Basic Money Saving Tips For Large Families
Managing money for a large family can be difficult. As nice as it might be, an increased family size often does not come with an increased income to match. Despite this, it can be more costly to raise a large family.
More people to feed means a higher grocery bill. More people to clothe means more money spent on clothing (the amount of socks we buy!! Astounding!). More people also means more dishes and laundry, and that means a higher water bill. I have a family of 7 and run my dishwasher 3-4 times a day regularly, as well as wash a sinkful of dishes at least twice every day. And those aren’t my cooking days!
At a time when cost of living is increasing in most places, it is important to look at some basic money saving solutions for us larger families. Here is how I’m saving for my family, and how you can too!
SAVE ON HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND TOYS
Thrift stores! You would be amazed at all the great-condition items you can find at the thrift store for a good deal. Remember to avoid the pitfall of spending MORE money by buying all the fun deals you see but don’t actually need! You can do this by keeping a list of items you are looking for in your wallet or on an app on your phone at all times. Included with the list of items, also list the regular price and the price you want to pay so you can decide if what you have found is actually a good deal.
Another great option along these lines is to look up your local Buy Nothing group. Usually they have a Facebook page. This is a place for like-minded people to gift items they are no longer using in order to keep them out of landfills and bless other families. You can usually ask for items or gift items in a “getting-to-know-your-neighbors” online setting. The best part is that all items are freely gifted – who doesn’t love free!
Facebook Marketplace has really grown a lot since it launched, and you can now find a lot of great items at a bargain. Just remember to factor in gas when going to pick up the item for this one! I realize that could be said of everything, but just hear me out. Marketplace will list “out of your area” items immediately following the “in area” choices. I found a great deal, confirmed it was available, and then noticed it was an hour long drive! The deal wasn’t worth it when I factored in the gas to and from, so I had to politely pass and move on. So just make sure you are checking location and factoring gas into the deal.
SAVE ON CLOTHES
You can save kids clothes you already own that are in good wearable condition for a sibling coming along. If you have family who likes to gift or pass along clothing, only save a small amount of clothing so you have enough to get a decent wardrobe going when a kiddo grows into that size so you don’t need to buy new right away. If you are short on space, use vacuum seal space saver bags to drastically reduce the amount of room your clothing takes up when in storage. Just make sure to label the bag with the gender and size! Trust me when I say you don’t want to be unzipping and re-sealing all those bags to find the right size…voice of experience here.
An alternate thought for this would be to find a friend who is happy to pass clothing back and forth with you between different kids sizes. This works great when both families (or several families!) agree to take out clothing no longer in good condition, and add new clothing as they go. I have personally done this with some friends and loved it. At one point we had enough for two of our kiddos who were in the same size!
I have never had great luck finding clothes for my family at my local thrift stores. However, I absolutely LOVE the online thrift store ThredUp. (If you click the link, it is an affiliate link. That means I get a small reward for you shopping there at no additional cost to you).
Another great way to find awesome deals on clothing is to watch for a bag sale at a consignor shop in your area. This passed summer I spent $40 and was able to obtain 4 13-gallon trash bags of clothing for my family! It was loud and a bit chaotic but it was so very worth it because that outfitted my oldest almost completely as she had just grown to a new clothing size!
SAVE ON GROCERIES
Every large family mom knows that groceries are one of the biggest expenses that grow as your family does. So of course I had to include a section for that! Here are some of the ways we save as a family, and so can you.
Bargain Shopping for Meat. Find when your local store prices down their meat selection for the week before restocking. Most of the stores in my area do this on Sunday early morning, but definitely check with your stores. Personally, I have found the Kroger-family of stores (Kroger, Dillons, Albertons, Fred Meyer, etc) have awesome meat deals! I like to head out early on Sunday morning before church and stock up on deals like 30% off, 50% off expiring today, and B1G1 Free. Then I either cook and prep that same day, or I put them in my deep freezer right away.
Meal Planning! Having a plan for each meal is very important. It allows you to buy items in bulk and use them all up. It also allows you to avoid the last-minute rush to the store where you inevitably buy a cartload more than you went for.
Looking for more tips for saving money on groceries? Check out THIS post!
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