where can I cut back to save money?

Question

I am trying to figure out a way that I can cut some cost to be able to stay home with my baby. Have any of you tried working from home. If so what are you doing and does it really work? I really want to stay home with my baby but I don't want to feel broke all the time.

Answer 1

EVERYWHERE!!!! YOU CAN CUST COSTS AND SAVE MONEY AND NOT BE BROKE!!! SINGLE PARENTs, STAY AT HOME MOMS EVERYONE!!!

Does your hubby work? If he does there are LOTS of ways to save and stay home with your baby and not be broke!!!
I am a stay at home mom of 4 kids ( at least until they all are in school and I take care of my mom full time as well.) and there are so many ways to save. Not saying that you cant save if your a single parent you can I have, (before I married my kids dad) Its just easier when someone else is working too.

http://www106.coolsavings.com/

http://justrightcoupons.com/articles/cctips.html

http://www.homebodies.org/

This is not so much a money saver as it is a time saver, but my mom always said time is money...so here it is.
http://homeparents.about.com/cs/frugalliving/a/moneytips2.htm?terms=french+toast+clothes
When I make pancakes, waffles or french toast I make lots of them and freeze them. During the week when we used to have time for only cold cereal or toast for breakfast, I can pull the individually wrapped servings out, microwave them and the children get a hot breakfast at least 3 mornings during the week. Also, when it comes to cutting those pancakes, waffles or french toast in a hurry, you just can't beat the pizza cutter; that way everyone gets to start eating at about the same time and nobody is late for school.

We have gotten WIC an it has really saved us a bundle you get your milk, 100% juice, cheese, cereal & eggs. If anyone can use this all you have to do is call your local health department and they can help you. This really helps out. You have to meet income qualifications but with most all of us being on 1 income it wouldn't hurt to try. In our state, they can get this until they are 5 yrs old. This tip is for cloth diaper users. Try making reusable wipes! I cut up an old flannel sheet into small washcloths that fit into a wipes container (about 8x8 or so). I finished the edges so they are very durable. The wipes get washed and dried with the cloth diapers. No mess, no fuss. Even if you don't use cloth diapers, they are great to have around. Hope this helps.
If you have a Farmer's Market nearby, buy your fruits and veggies there! And you save a lot and it's fun! Just be careful not to buy more than your family will eat in a week or so. An inexpensive outing for the family. Take the kids to Burger King to play in the big playcentre. The drink refills are free and you can also join the kids up to the Burger King club where they get free monthly treats plus a great treat bag at initial sign up. Just be sure to feed them before you go there so that your only output is a couple of drinks. It is much cheaper then one of those high priced indoor playgrounds and also your ear drums dont suffer quite so much!!!!
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/cstips/cutgrocerybill.html
1. Attitude of gratitude -- A long journey begins with a single step and this is your first step. Begin with your own attitude towards being frugal, because it will impact the rest of your family. How can they be excited about changes if you aren't? So start by being thankful for all that you have, even if your life seems far from perfect (Guess what? We ALL feel that way! ).

2. Use Everything -- when you are cooking, think about how you can get every last food mile out of what you are making. Meat bones and vegetable trimmings can be made into wonderful stocks. Leftover vegetables and meats can be thrown into the same stock for free soups and stews or put into pot pies, homemade "hot pockets", crepes, casseroles, you name it. Look at food waste in an entirely new light, try to get every thing out of your food dollar!

3. The Price Book -- This is the most useful tool in making sure that every food dollar you spend is spent well. The basic idea of the price book is to have a system for tracking prices so that when you see something on sale, you will know whether it is really a good buy or not. I use a three ring binder and looseleaf paper. At the top of each page, I put several column headings: Date, Store, Item, Size, Price, Unit Price, Sale. At the top right hand corner of the paper, I put the name of the item (such as "bread", "milk", "cereal", etc). When I see a sale or even a regular price, I write it down in the price book. It is easier to do this at home with store receipts or sale ads, instead of in the store, where some employees may mistake you for a competitor's spy -- it does happen! After a few months of tracking prices, you will know what is a good deal and what is not. The most important section of the price book is the unit price, because that tells you, no matter what size the item, how much you are actually paying per pound or ounce or other unit of measure.

4. Bulk Buying -- With the price book in hand, you will be able to bulk buy with much more confidence. Now when flour goes down to 49 cents for a 5 pound bag, you will know that this is an excellent price and to stock up. Then when it goes back up over a dollar, you'll still be using the flour that you bought for the lowest price and smiling.

