Saving Families Money Since 2007
If you missed last night’s webcast with Lysa TerKeurst, you can watch it here.
{And yes, you can laugh at how uncomfortable I seem at times. Remember how I’m working on stepping outside my comfort zone? Well, last night definitely was a new venture into stepping outside my comfort zone as the whole lights and cameras and ad libbing and TV monitors everywhere were a new experience… but it’s good to keep punching my fears in the face. :)}
Today’s question is from Amy:
I was wondering if you could post my question. I’m pregnant with my second child and thinking about becoming a stay at home mom (Currently working full-time). For moms who have done this, did you find that you spent less because you were able to do more things yourself? Like cooking from scratch, couponing, making homemade cleaners, or more energy to take care of things like cloth diapers? Or are these unrealistic savings expectations? Were there any extra costs that surprised you? -Amy
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Most of us want to change our lives… whether that means losing weight, getting healthier, finding a better job, paying off our debt, moving to a different town, developing better habits, becoming more disciplined, getting more organized, and so on.
Rarely is it possible to overhaul our lives overnight. Instead, change is often the result of small tweaks that happen over and over again for a long period of time.
Those little day in and day out things you do can add up to the major success over time. It’s hard to stick with it and it can feel daunting if you have so far to go to be where you want to be.
I was reading Laura Vanderkam’s new ebook (What the Most Successful People Do At Work) recently and she interviewed Chalene Johnson about her productivity and time management. I thought one thing that Chalene does was especially brilliant. She said that she makes yearly goals and then she challenges herself to do three small things every day to move toward those goals. She writes these three things down and she makes them a priority for her day.
That sounds so simple and doable, doesn’t it? And it means that every day — even if you only accomplish one of the three things — you’ve made a tiny step in the right direction.
If one of your goals this year is to pay off $5000 in debt, today you could:
1) Call and see if you can renegotiate a rate on one of your monthly bills.
2) List something on eBay or Craigslist.
3) Make dinner at home instead of going out.If you’re working on getting up earlier, today you could:
1) Make a list of 3 things you want to do when you wake up in the morning.
2) Text a friend and ask if she’ll be your accountability partner.
3) Skip that 4 p.m. cup of coffee so you are able to wind down earlier.If you’re trying to lose weight, today you could:
1) Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
2) Drink a glass of water instead of soda pop.
3) Eat a salad for lunch.
What is one of your big goals right now? What are three simple things you can do today to move you closer toward that goal?
photo from BigStock
During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
Today’s project is to clean your linen closet.
If your linen closet doesn’t need to be cleaned (or you don’t have a linen closet), you can pick another closet in your home that needs some attention and work on it.
Come back here at 6 p.m. EST and I’ll have a linky so you can link up your pictures of your accomplishments today!
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on the daily check-ins. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
I’m in North Carolina getting ready to go onto the set for the Live Webcast with Lysa TerKeurst tonight (are you joining us?). Before I do, I wanted to get my 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge post up.
How did your house cleaning go today? Like last night, I’m sharing one of our most popular posts on house cleaning.
Go read my post on What a Messy House Can Teach You About Financial Success.
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on linky below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Becky from Organizing Made Fun has a great post up on how she organized a Ladies’ Clothing Swap. She has lots of pictures and details on what worked if you’d like to do something similar.
We do this at least once or twice a year as a church and it’s a great way to clean out our houses and get some items we need — for FREE!
Have you ever been a part of a swap of some kind? I’d love to hear your ideas and what did or didn’t work for you!
During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
Today’s project is to sweep and vacuum all the floors in your house.
If that seems daunting and overwhelming, just focus on sweeping/vacuuming the floors in the most-trafficked areas of your home.
Come back here at 6 p.m. EST and I’ll have a linky so you can link up your pictures of your accomplishments today!
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on the daily check-ins. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Every Monday in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
This post by MaryEllen from last year was so good and helpful that I wanted to re-air it this week as yard sale season is starting to gear up again…
)
Guest post by MaryEllen at The Deal Scoop
The reader tip on stockpiling clothes is something our family has already been using to save an incredible amount of money each year. As I read through the comments on the post, I noticed some readers’ concerns.
There were some readers who don’t think they could find good enough deals at yard sales to make stockpiling clothing worth their while. Some felt that all they can find at yard sales is junk and that they would rather buy clearance items at the stores. Then there were those who admitted that they aren’t organized enough to know what they need and don’t need.
