101 ways to save money from one Proverbs 31 woman to another. Boy, was she smart! Not only did she have funds coming and going, she was also a hard and diligent worker. Many of the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman directly or indirectly help her to manage money well.
A very common objection to planning and executing a life as a stay at home mom is that it’s very hard to survive on one income. This isn’t the post to dismantle the myriad ways in which that is too one-dimensional thinking. In any case, women, working out of the house or not, have so much opportunity to save money and thus positively impact their family’s bottom line.
Hold onto your hair because we’re going to fly through 101 ways to save money in every room of the house. Many of these tips were gathered from this Instagram post. Thanks for the collaboration, ladies!!
At the end you’ll spot my FAVORITE best kept secret of these 101 ways to save money! So here we go, room by room.
Kitchen: Easily the biggest money saying room because
it’s so full of edible inventory!
- Cook from scratch
- Buy in bulk
- Shop for larger packages (not necessarily “bulk”) with smaller unit price
- Eat proper portion sizes instead of inadvertently over eating
- Grow food
- See if whole or half cow/pig is an option in your area
- Hunt, trap, fish, or raise meat
- Reduce or eliminate coffee – and most/all other non-water drinks too (except raw milk at my house)
- Bake bread and other bread-y items
- Keep it simple – repeat meals. Immense variety usually drives up the budget because you need to keep so many niche ingredients in stock
- Meal plan before shopping and stick to it
- Or…Don’t meal plan – I know, we just listed meal planning. There was a long time where I wasn’t good at meal planning and it drove up my budget so I made my shopping list very simple and cooked out of what I had on hand instead
- Reduce/eliminate snacks. I’ve made it through raising three toddlers so far and none of them died without constant snacks. We REALLY fill up on meals and stay busy because for some reason boredom breeds “hunger”, Foods marketed for snacking are never cost effective so if you do need snacks, eat real whole foods. Carrots, cucumbers, fruit, cheese, hard boiled egg, etc
- Use coupon and rebate apps BUT careful not to buy something just because there is a coupon. Only use them when you really need it. Coupons are designed to make you spend more over time. I have used over a dozen apps, but my favorites (and most lucrative) these days are Ibotta, Fetch, and Receipt Hog. Also beware that most items with available coupons are not very healthy..
- Use grocery delivery or pick-up services (like InstaCart – here’s $10 for you) to reduce in-store impulse buying or mysterious items landing in your cart placed there by small hands
- Look at farmers markets in your area to see how the prices compare (bonus points for supporting local and small businesses!)
- Avoid buying foods already pre-[anything] like cut, cubed, sliced, diced, marinated, dressed, or prepared in any way. You are paying for that preparation
- Learn to enjoy the cheapest foods: rice, beans, and oats (and learn to soak/sprout them!)
- Stick to mainly one-ingredient whole foods. Not only are they cheaper per unit or by volume, it helps keep you healthy so you have fewer health issues to pay to manage
- Learn to forage in your area
- Opt for longer lasting items like cloth towels and washcloths instead of paper towels and sponges
- Reduce/eliminate eating out. Plan ahead when you do, and look up specials, Groupons, or things like “kids eat free days”
Dining Room
23. Ditch paper goods that you have to keep buying. Cloth napkins might sound scary but they’re simple once you get used to them. Paper napkins are not very expensive, but every little thing adds up! It also helps teach the kids good manners having to sit still to keep a napkin on their lap. They’re also a very easy laundry item for little helpers to learn to sort and fold
24. Secondhand furniture
25. Use fake centerpieces that will last a long time or use your own natural surrounding to gather centerpieces for free
101 Ways To Save Money: The Living Room
26. Ditch the tv. Not only does it cost money to have and watch, it also exposes you to more advertising letting you know of all the things you “should” spend more money on. It also sucks out time with which you could be doing a million other things, many of which are time investments to keep your life low-cost or investing in your future
27. Secondhand furniture and rugs (yes, this will be in every room). Learn what days are trash day in your area and keep an eye out for perfectly good items that people are throwing away. I’ve picked up thousands of dollars of rugs and furniture for free this way!