Bulk buying can be a little scary at first. Buying so much can be intimidating. How will I use this all? How will I store it? The answer is to get creative.Things that can be kept at room temperature can be stored under beds, in closets, anywhere. This is especially true of canned goods. Flour can be frozen (to prevent weevils) and then stored in airtight containers at room temperature.

5. Use your freezer -- Eventually you will want to have a deep freeze to stock up on good deals on meats and other frozen items. A freezer is a great investment and tightwad tool. If you can get an older one cheap, it may be a good deal if it is still efficient -- 10-15 year old models are ok, but a 30 year old freezer will cost a bundle in energy. Check out newer, more efficient models and put the word out that you are looking for a freezer.6. Cut down/out on the junk food -- If you can get the tribe to completely give up the soda, chips, cookies, candy, etc, good for you! We have been working towards this goal for some time now, and have managed to cut out soda (we still drink kool aid ), most cake, and alcohol (I consider this to be junk, you have to decide for yourself). We have cut down on baked goods, and I make any we eat from scratch. We still buy chips for lunches only, and enjoy popcorn and homemade pizza on our weekly movie night.

7. Make it yourself -- Ban those convenience foods! If you can't totally cut out junk foods, make them yourself. A large homemade pizza costs about $2-$3 to make, compared to frozen pizzas which are typically $3-5 for a small size and delivery pizzas which run you about $8-20 each. If you bulk buy the ingredients and make the dough and/or sauce from scratch, it can be even cheaper to eat in
8. Cut down or stop eating at restaurants -- Make it a special occasion to go out to eat rather than a common event. Eat out once a month and use coupons to cut costs even further.9. Clone your favorite brand name and restaurant recipes -- This is not as hard as it sounds. Most popular convenience foods and restaurant foods were inspired by their homemade counterparts. Ther secret to recreating these foods well is to go back to the original homemade versions. Many basic cookbooks have wonderful recipes for homemade sauces, breads, etc. There are some great cookbooks that strive to duplicate some of the more favorite purchased foods. One of the best is called Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur. He has three books out with more in the works. 10. Eat less meat -- Does spaghetti really have to have all those meatballs? Does your pizza really have to have all of that meat on it? Only you will know for sure what your family will miss and what it won't. Many other cultures use meat sparingly in their dishes. Check out Asian and Indian recipes in particular. Try to think of meat as an accent to the dinner rather than the main course. If this is too difficult, try cutting portion sizes of meats and adding more side dishes to compensate. There is always a way to cut down on meat consumption.

11. Stretch Meats -- You may be able to get away with extending your meat by mixing in extra veggies, grains or even TVP (textured vegetable protein). TVP is made from soybeans and there are quite a few restaurants that use it, so it may be more familiar than you think (it's also very healthy). It comes in chunks or crumbled. It is dry and can be rehydrated before using or in the actual recipe you are using it in. You can hide it best in ground beef dishes, especially, dark ones, like chili. If TVP is not an option, stretch meats by cutting amounts in recipes and adding more beans, veggies or grains to the dish until your family complains, then ad back in a enough to make them happy.

12. Use your leftovers -- Get a free meal by saving those leftovers. If you think you will forget about them, label them and freeze. On leftover night, have a smorgasbord. You can also create "party trays" with smidgeons of this and that arranged prettily. Restaurants offer these, why can't you?

13. Pack your luches -- This is a great way to use up leftovers. Lunches don't have to be boring either. Think of items you might order at a deli and duplicate them at home. I send the hubby and kids with homemade hoagies, pitas stuffed with tuna, BLTs, pigs in blankets, cold pizza (they love this), bologna burritos (just a bologna sandwich on a tortilla instead of bread), and homemade hot pockets. I always have them participate in the lunch decisions or in actually making the lunches. This helps stem complaints. I include nonmessy fruits like bananas, apples and grapes, dried fruit, trail mix, popcorn, chips and homemade goodie -- cookies, pudding, rice krispy treats, etc. Click here for lots more creativ brown bag lunch tips, ideas and recipes.

14. Take drinks with you -- If you are working and spend money on coffee, buy a thermos and take your own. Take along water or tea in a big jug on outings, especially during the summer months -- this will help you resist the temptation of stopping at a fast food joint and ordering an overpriced, undernourishing soda. Pack drinks for the kids if you pack their lunches. When I did the math with my price book, I found to my amazement that the half pints of milk from the subsidized milk program are much more expensive than sending milk I buy at the store! Here a half pint (1 cup) of milk at school costs 25 cents, but the milk I buy at Aldi is $1.79 a gallon, or 11 cents a cup. I can send my kids to school with twice as much milk and still save money.

