Guest Post from The Original Sioux Falls Frugal Mom!!

5 Money Saving Tips for Moms




Hello Everyone!



My name is Shaina Herrmann. Some of you may already know me as Sioux Falls Frugal Mom (http://www.siouxfallsfrugalmom.com/). I am married and have a sweet little 2 year old girl. I am a huge fan of Elegant Mommy and thrilled to do this guest post!



I am blessed to be able to stay home full time with my daughter. However, with my husband being in school full-time and working a part-time job, we have to be extremely careful with the money we have. Over the past few years I've discovered several great ways to save money and I'd like to share some of them with you!



1. Wise Purchases - Discerning "Needs" vs "Wants": Only buy what you need. It may be a no-brainer for some people but for many, this is something that is very difficult to do, especially if you have access to credit cards. Always ask yourself before you make a purchase, "Do I need this?" or "Is this a wise purchase?". Even if it is a $5 shirt from Wal Mart. Every purchase should be a wise purchase. No more spur of the moment purchases. Clothing is a necessity, but you can easily go overboard when buying clothes. For this reason, I buy clothing one or two times a year and all the money spent on clothing has been carefully planned in our budget.



2. Money Saving Coupons: 50 cents off toilet paper may not seem like much, and really, it isn't! But if you combine that with $1.00 off natural dish soap, $1.00 off yogurt, 75 cents off glass cleaner... it begins to add up. Three months into 2010 and I have already saved over $230 on groceries & household items by using coupons alone. Coupons are not only available in your newspapers, they are all over the place. You just need to know where to find them! On my website I have a special Couponing 101 section to help you get started!



3. Plan a Weekly or Monthly Menu: Planning your menu each week or month will not only help prevent you from spur of the moment fast food excursions, but it will help you to be more excited about cooking for your family! When planning a menu, make sure you watch the sales, consider your coupons, and refer to a master menu list of all of your favorite meals. For more tips on Menu Planning, please visit my site!



4. Do It Yourself: You'd be surprised just how many things you could do yourself if you give it a try! You can cut your own hair, make your own deodorant, laundry soap, or all-purpose cleaner. Give homemade bread a try! It's far more nutritious than store bought bread and only a fraction of the cost. In the same amount of time it would take you to drive to the local smoothie store, stand in line, and pay for your $4 drink, you could make your own homemade smoothie for about half the cost! No matter what it is you are purchasing, make it a habit to first think "Could I make this?".



5. Go Reusable: Rather than spending a ton of money each year on diapers, baby wipes, paper towels, plastic baggies, and water bottles, we save money by purchasing reusable items. Cloth diapers and cloth baby wipes can be purchased at Elegant Mommy, plastic or glass containers can be purchased in place of plastic baggies, washcloths/rags can be used in place of paper towels, and you can buy one good reusable water bottle and use it for a year or two rather than buying individual water bottles.



I hope these tips will encourage you to take some extra steps to save money for your family. It does take a little bit of time and effort but I can assure you that it is well-worth it! To check out the rest of my money-saving tips, go to http://www.siouxfallsfrugalmom.com/