A friend of mine is expecting her fifth child. I am so happy for her. She is a great mom, her husband is a great dad, and their children are all smart, talented and kind. They are also expensive, and with a fifth child on the way, the parents are wondering if they need to take extra work in order to make ends meet. Maybe and maybe not. There are ways to save money when you have a large family.
Large families don’t have to consist of two parents and a bunch of kids. These days, it could also include grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandchildren, etc. These tips can be applied no matter what the make up of your large family.
Get Everyone Involved
Make sure that everyone in the family is invested in finding ways to save money. You might want to hold a monthly contest and award a family member for the best idea or the most saved. Working together toward a financial goal, whether it is to pay off debt or to afford a vacation, having something solid to work toward with visible progress can help everyone in the family pull together.
Lower Your Grocery Bill
Large families can eat a lot, so getting the food bill down to a reasonable level is an important priority. Because you have a large family, you can buy in bulk without waste. Take advantage of this. Beside the normal places to buy in bulk, such as the warehouse grocery stores, consider asking for bulk discounts wherever you shop for food, from your regular grocery store (which may discount for cases) to your farmer’s market. Food co-ops and CSAs are two more places to get great deals on bulk food.
Utilize Hand-Me-Downs
With a large family you may really get your money’s worth out of your children’s clothing as pieces are handed down to younger family members. Take good care of all clothing, and you’ll save money. Additionally, look to yard sales, thrift stores and clearance sales to lower your large family clothing costs.