As we all know living isn’t  cheap, and as a stay at home mum, I’m always looking for ways to save money. Here are the things that I do to save some cash, I hope they can help you too.

Cook at home

I cook at home most days, and James usually takes a pack up if he’s out working over lunch. When we do eat out, or get take out we generally choose cheaper restaurants. We also set ourselves a monthly budget for eating out, so in order to stay within that budget we have to limit how frequently we eat out/buy take out.

Buy own-brand

Okay, so we all have brands that we love, and I won’t deny that sometimes supermarket own-brand just can’t compare to the real deal, however there are plenty of times when a cheaper option is just as good. Making a few swaps to cheaper options can save a lot of money,  we purchase own brand ketchup, salad, trash bags etc.

Coffee at home

In the same way that we limit how often we eat out or order take out, we limit how often we (I) purchase pre-made coffee. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good Starbucks, however limiting my consumption of it, only makes me appreciate it more when I do have one, it saves a lot of money.

Walk to school

We live just under a mile from Emma’s school, and there are sidewalks the whole way. So as often as possible we try to walk to save money on gas. It’s also a great way to make sure we’re all getting regular exercise, and it’s nice for the environment too. 

Cut own hair

James has been cutting his hair at home for a while (I neaten up the back for him). I recently tried my hand at cutting the girls’ hair, and it turned out pretty well. Cutting the girls’ hair this once saved us $40, and James cutting his own hair has saved us hundreds of dollars over the years. I can’t bring myself to cut my own hair yet, but every little helps! 

Cashback apps

I don’t use as many of these as I could. But James and I both use GetUpside for cash back when we fill our cars with gas, it’s not a huge money-maker, but I’ve made about $10 over the last few months just by checking in on the app before getting my gas. If you decide to download the app and give it a go, you can get an extra 15¢/gal cash back on your first refill with my code: PBBCB (US only).

Buy pre-loved

As much as possible we try to buy things that carry no health concern etc pre-loved. For example furniture, kids toys that are easily cleaned, clothes, and cars (we’ve never owned a brand new car). It saves a lot of money, and if you’ve got time to search you can find some great items.

No Cable

We have never owned cable, not when we lived in England, not now, not ever. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime, and we find that they provide us with plenty to watch, and it saves us a lot of money each month. And if there is something that we really want and can’t get for free on either of those, there’s plenty of places you can buy or rent things.

I hope these tips help you out, let me know your money-saving tips!