Everyone loves the idea of saving money, but for a single mother saving money is much more than an idea!
Making the most of what we have is our mantra and lifestyle, which becomes a great long-term financial habit when done right. While there are many possible ways to save money, below is a list of 10 easy and proven ways to save more money as a single mom.
Here is how you can stretch your monthly budget and save more money starting today:
1. Research and apply for all possible grants and subsidies provided by your federal and municipal governments to single mothers. Some of these programs have very ambiguous eligibility requirements, so when in doubt be sure to call them and ask a lot of questions. The point is, you have the right to know and apply for these programs as soon as possible. (Stay tuned for the list of available programs in my upcoming blog post).
2. Reduce your monthly expenses by negotiating your Internet and wireless fees. Also, make it a habit to regularly review your car and home insurance costs, if it applies to you. Here is the thing: service providers are not going to cut costs on their monthly fees unless you press for it. You will be surprised how much you can save each month by simply being proactive and asking for a discount directly.
3. Reduce your annual credit card fees. If you have a good history of making payments on time with your credit card company, call their loyalty department and ask if they can reduce their annual card fee for you as a valuable member. Not a lot of people know about this possibility, but it works and I’ve done it twice in the last two years.
4. Install Ebates cash back online shopping app on your computer and mobile phone (as well as any other digital device you use to make online purchases). Earn between 1-6% back on most purchases by simply logging in this cash back app first. It requires zero effort (besides remembering to do it), and you can get extra savings even on sale items. Make the most of your cash back by watching what stores offer a double money cash back that day. I don’t even remember the last time I shopped online without getting a cash back. Tt is like throwing your money out if you don’t use this simple saving app. To name just a few retailers I save on with Ebates: Sephora, Bestbuy, Groupon, and Amazon.
5. Buy beauty, entertainment, and dining deals through Groupon. If you don’t know about it yet, with Groupon you can save 50-70% on some of the popular restaurants, entertainment and beauty salons in your city. Also, install Groupon app on your mobile, and shop online from Groupon.com (don’t forget to login into your Ebates cash back app first to save even more).
6. When it comes to beauty-related products and services, think long lasting! Unless you don’t use makeup or spend any money on it, this tip will save you quite a bit on a regular basis! For example, you can get a semi permanent make up for your eyebrows and ditch the daily brow shading and pricey brow pencils. De-frizz your hair for 6 months with a Keratin hair treatment and stop wasting money on too many ineffective products. Get laser hair removal and forget about spending time and resources on shaving or waxing. To optimize your savings, get the local deals on beauty services with Groupon, and double your savings by first logging into Ebates cash back app.
7. Purchase children books, toys and various home and furniture items on Kijiji, Craigslist, and local Facebook buy-and-sell groups. You can find both new and used items there. The savings are usually pretty huge. Buying used is good for the environment and your wallet.
8. Get a Costco membership to buy food items that you and your children regularly consume in bulk. This membership will cost you $60CAN + tax per year, but you will get access to high quality (and mostly organic) food items in bulk size at a much lower cost. In addition to groceries, I also saved a lot of money on children clothing, diapers, and select toys in Costco.
9. Sort through the items that you have been piling up in your closets/storage for a while, and sell it on Kijiji, Craigslist, and Facebook groups. You will de-clutter your personal space, make room for new and better beginnings, and make some very good coin doing it.
10. Remember the “5 min cool off rule” whenever you feel the urge to buy something. The rule is: you can look at the item you like and feel so tempted to buy for as long as you like. Touch it, feel it, try it on. Then walk away to another section of the store for at least 5 minutes, and browse through some completely unrelated items there. After 5 minutes, ask yourself whether you still feel you really “need” the item you wanted to buy. You will be surprised how often the 5 min cool off rule saves you money you were so eager to spend. By using this rule, I now save at least 60% of the time and prevent impulsive purchases that I would later regret.
So, this is my tested and well-loved list of 10 easy ways to save more money as a single mom. I will be also writing a separate blog post on couponing strategies to show you how to find and use coupons to save even more on your groceries and household items.
I would love to hear about your money saving tips below in comments, spread the love and wealth of knowledge by sharing it with others!
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