Stay at home mom

pistolmcclain

So, the company I work for was dissolved today with no warning. I bring my son to work with me and am expecting another little one at the end of October. Since I was not paying for daycare before, we had a decent income in our household.
Now that we will only be relying on my husband's job, any there any budget friendly secrets you guys have to save on monthly expenses?
I will be getting rid of cable tomorrow and canceling my gym membership
Any grocery shopping tips or others on how to save money are welcome. Thanks in advance.

sassysisterjd

Sorry to hear about your job- that's rough!!! Definitely write out a realistic budget, and compare actual to budget at the end of the month. My husband and I were so surprised to see how much money we were actually spending on certain areas. There are a lot of good programs for this, but Excel or just plain old pen and paper are my favorite. Also, start meal planning! (Pinterest and the Crock-Pot are your friends!) I save so much money when I plan out our meals in advance. For one thing, we eat out a lot less, and the fewer trips I have to make to the store, the more we save.
But geez, that really does suck about your job...

maura_tasi

I'm so sorry to hear about that. It'll be an adjustment, but hopefully it'll just be temporary. Definitely plan your meals in advance before your grocery shopping trips, that way you aren't over buying or buying things that will just sit in your fridge unused. Look at all the store adds too, it may seem like a pain but I look through each ad to see where I can get the cheapest prices and where the good sales are. I'm also a huge fan of doing a lot of my shopping at Aldi! They're cheaper than the the big name grocery stores and often times their stuff is exactly the same taste wise. I have gotten some bad produce here and there from Aldi but it's always worth the trip

Susiepoop345

Yes cut the cable and get an antenna! Got to have pbs for kids! I use free fitness blender workouts at home so no gym membership. I sell my clothes and bags on poshmark app and hit up thrift stores!

pistolmcclain

Thank so much, these are all great tips. We will see how this month goes, and hopefully we can budget accordingly thank you so much again!

rundgrenrocks

I'm so sorry about your bad news. I hope in a while you can look back on it as a good thing somehow.
Cooking at home is of course your cheapest bet, but you can keep getting cheaper the more back to basics you get. Learning to make bread and yogurt saves money on things you'd already think are very basic. Making chili with dried beans instead of canned is another one. You may find that by not working, you will have more time for this kind of work, as well as some gardening.
My friends tease me because I'm the only one who irons my husband's dress shirts. I can't stand the thought of paying someone for that!
I have a cheap cleaner, too--a spray bottle with half vinegar and half rubbing alcohol.