7 Ways to Save Money as a Mom

Practical and unique ways to boost your budget and get serious about saving money as a mom.

These 7 practical tips have greatly impacted my ability to save money as a mom. I have integrated them all into my life for several years. Let me know if you have tried any and be sure to share any I left out! I love learning from other mom’s doing the day to day work of raising a family and managing a home.

Are you more likely to spend or save money as a mom?

Talking about budgeting and money can stress someone out. It’s such a personal subject.  I’ve always made frugality into a game and I’m so thankful for that. I’ve realized that money can be a sensitive subject and these words might hit differently in different seasons of life. I thought I knew it all when it came to finances, until we had a handful of hardships and I felt like I had gotten way too comfortable in a cushy budget. 

What I have learned from those instances is that it is SO easy to get TOO comfortable in your spending habits. I’ve had to examine my spending habits and it is quite humbling, to say the least. One lie I was often telling myself was “ I deserve this”.

• “I deserve” new clothes to fit my ever-changing postpartum body.
• “I deserve” to get some new organization bins for my kitchen and bathroom because it will help my family’s day “flow” better.
• “I deserve” to stop and get a coffee shop meal because I cook 99% of my meals at home and I’m tired. 

All of these statements can easily be justified and I don’t mean to say we shouldn’t splurge for special occasions, BUT we need to be aware of our “emotional spending”. Are we purchasing something because we are in a bad mood and think it will fix an unrelated problem? Often, yes. 

How do you view WEALTH ?

Does it affect your ability to save money as a mom?

So often we view wealth as what a person’s yearly income is. This is also refered to as a companies “bottom line”. As a homemaker and mother, I like to run my home like a business. In my six short years of managing a family, my view of wealth has grown much bigger than just a financial bottom line. It now includes things like health, wellness, faith, time in nature, time spent with family, etc. We have been conditioned to view monetary income as the priority wealth. I challenge you to think of how your family is doing in all of these areas mentioned above and how it contributes to the complete bottom line of your family.

We should care much less about what income we make and much more about how we manage our income.  And just to be clear managing your money isn’t just paying your bills on time. It’s examining where your money is going, and what percentages you’re giving, saving, and investing. It’s reflecting on purchasing habits and what brings you joy.

Take time to reflect and examine your spending habits. This is often ignored when trying to save money as a mom.

For me, it’s taking a step back and considering if I’m letting my possessions take importance over my husband, kids, and more humbly, my faith. Am I spending more time researching the next best “mom hack” than in the bible or prayer? In financial times of stress, am I hyperfocused on perfecting my budget to “save my family” or am I focused on the ever-perfect wealth of heaven?

Phew, it’s hard to admit that sometimes my tendencies with money become unhealthy! I’ve had to learn to practice reflection often. If you want to see where your view of wealth may lie, look at all of your “extra” purchases in the last few months. Are you spending more than you should on new clothes? Maybe your view of wealth is built upon appearance. Have you been pushing your pennies toward supplements and recent health trends? Maybe your view of wealth is built upon taking charge of your health (not a bad thing, but can become obsessive). Have you been spending too much on self-help books? Maybe your view of wealth is “having it all together”?

Again, these aren’t inherently bad, but where you spend your money is a great clue as to where your personal view of wealth lies. And it’s healthy to reflect on it from time to time!

Let’s dive into the best ways I’ve learned to monitor spending habits and ensure I save money as a mom!

TIP #1 Track Expenses in a Simple Budget

Now this isn’t new, and I put it first so we can get it out of the way and move on. But It’s necessary. If you don’t know where your money is going you CAN’T manage it. And remember, managing your money doesn’t just mean paying your bills on time.

I used to budget in a detailed spreadsheet that listed our expenses, savings accounts, and income. While this worked perfectly for that season,  I have since transitioned into using Every Dollar which is a great way to track expenses for a busy mom ( or whoever manages your family budget).  

