What is your money saving hack?

amother

Plum

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 11:25 am

amother Daylily wrote:

I feel like it’s this reoccurring theme on this site “cleaning help is a luxury, you can’t complain you have money problems if you have cleaning help”. And every time it’s a knife. I wish I could manage without it. But I can’t. I just can’t juggle that many balls alone.

If you can afford it, go for it. If someone has no money for food but insists on cleaning help that's another story IMHO.

amother

Garnet

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 11:27 am

amother Daylily wrote:

Thank you for validating. Everyone makes me feel like I’m doing something awful by spending $200 a month(yes, that’s all it is) so I don’t live in a mud pit. Otherwise we live a very frugal life style- my kids wear hand me downs, once upon a child and target, we never eat out (not even pizza), disposables are only for Shabbos afternoon when my kids have managed to use every milchig bowl in the cabinet on their 18 snacks (which all get a bowl because they’re home made or out of big bags- no individual bags).

This is a post with recommendations for saving money. Forgoing cleaning help is one way. It looked like you were looking for recommendations for how to make this work, and we offered suggestions.

Not every solution will work for every family, and it's not a criticism.

amother

Daylily

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 11:29 am

amother Plum wrote:

If you can afford it, go for it. If someone has no money for food but insists on cleaning help that's another story IMHO.

I mean we’re so many thousands of dollars in debt until my husband finishes his 2nd and 3rd degrees (working on them simultaneously) that $200 a month in exchange for my sanity is nothing.

amother

Plum

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 11:32 am

amother Daylily wrote:

I mean we’re so many thousands of dollars in debt until my husband finishes his 2nd and 3rd degrees (working on them simultaneously) that $200 a month in exchange for my sanity is nothing.

That's your personal choice. It really doesn't affect anyone else unless you are asking for charity.

amother

Hunter

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 11:43 am

amother Plum wrote:

That's your personal choice. It really doesn't affect anyone else unless you are asking for charity.

And even if she was asking for charity, it still wouldn't be our business!
Giving charity doesn't mean we can make decisions on how ppl spend their money(their own or the one they are given!)

amother

Steel

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 12:07 pm

I save money as a hobby and bc I grew up that way and it's ingrained in me. I love Dan's deals he has taught me so many ways to save money and go on free vacations etc. We go shopping for the week based on which store has the best sales for the expensive stuff. We stock up on chicken meat and roast when they are 5.99/lb at moishas which happens a few times a year. I never pay more than 7 for a lb of chicken or meat. I have WIC and use everything I get and I get creative with it. I have an IHG credit card which allows me to stay at hotels for free since the sign up bonus was huge and still have points. I will open another one when they run out. We buy used second hand cars. We live in a small apartment and save hundreds a month. We get lots of hand me downs and shop lots at Primark and SheIn

amother

Plum

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 12:14 pm

amother Hunter wrote:

And even if she was asking for charity, it still wouldn't be our business!
Giving charity doesn't mean we can make decisions on how ppl spend their money(their own or the one they are given!)

No but we can choose who we give charity to.

amother

Kiwi

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 1:26 pm

amother Daylily wrote:

All you people who say you clean yourself, when???
I do basics myself but I don’t have the 4 hours every other week to change all the linens and deep clean the bathrooms and kitchen and vacuum the whole house. I come home with all the little kids and I don’t get the little ones (who nap) down for the night before 9! My husband works full time plus. I work Sunday to make up the hours I don’t do during the week when I have to go pick up my kids before the work day is really over.

It’s insane but doable. I too have a work schedule similar to yours.

On Thursday when kids are in bed, I start with the laundry and cleaning the floors. Sometimes I get to the bathroom sometimes I don’t. I really do the floors on all four and then scrub the bathtub tiles and grout. I got a gift this Chanukah a power cleaner for tiles. It’s such a game changer.

If I still have time and energy- since it’s close to midnight or after, I prep the kitchen for the following morning. I continue on Friday whatever I did not get to on Thursday.

Note that no matter how well you clean the floors, when the kids wake up and leave for school you will feel like you’re back to square one, but I often just do a light vacuum and I don’t remop.

amother

Daylily

Fri, Jan 19 2024, 1:32 pm

amother Kiwi wrote:

Do you not work on Friday? Thursday night is cooking time because there’s no time on Friday. And I can’t stay up till midnight - from 12:30-3 every night the kids take turns waking up and needing attention (maybe that’s my real issue) and 3-6 is not a functional nights sleep.

amother

Seablue

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 12:32 pm

I shop in the local grocery for a lot of items they have very fair pricing and offer a discount for Kollel/Chinuch. I only buy what we need. I found going to the chain stores much more challenging - the have these big sales on thing you don't need and you are tempted to buy everything on sale. Plus they are often overpriced on non-sale items. I also work full time and don't have time to go to different stores. Time and gas also cost. Years ago a wise Israeli neighbor told me "you have to have $ to save $." Meaning if you live on a tight budget you don't have extra $$ to stock up on sale items.

amother

Clematis

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 3:29 pm

amother Bergamot wrote:

Just lower your cleanliness standards.

This. We don't have cleaning help (spend on plenty of other things) and our house just isn't as clean. I do kitchen daily, bathrooms and laundry weekly, the rest less frequently. Sheets aren't changed every week. It's a little dusty but we're okay with it 🤷‍♀️.

amother

DarkPurple

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 3:51 pm

I go to bingo once a week and stock up on dairy and snacks. I will not go to another store to get more and kids will wait until I’m able to go back to get cheaper prices.
Fruits and veggies at Aldi
Non perishables at Walmart
Yes it’s hard to run to few stores but it’s worth the savings

saralem

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 4:09 pm

Baking cakes, bars and cookies is very cost effective. I also am not a night person so mornings I would get up before the kids and bake, fold laundry, straighten up etc. I don’t work on sundays and dh would take the kids to the park or bike riding or something so I could clean the house. I also cleaned on Thursday after work and dh did more of dinner and bedtime. Shabbos cooking all on Friday super early in the morning before the kids awaken. Work full time. Not easy and I’m glad I’m not on that kind of schedule anymore!

amother

Burgundy

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 4:34 pm

amother Daylily wrote:

Uh yes. Why aren’t your kids sleeping?

amother

Ecru

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 5:17 pm

amother Steel wrote:

Can you tell me more about the Moishas deals?

amother

Daylily

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 5:28 pm

amother Burgundy wrote:

Uh yes. Why aren’t your kids sleeping?

One is a baby who eats every 3 hours still. Other has some medical issues that she often wakes up in pain and it takes some effort to calm her down and get her back to sleep. It’s an accomplishment that we’re down to one wake up a night with her- it was worse for a very long time.

mha3484

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 5:32 pm

I dont have cleaning help for a few reasons. We do family clean up motzei shabbos and everyone helps. Kids are 3-13 and its a rule you must help.

I do most of the cleaning motzei shabbos and sunday when my boys are in school. Weeknights are for lighter chores.

amother

Diamond

Sat, Jan 20 2024, 5:33 pm

amother Kiwi wrote:

I’m looking for a tile cleaner. Can you post a link please?