Being A Stay At Home Mom On A Budget

One the biggest assumptions made about stay at home moms is that they must have a lot of money or their husband must have a nice job that allows them to stay home, not in my case. My husband works a regular job with a regular working wage. I understand this way of living isn't for everyone but, it works for us. It does take some mental preparation but it is possible to be a  Stay At Home Mom on one income.

Online I've seen 2 types of stay at home moms; you have the thrift store, extreme coupon types who will repurpose, DIY and/or recycle anything. To save money they even use cloth toilet paper. I'm not about that life, at all. I'm all for saving money but, I'm also for keeping my sanity and nose hairs intact. I save money by finding a way to do what and get what I want within my budget.

Balance
Online I've seen 2 types of stay at home moms; you have the thrift store, extreme coupon types who will re-purpose, DIY and/or recycle anything. To save money some will even use cloth toilet paper. I'm not about that life, at all. I'm all for saving money but, I'm also for keeping my sanity and nose hairs intact. I save money by finding a way to do and get what I want within my budget. If I can't get something, it isn't the end of the world.

I do what works for me and my family. I have 3, soon to be 4, children and even if something is less expensive, it may not be worth it time wise or sanity wise. An example of this is cloth diapers. I tried them with my oldest daughter when she was a baby, had no problems with them. When I added baby number 2 to the mix and things got busy, laundry started taking a little bit longer to get to. So though cloth diapering saves money every month on diapers, it just isn't a great option for me right now. I gladly give Target my $20 every 2 weeks for a box of diapers.

Spend Smart
Don't get it twisted, I haven't always been frugal with my money, I used to fly through money. If I wanted a new pair of shoes I bought them. If I wanted my hair fixed, I just went to the hair salon, which was every 2 weeks like clockwork. I've since, learned how to care for my own hair and go to the salon about once a year as a treat. Thanks to YouTube, I can blow my hair out as nice as a salon can! The initial investment in a quality flat iron, blow dryer and hair products wasn't cheap but, I have saved hundreds of dollars and my hair is healthy.

I also shop at discount stores. I'm not a thrift store shopper, I hate thrift stores. I don't knock those of you who love them and it may just be a local thing but, the thrift stores in my city are stinky and unorganized. I'd rather spend an extra $1 or so and go to Ross. I love Ross! Ross is my go to store for clothes and houseware. I just bought a storage ottoman from there for $30, the same ottoman was at Target for $75.

I don't skimp on quality, I just try to find quality at discounted prices and these days, it really is easy to do that. Stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, AtHome, Burlington Coat Factory, etc. are all stores that sell department store quality products for 50-75% off, and have clearance sections.

Have A Budget
I have a mental limit on how much I'm willing to spend on everything I buy. For my children's clothing, I won't spend more than $10-20 on a single piece of clothing. I am a Target, WalMart, Children's Place shopper for them. My oldest is 5 and her clothes don't need to cost the same as mine. I don't care a thing about name brand for them except for shoes. These stores all have clearance sections and send out coupons,  so I stay below $5-7 on shirts and pants for them.

For myself, if I want a new skirt, I go into the store with X amount on my mind and don't budge. If I can't find it for X amount, I just wait for a sale or don't buy it. Simple as that. I won't die without a new skirt. I honestly have enough clothes already and realize these are wants and not needs.

I have X amount to spend on groceries every month and so on. I stay within my budget.

List of 10 things we do to save money:
- No eating out, I make all meals at home, everyday.
- Buy in bulk. I love Sams Club.
- Use coupon apps. I love WalMart's Saving Catcher app.
- Shop clearance sections.
- Shop end of season sales.
- No window shopping. I don't shop unless I intend to buy and even then I go where I need to go and then go home! The more you're in stores, the more you will spend.
- No subscription services. I only use 2 monthly subscription services, Netflix and ABCMouse.
- No cable, we have Netflix.
- Buy used cars, trucks, etc. that you can pay off quickly or with cash all at once.
- Save and purchase big ticket items like furniture, with cash. No monthly payments.

Now just because I'm frugal doesn't mean I don't ever treat myself. I like buying nail polish, hair accessories, jewelry, etc. I just don't do it in excess. I try to stick to nail polish under $5 and buy 1 or 2 at a time. You don't have to get underwear from Victoria Secret, try WalMart or Target. They sell cute comfy essentials for inexpensive prices. Grab a pair every week.

You don't have to give up everything you love, just find a smarter more cost efficient way to do things.