Here are a few tips on how to get the best prices at yard sales and how our family has been able to make stockpiling clothing work for us:
(Or if you live an area with a lot of Friday sales, check on Thursday night. Go whenever is best for the area in which you live.) Most people will list some specific items that they will be selling. Mark the ones that specifically have kids’ clothing listing and skip the rest. In my family’s experience, you will barely have time to make it to just those yard sales, and there is no sense wasting time and gas going to yard sales that don’t have what you’re looking for.
If you need directions to certain places, be sure you have them all printed out the night before so you can go from place to place quickly and use gas efficiently. The more gas you use, the more those yard sale clothes will cost you!
Many people think there is only junk to be found at yard sales, but a lot of times that’s because there are high-quality items to be had for nearly pennies. The first ones at the yard sales find all the best stuff before it’s gone!
This is probably the most crucial part to the whole game of stockpiling clothing, and I’ll be the first to admit that my husband is more skilled at it than I am. Our family’s personal target is $0.25 per clothing item, $1 for a pair of shoes and up to $1 for nice dresses for our daughter. That may seem like quite an ambitious goal, but my husband has proven to me that it is quite doable. Here’s what I’ve learned by watching him:
::If a seller has high quality items and is asking 50 cents each, pick out three things and ask if they will take $1 for all three. Nine times out of ten, they will. Although that is $0.33 per item and not the target $0.25, you can average it out later.
::Ask the seller if they will consider a bag special. If there are a good number of items in which you are interested, ask the seller if they will allow you to fill a shopping bag for a certain price. If they will sell you a bag of clothing for $3 to $5, you should be able to hit your target price. (This is especially true when you’re buying smaller sizes because you can fit more pieces into the bag.)
If they charge $5, you’ll need to fit at least 20 pieces into the bag in order to hit $0.25 an item. (It’s amazing how many pieces will go in when they’re folded neatly!) If they charge $3, you need to fit at least 12 pieces in the bag in order to hit your target.
Then, there are always the sellers who surprise you by saying, “Sure, fill a bag for $1!” It happens, and those are the times that help you bring your average back down to the target price when you’ve paid a little more for something you really like.
::If a seller is asking $1 for a pair of shoes, ask if they’ll take $0.50. The worst they can say is “no”, and if they say “yes”, you’ve just brought your average price per item down. If they’re asking $2, ask if they’ll take $1. Then you can get the shoes at your target price.
Don’t buy something just because it happens to be your target price. If you don’t like it or it’s worn out, skip it. You’ll find something else later.
Remember, by the time your children wear the clothes you find, it may be a couple years down the road. Trendy things go out of style very quickly and you’ll end up not using them and wasting your money.
I don’t think it makes sense to buy another pair of pants, even if they are only $0.25, if our son already has enough pairs in that size. On the other hand, if the end of yard sale season is approaching and we see that he still needs pants for the upcoming winter, we can up our target price for that item. I’d rather pay $0.50 or $0.75 for the pants instead of waiting until we get out the winter clothes only to find out we have to run to Walmart and buy a couple pairs at full price.
Spreadsheet Tip:
Our family uses two spreadsheets, one for boy clothes and one for girl clothes. Each spreadsheet includes every size from birth through several sizes beyond what our children currently wear.
There are categories for every different item, such as play shirts, shorts, dress pants, dress shirts, etc. We also include every size of shoes.
Every time we come home from yard sales we immediately wash everything and add it to the spreadsheet. The next time we find something at our target price we can check to see if we already have enough of that item in that particular size. We keep a copy of our spreadsheets on the computer, and carry a printed copy with us to the yard sales.
It’s no fun to know you have clothes available when your child has a growth spurt, but you can’t find them anywhere! I like to keep everything in airtight tubs that are labeled by size and gender. I haven’t figured out a better way to do shoes, so everything just gets thrown into either a “boy’s shoes bin” or a “girl’s shoes bin”.
When one of our kids outgrows their shoes, I just look on the spreadsheet to make sure we have the next size for them. Then I can rummage through the bin to get their next size shoe. I love being able to make a trip to the attic when our kids have a growth spurt instead of making an emergency trip to the store!
We Save Over $140 Per Year By Stockpiling Clothing and Shopping at Yard Sales
If you’re still not convinced that stockpiling clothing from yard sales would be worth it to you, here are a couple rough figures of how much money we save this way. Let’s say my little girl needs a minimum of five tops, five bottoms, three Sunday dresses and three pairs of shoes for each season. If we buy the five tops and five bottoms at $0.25, the three Sunday dresses for $1 each, and the three pairs of shoes for $1 each, we end up spending $8.50 for an entire season’s worth of clothing.