28. Thrift or make your own curtains. I had NO idea how expensive window treatments were when I got married. I was SHOCKED
29. Do with less furniture. For a long time we didn’t have a couch because we had two cozy chairs and it was just myself and hubby for the first two years. We waited years until it was in the budget for a cheap one, then we were gifted a very nice one when someone was upgrading their living room. You don’t need to have a magazine-perfect home right away when you get married. It takes time to put together
30. Learn to play and enjoy music as free entertainment. It’s such a lovely way to spend time with your family, worship the Lord, and brings health to your brain and soul
Hallways: Yes, this is a part of the house you can save money in!
31. DIY low cost photo and art displays
32. Watch Youtube videos and read blogs on how to use your phone camera to take high quality photos instead of hiring a photographer (although a service very worth paying for, sometimes it’s not in the budget)
33. Secondhand furniture (such as side boards, lamps, chairs) and rugs
Bathroom: Another room like the kitchen where
lots of products are consumed
34. Learn to cut your kids hair (again, a respectable skill worth paying for, but sometimes you can’t afford it) and maybe even your own (a big benefit of keeping long hair! It’s easy to trim your own)
35. Shower/bathe less often. Your skin doesn’t like to be stripped of its microbiome and oils all the time. Saves on water and soap (and time… and whatever your kids might be hurting while your eyes are off of them)
36. Even if you do shower daily, see how long you can go without washing your hair – especially curly girls like me! I only wash once a week and it didn’t take long for my hair to get used to, as in it’s not greasy at all after a whole week even though it used to get greasy by the third day, if not second
37. Shower/bathe in cool water instead of hot – less drying to the skin therefore the less skin products you need, and don’t have to pay to heat the water as hot
38. Keep your make-up simple. Oftentimes just brows, mascara, and occasional lip tint are all you need to look fantastic
39. Keep your skin care simple. It’s likely that your skin will love just washing with water and a diluted ACV toner. Use a fatty oil like coconut for make-up remover. See my Pinterest Beauty Board for simple clean ingredient ideas
40. Reduce or eliminate going to the nail salon. Do your nails at home, or skip it (and the chemicals) altogether since working hands don’t tend to cooperate with fancy nails anyway
41. Opt for washable cloth shower curtain liner instead of disposable plastic ones (although those can be wiped down and last quite a few years if you take care of them well)
42. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. You might be surprised how much flushing the toilet costs in water! (And investigate any dripping faucets or leaking toilets)
43. Investigate “family cloth”. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – it’s not for everyone
44. Keep your towels out. You don’t need a new one every single day
45. Reduce/eliminate single use things like make up wipes and cotton pads
46. Find reusable feminine hygiene. There are so many options nowadays and your body will appreciate the reduction in chemicals
Adult Bedroom
47. Second hand furniture and decor: estate sale, garage sales, thrift stores, FB marketplace, eBay. Select timeless styles that won’t be hideous and outdated very soon.
48. Thrift shop for your wardrobe. If you are a mom in your childbearing years, try to find at least some pieces that will fit before, during, and after pregnancy. Don’t forget nursing access! Get rid of things that don’t fit or you haven’t worn in a long time. Less is more
49. Learn NFP/FAM (consider deleterious health effects of chemical methods) if you feel led to prevent pregnancy, and also as a way to monitor your health in general
Kid Bedrooms
50. Keep clothing minimal
51. Hand me downs, or trade with friends
52. Thrift for clothing
53. Cloth diaper
54. Swap toys with friends or neighbors – see if there is a borrowing toy library in your area
Office/Library: It’s becoming a very popular feature to have some kind of work-at-home space these days, much more than the last few decades where it seemed to be just for very wealthy homes
55. Get a Scribd subscription to access TONS of UNLIMITED audio and reading books for just a few dollars per month
56. Shop for books at garage sales, estate clean outs, and thrift stores
57. You can also thrift books online. Abebooks is one of my old faithfuls
58. Thrift furniture
59. Use Little Free Libraries
60. Borrow books from friends
61. Read what you have before buying any more. I know you’re like me and love to shop for books without having read the ones on your shelf right now (it’s definitely a character flaw I have)
Laundry Room/Area
62. Hang dry clothing to use the dryer less. It also helps clothing last longer as heat can damage fabrics over time
63. DIY laundry soap (this has pros and cons and doesn’t always work long term depending on the recipe)
64. Turn down the temperature on your water heater
65. Don’t wash on HOT (although some cleaner ingredients detergents do need to extra oomph from hot water)
66. Hand wash delicates to help them last longer
67. You don’t need to wash every single item every single time you wear it. At my house we don’t get out new jammies daily. Sweatshirts and other outerwear also doesn’t get washed every time
68. Less is more. You don’t need detergent, AND dryer sheets, AND scent balls, AND fabric softener. Most of these are the most toxic products in the home anyway and completely unnecessary
