14 Money-Saving, Mommy Proven Tips That Actually Work

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"Save money, build wealth, retire like a boss in your own corner of heaven and watch the sun go down as you sip on your super Shirley temples." Sounds easy when the experts on CNN are talking about it, but in reality, saving money is difficult.

Throw children into the mix, and the savings mountain becomes that much harder to climb. Think about it, raising a child born around 2015, to the age of 17 years will cost you a whopping $233,610 as per the U.S Department of Agriculture statistics. This enormous amount that could boost any retirement package magnificently does not take into account the huge costs of education of putting a child through college or university!

Saving…with children

For parents with more than one child in the brood, saving cash and providing the best care you can afford can be two difficult balls to juggle.  Did you know that over 25 million U.S households live paycheck to paycheck? There is really not enough money to go round and have much left after the needs and wants have been met.

Statistics show that 70% of mothers with kids under 18 years have to work, with most taking on full-time jobs to fend for their families. In fact, 74% of the households with children under 18 are solely dependent on their moms as the sole income earners.  So can mothers pursue the virtues of savings, while they juggle busy work lives and parenting? Below are tried and tested saving tips backed by mothering experience.

Build your meal preps and menu around your grocery store's sales

Most moms learn the art of frugal cooking from their own parents. It could be your mom or dad, but there is always that one parent who loves to keep things simple and frugal. They are also very good at smelling bargains in stores, and no vendor loves to haggle with them. Why? They will always come out shining and with more money on their hands than the vendor intended.

Food costs are some of the largest expenses a mother has to deal with, so any leeway thrown at you should be welcomed. To keep your food budget in control, get acquainted with your local grocery store's sales. If you combine this with loyalty, reward coupons and programs you can hive off a sizeable chunk off of your food budget. Coupons.com Jeanette Pavini says that you could save up to 40% of the costs of the grocery bill by leaning on grocery sales.

An easy way of keeping tabs on grocery sales is to download a grocery app. On it, you will find all offers available from milk, to diapers. Buy vegetables and fruits in season too since it is most likely to be the produce on sale and they will be more affordable also.

Buy generic

Another easy to do money saving tactic is to buy generic items instead of branded versions. Believe it or not, neither you nor your children will tell what the difference is, as far as quality is concerned. Shop at inexpensive discount stores and those that will also give a money back guarantee for those shoes or shirts that will not fit your kids. And if the kids also have acquired an expensive taste from your sister's rich kids and they do not like a generic item you purchased, you can always return it back and not suffer any financial loss at all.

Make one extra mortgage payment

There are few achievements in the life of a parent as impressive as a fully paid off house. The easiest way to accomplish this goal faster and save a little bit of money off of your interest rates is by paying the home off more quickly.

Stock that pantry

To save money? This strategy might sound counterintuitive, but it has its merits. An exhausted working mom comes home at the end day, checks the pantry, finds nothing worth cooking and buys a takeout meal. But with a well-stocked pantry, mothers can save money by eliminating expensive and unhealthy takeouts and making affordable healthy meals at home. With a stocked pantry you will make timely meals and save on cash too you would have spent on last-minute groceries that could be expensive.

Accept those hand me downs

Clothing and toys are expensive, and children will outgrow them faster than you can purchase new ones. You can, therefore, save a lot of cash by taking on gently used items from parents that no longer require them. If you eventually do not require them, you can donate them so that another person in need can enjoy them as well.

Start daycare at home

If you are a stay at home mom, with some little time on your hands, you can use it to make some cash that you can save for a better future. By proving a licensed day care services from your home, your babies will acquire instant playmates. Make the daily activities of the daycare as educational and as fun as possible, and you will be laughing all the way to the bank in no time.

Buy households items in bulk

Most grocery store products will go on sale every other week so do not buy them in bulk when they are at their most expensive. Rather wait till they are at discounted prices and purchase them. By purchasing twice as much as you require when the items are on sale, will leave some hundreds of bucks in your purse. Buy expensive food items like meat in bulk too. Go for family packs that are usually priced cheaper than small packs. Subdivide larger packs into small portions and freeze them for another meal.

Cut down on eating out

Let your children know that eating out is a special privilege that the family will enjoy a few times every month. This will help save a choke hold of cash that could have gone down a pizzeria's pockets.

Go to the library

There are tons of resources, books, and activities that will keep your children engaged and happy in your local library. Take away some story books and have some story time nights with your kids. Pick up a novel or movie too to get lost in when the kids are finally down from exhaustion.

Carpool

If you have a brood that you have to move around a day from school and back home, you will spend a good amount of cash on gas. So why not talk to a few mommies you could carpool with and get yourself some carbon credits while at it?

Save like you are paying off a bill

If you want to have a good nest egg, you have to be very deliberate with your savings. Make saving a priority rather than an afterthought. If you settle your savings like you do the lights, heating or water bill, you will become more consistent at it, and your mindset towards saving will change. You will be surprised that within a few years you will have saved more than you ever thought possible.

Pay off your high-interest debt

To save you have to tackle debt head-on. If you have accumulated high-interest debt from credit cards, payday or personal loans up to $2,000, set a strategy to clear them because the interest rate will balloon and choke you within no time. Outstanding debt will also mess up your credit card score. Make a plan, prioritize debt payment and avoid high-interest debt in the future.

Resell your children's unused items

Most parents have a garage full of things that their kids have outgrown or lost interest in. These items might have cost you a small fortune in their heyday, and they are still worth some cash. If you are looking for a good source of quick cash, either hold a garage sale or sell them off on websites like Swap.com, Amazon or eBay.

Pack those lunches

What might look a few dollars spent every week on lunches could amount to thousands of dollars in a year. This is money that could have gone to retirement kitty or been saved for a rainy day. Pack your own lunch and preserve food as much as possible, to avoid wasteful dumping of good food.

Know of other mom proven and effective ways you can save an extra buck? Share them with us!

Let your children know that eating out is a special privilege that the family will enjoy a few times every month. This will help save a choke hold of cash that could have gone down a pizzeria's pockets. Instead, you're better off signing up to paid survey sites like survey junkie, and make extra money.