If we found some really great sales at Target or Walmart and bought the same amount of clothing for $5 a piece, we would spend $80. So we save at very minimum $71.50 per season, or $143 a year per child.
The more children you have, the more your savings will multiply. Plus, though I have nothing against clothes from Target or Walmart, our children are wearing Children’s Place, OshKosh, Gymboree, and Carter’s clothing instead. Many times the clothes and shoes we find are brand-new with the tags still on.
I do understand that this method of saving on children’s clothing is not going to work for 100% of you due to lack of storage space or because you may live in a rural area with very few yard sales. However, I do hope that those of you who have the means to do so will give some of these tips a try. You may be surprised at how well you can do!
MaryEllen Bream is a stay-at-home mom who is always looking for more ways to stretch her family’s budget. When she’s not playing with her kids or shopping yard sales for their clothes, she can be found sharing deals and money-saving tips on her blog.
Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.Read 20 pages of Rascal by Sterling North aloud to the children. Finish reading Paddington at Large with Kathrynne, read four chapters of Life With Lily with Kaitlynn, finish reading Little House Christmas Stories with Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:9-10.
4. Exercise five times.5. Finish reading:
While We’re Far Apart, 24/6, Start, and When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box.Homemaking Goals
6. Follow the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge.
7. Work on my embroidery project for at least 30 minutes.
8. Try one new homemade cleaning recipe(I made Homemade Soft Scrub.)Business Goals
9. Finish tweaking recipes for my new recipes page.
10. Finish editing five chapters for the second round of edits on my manuscript.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
Personal Goals
3. Memorize Romans 1:11-12.
4. Exercise five times.
5. Finish reading: A Lady in Waiting, 24/6, Start, and When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box.
6. Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
Homemaking Goals
7. Follow the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge.
8. Work on my embroidery project for at least 30 minutes.
Business Goals
9. Finish tweaking recipes for my new recipes page.
10. Finish editing the last five chapters for the second round of edits on my manuscript & turn into my editor.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
So, I had big plans that I was going to work ahead on the cleaning projects before I left for North Carolina today, but that didn’t happen. I did leave the house pretty clean, but I didn’t get any pictures and I didn’t do any special projects specifically for the 30-Day Challenge.
However, I thought that it’d be fun to share two of my most popular posts the next two days — both related to keeping the house clean.
Post #1 is a Q&A post I did answering a question from a reader who asked: How do you keep your kitchen countertops cleaned off?
If you’d like to know the answer to that question, you can read my detailed explanation here.
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on linky below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
Since we took the weekend off, you get to choose your project today! You can either surface clean living room and kitchen, surface clean bathroom(s), or surface clean bedroom(s).
Or, if you have extra time and energy, you can do all three things!
Come back here at 6 p.m. EST and I’ll show you pictures of my cleaning accomplishments for today and have a linky so you can link up yours, too!
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on the daily check-ins. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Guest post from Faith of Home Ec @ Home
It’s no secret that children outgrow their clothes quickly and need new clothes each season. This can get expensive. However, if you plan ahead you can save lots of money and build a quality wardrobe for your child at a fraction of the cost.
Shop the Clearance Racks:
Shop at the end of a season for clearance items that your child can wear the following year. (Fall and spring are great buying seasons when retailers are clearing out merchandise.)
Buy the next size up and store them for later. I drive out to the local outlet mall a couple of times a year and stock up on end of season clothes, shoes, coats, hats, mittens, etc. for the kids.
Use Coupons:
Utilize extra discounts and coupons at your favorite stores. I buy quality name brand clothes for my boys, but I never pay full price. I buy good quality because the clothes have to last for multiple children.
Sign up for the email or mailing list at your favorite stores so that you can get extra discounts and coupons. I receive email and print mail coupons and discounts at these stores and am able to get additional discounts off already clearanced items.
Shop Online:
Online retailers also offer special discounts in addition to clearance prices. I only buy when I receive an email with an extra discount that I can apply to sale items and get free shipping. I shop past season reduced merchandise online too and stock up for the next year.
By using coupons and discounts, I am able to save an additional 20-50% off already reduced prices.
Another great option for outfitting children on a budget is buying used clothing. I buy a mix of new and used clothes for the boys.
I am very picky since the clothes are pre-owned. I am careful to check the clothing closely and make sure there are no stains, tears, fading, etc. I always check zippers and buttons to make sure they are functional too.