69. Check your water’s hardness. Most water is hard and minerals build up, wearing out clothing faster
70. Opt for dryer balls instead of sheets – do you know the salt in a sock trick for static?
71. Vinegar if you need to soften
Storage/Basement/Attic
72. Don’t hoard! Sell stuff. If you haven’t used it in a while, you probably don’t need it. Some things are stored because it is their nature to not be used all the time, and that’s fine, but there is probably stuff you can let go of
73. Store things well so that those things you use once a year don’t deteriorate and you need to buy another – a dehumidifier can help with this and the water can be used for water plants and other things
Homeschool Room
74. Use the library when possible instead of buying every book. They even usually have free learning programs/story time as well
75. Keep it simple, not Pinterest perfect. Focus on function over impressive design
76. Make your own decor like ABC charts, number lines, bible verses – better yet, have your children make it as a lesson
77. Find free and low-cost curriculum. You can learn just about anything for free these days with the internet!
78. Utilize Scribd for tons of audio and reading books. (YES I had to list this twice because we use it so much! Daily is not an exaggeration)
79. Utilize free printables
80. Utilize chalk boards and white boards to reduce consumable items that you have to keep re-buying. Many families enjoy a chalk paint wall
81. Learn through life and talking with people who know more. Conversation is free!
Other Money Saving Tips: Of the 101 Ways To Save Money, these fit in multiple rooms of the house
82. Unplug things when not in use
83. Plan free date nights with your spouse
84. Choose manual instead of paying for electricity on things like sweeping versus vacuuming and a hand crank food processor instead of electric
85. Simplify pet care – they don’t need Christmas presents and health insurance and clothing and all the other things marketed for “pet parents” these days
86. Vacation on the cheap (a huge can of worms!)
87. Use the thermostat at less extreme temps and put it on an energy saving temp while you’re out of the house or sleeping
88. Take good care of what you have so it lasts longer
89. Thrift for quality items that will last. If you have to keep buying things because you always get the cheapest quality, you’ll end up spending even more in the long run
90. Plan ahead for times you need to buy gifts. Try making things by hand or offering services to cut costs. As always, it’s the thought that counts, not how much you spend. Most of the time, the recipient is not looking for huge or very expensive gifts
91. At holidays, ask for practical things that you really need or will save you money in some way
92. Do not chase the latest trends – they may look ugly/outdated soon
93. Be content with what you have
“And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
94. Do without, you likely won’t miss it
95. You can probably even survive without a cell phone. I did this for a few years. Because I stayed home, I used a very low cost landline and the internet we were paying for on a laptop to text and call by Google/Gmail
96. See if you can survive with only one family vehicle (or fewer than you have)
97. Learn to barter
98. Ditch disposable facial tissues (or use less)
99. Truth bomb: babies need almost nothing sold to parents for them and not everything has to be so heavily gendered so that it can’t be shared between brothers and sisters as hand me downs. Most baby stuff is very costly, breaks down quickly, toxic, or quickly becomes un-stylish
My Favorite Tip:
100. Do you know about Buy Nothing Project?? It is an organization that has groups in tons of local areas where everything is free. You can ask for items to borrow or keep, or offer things up that you don’t need. You never know what you’ll find! I’ve found brand new amazing toys for my kids’ birthdays, linens, plants, clothing, food, almost anything you can imagine.
The Final Tip For 101 Ways To Save Money:
101. Give you and shall receive. Everything in the universe belongs to God and so often the way He works is the opposite of the way we think – serve to be served, be last to be first, give to receive. When in need of something, always pray and see if God will come through in some special way for you. He doesn’t have to but He has so many times for me and my family.
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” Phil 4:19
נערות ליווי בבאר שבע
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