It’s no lie that the last few years have been hard on everyone. Covid hit our economy with a hard knock and many homes and businesses are still trying to bounce back from the somewhat crippling financial effects.
I know I’m not the only mom who has noticed the food price soar and has considered public transport over the price of fuel.
A shopping trip to the local food store which a few years ago yielded a trolley full of food for R1000 is now equating to a few small plastic bags of groceries.
Ways to stretch a buck
Due to this, and the fact that our incomes haven’t grown with inflation we as a family are constantly looking for ways of saving money or make our money stretch a little bit further.
But how do you save money and still lead a fun and busy lifestyle?
Here are some of the ways I save :
Online saving tools
Use an online saving tool to help set big goals, like birthdays or holidays. This will help to stick to your saving plan and have a visual representation of how much you’ve saved.
You could also help your child save for a much-wanted toy or even for a date night using an online saving tool.
Shop smart
This sounds hard but once you’ve developed a habit to shop smart, it gets a lot easier.
Shopping smart helps you to save and buy what you need.
- Make a list before shopping, and stick to that list.
- Don’t go online to shop just because you can.
- And resist adding more to your order to use a coupon or get free delivery options. Sometimes you end up spending more than you intended.
- Shop around for better pricing and keep your eye on the sales.
- Consider purchasing in bulk and sharing with friends or family.
- Make use of loyalty cards and shopping apps as these often offer a saving or coupons and discounts.
- Buy your clothing from cheaper stores and the end of a season when clothing is cheaper.
- You could also look at thrifting and saving the planet. I’ve found some of my best purchases for our classroom and home in thrift stores.
Birthdays and Christmas
When it comes to birthdays and Christmas plan early. Shop throughout the year so that you can rather use December’s bonus to buy school uniforms and stationery.
There are several shops that allow you to lay by or open savings with them, like Checkers, to help you save for Christmas.
Look out for the free things offered in your area for your birthday. Many companies offer free entry, coffee, or coupon on your birthday.
These two blogs will help you save for Christmas and birthdays
Budget
I’m not a fan of sticking to a budget but in order to make the best financial decisions it really is best to do so.
Living below your means, downsizing, and paying off any debt just make sense as the less you have to pay out the more you can save and spend. This is where a budget will help you to focus on where to pay your money and how much you need to live each month.
For families
Raising 6 small kids in a single-income household taught me early to get creative. I would sew my kid’s clothing and toys, and we repurposed and swopped items with friends. We shopped at thrift stores and made Friday movie nights with homemade pizza a tradition. We made use of free parks and shopping center activations and learned to be creative with the food we served. Pinterest has so many wonderful ideas for food, games, and crafts to keep kids busy. It took a bit of effort but it was worth it.
However we look at it, we all want to give our families the best and sometimes that means saving for a year or sacrificing a few luxuries to give truly give them what they need in the long term.
