Budgeting and money saving tips plz

amother

Sun, Jul 30 2023, 8:53 pm

I'm a single parent to a large size family
I'm trying to figure out best ways to budget and pay all the bills and maybe even dream to save
Any and all ideas r very much appreciated
How do u set up accounts? What do u not buy?
What do u avoid buying? What do u find are good buys?
How do ppl stretch one paycheck to all expenses?
Cheap and filling suppers? Snacks? Drinks? Fruits veggies...
You get my drift...

notshanarishona

Sun, Jul 30 2023, 9:02 pm

Stop keeping CY (we have done that when money is tight, saves at least $200 a month).
Get a membership to a place like Costco and get chicken and other items in bulk at cheaper prices than local grocery
Hand me downs save a fortune over buying new clothes, along the same lines we almost never buy Jewish brand clothes. We get clothes from amazon or Walmart type of places.
Reach out to local community organizations, many places have a food pantry
The obvious of food stamps and medicaid
With dinners and meals , stretching out the carbs and minizing the meat/ chicken. For example instead of serving chicken and rice where everyone would take a full piece of chicken I will cut up chicken and serve it with noodles like a stirfry and then use lets say 2 pieces for everyone

Last edited by notshanarishona on Sun, Jul 30 2023, 9:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

LittleDucky

Sun, Jul 30 2023, 9:02 pm

If you have a major supermarket near you- see if they have an app. Clip coupons and it comes off the register. Same with drug stores.
I try to shop based on what's on sale and get enough for next week too when it won't be. So cereal- this week X brand is on sale. I get enough for 2 weeks or more depending on my weekly budget. If I can scrimp an extra $5 this week and get 2 extra boxes then next week I won't buy at full price. Roll over those savings to stock up on something else that is on sale.
Don't spend what you don't have. Even if on sale.
Check price per oz, not size of the box. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy smaller boxes on sale than the family size.
Check what stores are cheaper. CVS tends to be more expensive than a different drugstore near me.
Buy store brands if cheaper- sometimes it is the exact same. Sometimes not. Different store brands are different quality so I use store brand toilet paper from X store but not Y. Or garbage bags(I don't find it makes a huge difference).

amother

Thistle

Sun, Jul 30 2023, 9:28 pm

OP it's great that you are being careful with your spending these are my tips and tricks.

Buy regular pantry items at regular supermarket not a kosher one like mayo ketchup pickles mustard.
Buy the glad type bags not ziploc saves a lot of money in the long run I buy these at a dollar and up store.
make your own coffees, teas etc.
don't go out to eat all food made at home
shop at dollar tree for pretzels, buy pop corn kernels make your own popcorn
Shop at Kohls for random clothing shoes as they give 40% off once a month and you get kohl's cash back so you can recycle the money and I buy on clearance so I save tons. Or Old Navy Gap they have great sales.
find gemachs that are free for clothing shoes furniture school supplies etc.
don't go on vacation unless it's to visit family or friends out of town. We don't spend money during vacation or chol hamoed either we do nature friendly places as well as waterfalls.
go to food pantries as needed for food they give a lot of good healthy food and fruits and vegtables.
Shop through Rakuten so you get cash back on purchases.
Medication and glasses is whatever insurance covers no out of pocket costs.
Dentist that take insurance.
In the summer I found scholarships for my kids for camp it worked out very well for us although scholarships are hard to find.

amother

Cherry

Sun, Jul 30 2023, 10:00 pm

You mentioned drinks. Drink water from the sink. If necessary where you live, invest in a filter. You can buy reusable water bottles for on the go. Not only is it much much much cheaper, it's also healthier. It may take time, but you and your kids will adjust to drinking sink water. Obviously, you can still buy flavored drinks as a treat, but they're really not necessary. And not even healthy. Drinking juice, soda, etc. is just a bad habit. It might not be easy to break the habit, but it's cheaper, healthier, and even saves you time and effort in the long run.

amother

Navy

Sun, Aug 13 2023, 4:17 pm

My best advice for budgeting is cash envelopes!! Divide up your budget based on your fixed and non fixed expenses every month
Only use cash!! It’s much easier to do it weekly than monthly! It makes decision making easy and out of your hands kind of

amother

Lightgray

Sun, Aug 20 2023, 4:40 pm

locating certain stores that have significant discounts (especially for picking out clothes in person, I don't like buying clothing online) like Burlington coat factory has very low prices on shoes, clothes, home decor, basic cookwear.

Amazing savings for disposables & odds & ends.

As mentioned Costco, a membership in the long run can really help for buying in bulk (toilet paper, food basics including produce, milk & eggs, aluminum foil, gas too is cheaper).