Ways to Save Money With Children – 11 Money Saving Tips

Families, in particular our children, are a major source of spending. Firstly don’t worry, this is natural and normal! If you don’t want this then the only alternative is the work house – quite popular a few centuries ago (we are joking of course). To help you out, we have provided a list of ways to save money on children. Enjoy!

Tip 1:Know that kids cost money!: .While this is mostly tongue in cheek, if you like your money be prepared when you have kids that your wallet will take a major hit, especially if both of you are currently working. Carefully consider how you are going to cope on one income, with more dependents. You need a budget in place well before the kids come along, and for well into the future as they just keep costing. But don’t get me wrong, we love the little darlings.

Tip 2: Don’t buy your children’s clothes in season: Buy clothes when there are on sale, e.g. after Christmas or summer sales etc. If you see a sale item on special you don’t have to pay for it out right, you can put it on lay-by. Just make sure you budget for this in the weeks to come.

Tip 3: Wash the car with the kids: Kids love water, sponges and bubbles. Why not put this to good use and let them have fun washing your car! OK you’ll have to do it properly after they do it, but it doesn’t matter, they helped in their own way.

Tip 4: Make your own food for kids parties. Buying McDonalds or Pizza for 20 kids is expensive! Why not make your own mini pizzas (pita bread is perfect) or chicken drumsticks. The kids will love the food and you will save a lot of money (roughly around $2 per child).

Tip 5: Buy children’s clothes on eBay or at opportunity shops: eBay is an inexpensive way to buy children’s clothes. Kids grow out of clothes so quickly it is really not worth buying all of their clothes brand new.

Tip 6: Consider hand me downs: With kids growing so quickly hand me downs make a lot of sense. Discuss with your friends or family if anyone has any hand me down clothes that are your kid’s size. Return the favour with clothes that no longer fit your children. Sacks should be used as last resort.

Tip 7: Rotate the toys: Kids generally have more toys than they need. Put some of the toys away in the cupboard, and then every two to three weeks rotate them. Your children will enjoy playing with them more, and you will enjoy less clutter in the house. Most kids only play with the boxes anyway. Go down to the local supermarket and grab a few, and your kids will think you’re Father Christmas!

Tip 8: Buy toys from garage sales: If you are looking for toys for pennies in the dollar, then shop at garage sales. Just make sure that the toys are safe for your children to use. Don’t buy that slug gun for little Johnnie, no matter how much he cries!

Tip 9: Immunisations: The majority of local governments in the Western world offer children’s immunisations for free. Consider using these rather than paying for a Doctor for your immunisations.

Tip 10: Make your own arts and crafts at home: With recycled materials you can easily make your own arts and crafts at home. It is educational for the kids and also very cheap. Search the Internet for art and craft ideas.

Tip 11: Save money for the school holidays: Every week put aside 10 dollars or so, and save it up for the holidays. It won’t be a great deal of money (eg $120), but it will be enough to do a few fun activities with the kids. Important thing is that you get into the discipline of budgeting.

So there you have it! 11 tips to help you save money with your children. As a last note, it is OK to splash out occasionally. Children aren’t young forever, so within reason you might as well enjoy it as much as you can…that doesn’t mean buying a new Ferrari for them though!