If you read yesterday’s post, you know the estimated cost of raising a child. Now, I’ll take those expenses as outlined by Bankrate and go through some ways of reducing them.
Let’s look at some of these expenses and general ways to cut them down. Obviously each person’s situation is different, but these are some ideas to help.
Groceries: cook from scratch, use coupons, avoid convenience foods, and make your own lunches.
Clothing: Take advantage of hand-me-downs, used clothing sales ad ear-end discounts.
Bigger home: Bunk two children in one room, reduce the clutter in your current home to make more room.
Bigger car: Shop around for the best deal, maintain your vehicle and reduce your driving time whenever possible to extend the life of your car. We didn’t go to a bigger car until our third child when it became physically impossible to fit everyone in the smaller car.
Health care: Take advantage of free programs through your insurance company, tax free health spending accounts, free immunizations and other programs as needed. Use good health practices to reduce the chances of getting sick.
Education: Choose an area to live with a good school district to reduce the need for private education, home school using free resources.
Child care: Choose to stay home or work from home if possible, take advantage of tax advantages with child care, work out a baby sitting system with a friend or relative.
Recreation: Vow not to spend money you don’t have on the latest toys and video games, take advantage of the library for books, movies and video games, invest in a museum membership, take advantage of the many free community activities, buy used toys, use nature.
Additional insurance: See if there are ways to combine your insurance for a lower rate.
Gift giving: Shop carefully and develop a gift closet that you can add to when you find a great deal. For example, I found Lego Racer computer games at only $5 each and stocked our gift closet.
Miscellaneous: This is too broad a topic to be able to strategize, but in general you can look at a purchase before you make it and see how to get it for less or do without it. Cloth diapers may save you money, so might making treats at home. If you have an active kid, buying band-aids in bulk might save you money. Make your own laundry detergent and hang clothes to save in that area.
How do you save on child expenses?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
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