When it boils, turn it off and time for 10 minutes, keeping the lid on it. This saves energy and money by not keeping the stove on the whole time the spaghetti boils. Also, it minimizes mess, since you watch it for when it is boiling and not let it boil over a time or 2 while rushing to get dinner on the table.
From Nancy:
Clip coupons and use them; it is a great way to try new things and watch the weekly sales ads, a lot of times I get items completely free. I regularly save 25 to 50 percent off my grocery bills! Also, watch the sales ads for meat on sale and stock up. If you have a seperate freezer you can really take advantage of the sales (it's the only way we can afford to eat top of the line meat and poultry)!
From Elizabeth:
When we got the internet, we could only afford it one way - we cut out long distance on our phone bill, and went to using phone cards. This has saved us a ton of money! Now, we only call long distance if it is NECESSARY, because of having to use the card. You can get the ones a Wal-Mart, and get them recharged for .06 a minute.
The ones at Sam's Club are even cheaper. If you have trouble reading the small numbers, simply type up a page with the numbers displayed large, and keep it handy by the phone. My husband has even memorized the number!
From Kim:
I only have one baby...she is 1 this week...but I grew up in a 3 child family so I learned how to stretch a dollar pretty far! Do you have a wholesale club nearby? They sell in bulk (including fruit) and you will save a ton of money! Some even accept coupons! My mother and I both shop once a month for everything except milk, and only venture to the grocery stores when we like what is in the circulars! This way, you save time and money, and have a lot of food to get you through the month. Things are usually cramped the first week, but you will find that bulk foods don't take up that much room! Anyway, I hope this helps!
I want to thank everyone for their tips and hints, and please submit your tip!
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