Kids Consignment:
Consignment shops offer the convenience and availability of a large selection, but can be a little pricier. My local store offers clothing at around $3.00 to $8.00 per item.
I pay less for new clothes than most of the clothes in consignment shops. If you have items you no longer need and consign them, you can use your store credit to shop.
Thrift Stores:
Thrift stores are more hit or miss in my opinion, but the prices are generally very good. If you like the challenge of searching to find those hidden gems, you can get some good deals on gently used clothing at thrift stores.
Stores in my area, price children’s clothing at $1.95 to $2.50 per item. I have found lots of great clothes for the boys at thrift stores.
Garage Sales:
I love garage sales and especially large sales hosted by churches or schools. The larger the sale, the more likely you are to find a large selection of great kids clothes.
I have found the best deals at yard sales on kids’ clothes. Usually items are $0.50 to a $1.00 and if you are purchasing several items, feel free to offer a smaller amount. More than likely, the seller will take your offer. If not, and you really want the items, you are still getting a good deal.
ThredUp is an online used clothing site. Prices are higher than thrift stores or yard sales, but the clothes are in great condition and you have the convenience of shopping online.
They also offer special promotions and discounts from time to time. And you can order a bag from their site and send in your gently used clothes for shopping credit. I just sent in my first bag. It was super easy and shipped free from my UPS store.
Hand-me-downs:
If you have family or friends with older children, you may be able to borrow or keep hand-me-downs.
Free Swap:
We have a friend who organizes a free swap every year. She invites everyone in the group to drop off any unwanted kids items the week before the swap. She cleans out her garage and sets it up like a garage sale.
Then we have a potluck kids swap and everyone gets to shop for free while the kids play. We have been blessed with toys, clothes, a stroller, and a Stokke chair from the Free swap and passed on a few things we didn’t need anymore.
Do you have any other tips to build a wardrobe on a budget?
Faith Still is a former Home Economics teacher who stays home with her three beautiful boys and blogs at Home Ec @ Home.
Bethany sent me a picture of her Target trip and I thought some of you would like to see what she got:
2 Sweet Corn at $0.50 each — used $1/1 Mobile coupon = FREE
2.06 lbs. bananas at $0.49/lb. — used $1/1 Mobile coupon = $0.01
1 Bird’s Eye Frozen Rice at $1.27 — used $1/1 Mobile coupon = $0.27
1 Market Pantry loaf of bread at $1.29 — used $1/1 Mobile coupon = $0.29
1 Market Pantry Bagels at $1.34 — used $1/1 Mobile coupon = $0.34
2 Coffee-Mate at $1.50 each — used 2 $0.75/1 coupons and $1/2 Target coupon= $0.25 each
Total: $1.41!
I’m hoping to make a trip to Target tonight and will be sure to let you know what I get!
During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
I told you my garage needed some help and I wasn’t joking…
Dirt Pile #1
Dirt Pile #2
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on linky below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
If you’re homeschooling and living on a budget, Hearts at Home Curriculum Store is an online store you’ll want to check out because they have everyday low prices on homeschool curriculum. In fact, they offer 30% off 6,000+ items everyday and fasts hipping throughout the USA and Canada!
I’m really excited about today’s giveaway because they are giving away a 5-Subject Set of Switched-On Schoolhouse (valued at $445!). This curriculum set includes a full one-year curriculum for the following five subjects: Bible, History & Geography, Science, Language Arts, and Mathematics. The winner will get to choose which grade they’d like to have (grades 3-12 only).
Combined into one complete set, the SOS 5-Subject Set conveniently contains all the subjects you need. Designed with five core subjects, this curriculum set creates a solid educational foundation while giving your student an engaging, interactive learning environment.
In this step-by-step, comprehensive curriculum, your student will build his knowledge of the five core subjects. Each subject contains nine major topics and a review to guide the learning process. In addition, the SOS 5-Subject Set includes personalized
progressive lessons and time-saving administration features like automatic grading.
During the month of April you can save 20% on all Alpha Omega Publications Curriculum, PLUS when you spend $150 or more on AOP you get 12 Mike’s Inspiration Station Art Instruction DVDs (valued at $79.90) for FREE and get FREE SHIPPING with coupon code AOPFREE20. This sale ends April 30, 2013.
Click on the graphic below to enter to win a complete five-subject set of Switched-On Schoolhouse in the grade of your choice. One winner will be chosen and posted on Tuesday. This giveaway ends Sunday, April 21, at 11:59 pm, CST.