The app links to your checking and savings accounts, retirement accounts, credit cards, and debit cards so you can automate your bookkeeping. It has recommended budget categories which is helpful, but they are easily editable. It averages $6 a month and it has easily saved me hundreds because it holds me accountable to spend LESS. The first year I used it, I made it a point to review each month’s expenses with my husband. This helped hold me accountable for even the littlest things that I wouldn’t have remembered if I weren’t tracking it!

Whatever your method of budgeting is, do it consistently and persistently. Track every penny and you will most likely find somewhere to pinch some pennies.  It is empowering to know where your money is going. Remember to look back on your budget every so often and examine where your expenses are adding up, it may help you understand where your view on wealth lies. Reflect on that!

Bonus Tip

To simplify your budget. Don’t get overcomplicated with your expense categories. Sometimes being too critical about where expenses fall will inhibit you from budgeting at all. My non-fixed budget expenses include “Groceries” and “Other”. After “Groceries”, everything falls into the “Other” category. I then review that category at the end of the month if I need to investigate further. This ensures I don’t waste extra time being picky about where expenses fall. 

TIP #2 Keep Inventory of Food

It seems like meal planning is always a must on the money-saving lists. I have to admit, I am not a detailed meal planner. But I have learned a key to stretching your budget is simply just using what you have. We often forget what ingredients we have only to run out and purchase them. Keeping an inventory of your freezer, pantry, and fridge helps tremendously.

We keep an inventory of our freezer right on our freezer door with a dry-erase marker. Each Sunday I take a picture of my freezer inventory, look through my fridge and pantry, and write down what I need to use up. Then, I make a list of meals I can make with the ingredients I already have. There are even tools that take a list of ingredients and come up with recipes to make, check this one out! After this, I know how many days we can make it without going shopping. 

I don’t plan meals for certain days because plans change, we have leftovers, etc.  If I only have ingredients for three meals, then I check out the sales flyer and come up with a plan for the rest. I NEVER start with the sales flyer, I always shop my kitchen first. This is also a huge time saver when it comes to making a shopping list.

Don’t start with what you think you need, start with what you know you have.

I also keep a master list of meals I can make with basic ingredients on the side of my fridge. It is based around different cuts of meat since we buy our meat in bulk.  Check it out below.

TIP #3 Amazon Accountability & Purchasing Strategy

Alright, I love and hate Amazon. It is ultra-convenient to subscribe to diapers, toilet paper, and paper towels that automatically show up at your door. But is it incredibly enticing and all too easy to “one-click” order popsicle molds because you read a blog post about them? Shopping used to require hard work. Not just hard work to earn money, but the literal process of getting the item. People would plan all week, month, or even year to purchase big-ticket items like a new jacket, small appliances, household items, etc. We can now jump on our phone and order a toaster to show up at our front door tomorrow all while using the toilet. Yikes! How times have changed?

I’ve had to get rogue with Amazon. Here is my purchasing strategy to ensure I save money as a mom.

• I’ve committed to match Amazon spending into savings accounts. That means, at the end of the month I total my Amazon spending and withdraw that amount from my checking to transfer into a savings account. 
• I’ve deleted the app from my phone.
• In the past, I’ve only allowed myself to purchase from Amazon on the last day of the month. Phew, this one will save you! You can add items to the cart through the month, but can’t buy until the end. I bet you’ll find most of the items are not necessary. 

TIP #4 Shop Your Home FIRST, Then Shop Second Hand

This plays hand in hand with keeping an inventory of your ingredients. I keep a section in a closet for “extras”. I love to keep my home as minimal as possible but two things I never throw away are baskets/containers and any type of shelving . We are constantly reorganizing and changing things up, so I’ve learned to keep these two things around. It’s tempting to pacify a new purchase if you think it’s going to solve a nagging problem, but I challenge you to shop your home first. Look around and examine what isn’t working and what may be empty or ready to move to a new spot!

If you have self-control, THEN check out thrift stores, consignment shops, or yard sales for your needed item. These can be great places to find little things and big-ticket items at a fraction of the cost. But be careful, I often see people overspending at these stores because everything is a “good deal”.

NOTHING IS A GOOD DEAL IF YOU DON’T NEED IT.