15. Fill up on healthier foods -- As you may have noticed from the selection of lunches above, I try to include healthy foods in the kid's lunches. I try to offer fruits and popcorn as snacks, rather than junk food, I offer them water between meals with the occasional Koolaid. I buy whole grain breads only and try to make mostly whole or half white/half whole grain baked goods. Any change is better than none. Whole grains and healthy foods fill you up and nourish you. You will eat less and crave less because your body is nourished more. Think of wholesome foods as an investment in your health. You may also find yourself visiting the doctor less often.

Some suggestions for putting more healthy foods in your diet: try eating brown rice instead of white, wheat bread instead of white, offer water between meals instead of koolaid and soda (and try to actually drink 8 glasses of water daily), keep fruits on hand instead of candy and cookies, fix veggie trays and dips for snacks instead of offering chips. These little changes, done daily can add up to big savings in money, loss of weight and better health.
. You do not need to wash with hot water unless you are trying to sterilize your laundry. Use the warm or cold setting to save money. Set your rinse on the cold setting. Washing in cold water can save the typical family over $120 a year!
When washing dark clothes for the first time use cold water and put salt in the water. The salt helps set the color. To brighten dark clothes after they have been washed several times, repeat the procedure. Even your washer needs to be washed once in a while. Run the machine on hot water, normal cycle, and add a bottle of vinegar to clean the soap film and scum that's built up inside.

Stockpile when items are on sale.

Buy in bulk when it saves money.

Use generic when possible.

Shop at thrift stores, even food (i.e. bakery) thrift stores! *** I get all of my bread, pastries, cookies at the Wonder BRead Outlet Store!!***
Buy merchandise with the best unit pricing. Bigger or smaller does not mean cheaper. Know your merchandise: buying poor quality at any price is never a bargain!

Buy with cash only, not credit. *** Iuse my Visa Bank Card. It works like a credit card, but it will only draw as much funds as you have in your checking account. Stop using checks unless its neccessary, this way you dont have to worry if you have written a cold check, neither will you be tempted to write one.***
Many stores have the policy to match their competitor's prices. If you see something in the newspaper that you want, but don't want to travel to that particular store to get it, cut the advertisement out and take it to your local store. Use coupons if you have them. Remember to bring them along!
Send off for rebates to get items free, or nearly free!
Check for "multi-purchase" discounts, or Buy ? Get ? Frees. Honor your spending limit. To save time, compare prices online before shopping brick and morter stores.

Check your pantry to see what you already have. Don't spend money on things you don't need.
Plan your spending to avoid impulse buys.
Grow it or Make it yourself and save!
You have heard this before, but it is so true ... don't shop for groceries on an empty stomach!! **If I dont have anything qick and easy at home I will get a cheeseburger at McDonalds, yes its bad, but it works on the tummy thats about to get groceries.**
Hope this helps a bit and no I havent worked at home..... yet.

Answer 2

There are several ways to cut cost with a new baby 1 use cloth diapers and do your own laundry, Breast feed you baby, it is the best way to feed a baby and no cost or trouble to do. Formula can cost up to $400.00 per month. Go to the second hand stores to out fit your baby they grow so fast that the cloths are like new, please wash first, as they are sprayed and can hurt baby. Get and use second hand furniture for baby, he is to little to criticize. Maybe look at child minding as an additional way to make money at home. hope This helps

Answer 3

My husband stayed home with our son for majority of his life. Cut back on if any fastfood. Try one of those work at home things so your helping bring in the money. Watch what you spend where, dont splurge, put your spare change in a jar for big needs. Try not to buy anything expensive until you figure this out.

Answer 4

Make your own coffee at home.

Shop discount stores, and only for what you need.

Buy kid's clothes second hand.

Use less: Laundry soap, dishwasher soap, hand soap, etc. It will be just as effective.

Trade services with friends.

Eat at home (think: crockpot - it will make cheap cuts of meat tasty and really tender).

Wait for movies to come out on DVD and rent them.

Cut up your credit cards.

Choose cell or home phone - not both.

Answer 5

for one thing breast feeding is an excellent way to save money, PLUS it benefits your child greatly. And no I haven"t tried those work from home things,many of them are scams. we were very tight too, but you learn to make do without many of the little extras,such as eating out ,renting movies,going shopping weekly,the list could go on.Stick to the basics and trust in God. It'll work out.

Answer 6

Breast feed, no formula to buy, and use cloth diapers, no diapers to buy. Two of the easiest ways to save money with a baby.

Answer 7

MAYBE YOU COULD DO CHILDCARE, THATS HOW I MANAGED TO STAY HOME WITH MY KIDS, I HAD 4 THE YOUNGEST IS 30 NOW, AND I AM STILL BABYSITTING.