At the end of the day, if you don’t need an item, even if it is a penny, it is still a waste of money. Don’t buy it if it will just end up back in the donation bin. 

A good idea is to keep a running note of items you may need in your phone notes. When you are at a store you can look at the note and only buy items from your list. This helps avoid unnecessary expenses while ensuring you get the best deals. Some of the best things in my closet are from consignment stores. I also love buying baby clothes, since babies grow out of them so quickly I find they are barely used and in great condition. It’s much harder for me to find clothes for older kids in good condition. 

TIP #5 Buy Bulk When Possible

Buying bulk builds up the ability to shop your home for groceries (tip #4). It may take some time, but buying bulk does pay off.  I have been using Azure Standard for half a year and it has saved me so much money!! I know this because I’ve tracked my grocery budget for years and I can see how buying in bulk averages out. The Azure Standard generic brand is amazing and each month they have great deals in their sales flyer on specific items to stock up on. Only buy items in bulk that you already use and need, check your inventory list to see what items you use quickly (Tip #2). It’s not the time to buy experimental ingredients.

Best of all, Azure takes great detail to make sure the companies they work with align with their values. If you’re into whole food and from scratch cooking, buying in bulk will become second nature. Azure is helpful for my budget because you can only pick up your order once a month. This challenges me to plan accordingly and mitigates impulse buys that may happen at a weekly grocery store shopping trip. Not all items are cheaper than what you’d find at a local grocery store, but for bulk buying things like rice, oats, produce, and whole grains it’s hard to beat. 

TIP #6 Eliminate Food Waste

These are truly some of my best money-saving tips for frugal moms! If you’re anything like me, you spend a ton of time in the kitchen. I love serving my family by cooking them nutritious, from scratch meals. However, my monthly grocery bill is slowly becoming the largest line item in my budget, right next to my mortgage. Yikes! To ensure I don’t waste the hard-earned money spent on our grocery bill, I diligently focus on limiting food waste. 

The main two ways I do this are

• Buying ingredients ( not pre-made items)
• Freezer scrap bags

Buying Ingredients

The best part of cooking from scratch is having a base of simple ingredients that you can use for MANY different dishes. When you buy already prepared, or semi-prepared items the end options are limited. You can do SO MANY things with simple ingredients like oats, rice, chocolate chips, grains, frozen/jarred veggies, and fruits. I find that shopping in bulk (tip #4) prepares me to lower my food waste tremendously. Ingredients are never used for just one thing so it is so easy to continuously use them until it’s time to restock.

Freezer Scrap Bags

• Vegetable broth bag. Put your veggie scraps and peels in a ziplock freezer bag. When it’s full, make broth with it. Many vegetable peels are richer in nutrients than their flesh. Potato peels, for example, are LOADED with potassium. Use your broth in soups, to cook rice and pasta. It is a FREE way to add intense nutrition to your meals.
• Meat bone bag. This always grossed me out, but now I understand the liquid gold that meat broth is. We save all of our meat bones in a freezer bag, and when it’s full we make broth and soups. I also pressure can it for a shelf-stable option. Home-made broth is much less money than store-bought, it’s basically free. I love to cook my rice in broth to add bioavailable protein and minerals to my family’s diet. 
• Smoothie bag. If you have little kids, I’m sure you have half-eaten apples and bananas. And if you’ve ever bought salad greens with the good intention of making a luscious salad, you most likely have spinach going wilty in your fridge. We throw all of our partially eaten fruit and veggies in a smoothie bag. You’d be surprised how fast it fills up!

My last tip to help you save money as a mom will possibly save the most and can be done in seconds. Hopefully, some of you already have done this!

TIP #7 DELETE Social Media!

Just try it for a month. We are so influenced by people showing us their perfect items that solve all of life’s problems. I know I fall prey to this. Especially as a new parent, I was extremely susceptible to baby products claiming to provide me one more second of sleep ( you feel me?). It takes little time to be enticed by a stranger who feels like your best friend in an Instagram story. Proceed with caution! 

These tips have truly helped me save money as a mom. I hope you can integrate them into your money-saving strategy of keeper of the home!