Having one parent be home with the kids often means living on a pretty tight budget. Even when the at home parent works, it’s often not enough to really ease the budget crunch. But being frugal all the time isn’t much fun.

Some of the problem can come from having to think about practically every purchase, no matter how necessary. It’s skipping your favorite treats. It’s telling the kids “no” all too often when they want a treat. It’s seeing friends and family be so much freer about how they spend money, and knowing you can’t do it.

Do You Have Any Options?

Some people say that you always have options. That’s true to a degree, but you can’t always exercise them right away. There aren’t many times that you can suddenly earn more money because you want to do more fun stuff. And you can’t just decide to splurge if you’re living paycheck to paycheck… at least not if you want a roof over your family’s head, working utilities and enough food to eat.

But you do have the option to try to bring in more money, if what you really want is an overall lifestyle change. You won’t be able to get it right away most likely, even if you were to start working outside the home, but you can set goals.

But I Want It Nooooooow!

Sometimes you can work in the small splurges. It’s wonderful when things work out that way. If you can afford to indulge yourself or your family just a little while being frugal, do so. It can really help ease some of the strain caused by being so careful with your finances.

If you can’t, it may be wiser to go over why you’re trying to save money in the first place. To an appropriate extent, this can be discussed with children. They shouldn’t be burdened too much with their parents’ financial problems, but knowing why they can’t have everything they want isn’t going to hurt them.

Especially if they watch a lot of television, kids want things. Lots of things. It often seems like they want everything they see.

Frugal or not, that’s not going to happen, right?

With that in mind, even as you say no because money is tight, think about how often you’d be saying no even if it weren’t. “No” is a great word for kids to hear when they’re trying to get you to buy stuff they don’t need. “Save your own money” isn’t a bad choice either.

When it’s stuff you want, think about what you want most. Do you want the shiny whatsit or do you want to meet your financial goals more? As a grownup, you should be able to decide sensibly whether or not you should indulge… even when you aren’t feeling like being sensible.

Get Support

No, not money. Find friends, family members, your spouse or significant other, and make sure you have emotional support for your choices. It’s particularly helpful to have the support of others who also need to be frugal. It can be a bit of a competition to see who can keep being frugal, save the most money, stick best to the budget, whatever.

Being frugal is much easier if you don’t feel alone in it.

And yes, it can still be exhausting. But you can get past that and keep working towards your goals.

We’re still on a really tight budget here. There’s just so much to recover from after my husband was out of work for so long. I don’t exactly trust to the stability of his new job either, as it’s in the travel industry. Not exactly prime for this kind of economy.

One thing I do right now is to buy whole chicken, rather than just boneless or bone-in parts. The initial cooking can take a bit of extra effort, but the savings makes it well worthwhile. Sale prices on the whole chickens are less than sale prices on the various parts.

Thank goodness whole doesn’t include head or feet, though! Not quite ready to deal with that much.

One chicken means several meals. The first one is your basic roasted chicken. My favorite is a slow roasted variety that takes about 5 hours in the oven. Not something to do on a really hot day, even though the temperature is low. The chicken is rubbed all over with seasonings, stuffed with garlic and/or onions, and cooked at 250 degrees F. Comes out very tender.

The leftovers are currently sufficient for dinner a second night, although I don’t expect that trend to last much longer, as the kids are getting bigger. But they can also be used for lunches. Leftover chicken goes great in salads, for example.

Next comes the homemade chicken soup. I don’t necessarily make this right away; the leftovers go just fine in the freezer so I can save them for when the weather is right for chicken soup.

These meals come out to be very inexpensive. They also taste really great. The amount of chicken soup I make in each batch lasts for several meals, and my daughter has often enjoyed it in a Thermos at school. Sometimes I even freeze excess.

I’ve written often enough about saving money. There are some standard tips just about anyone will give you – cut the cable bill, drop to either just land line or cell phone, spend less at the grocery store. And of course, quit buying coffee at the coffee shop.

Each of the above can seem like such a small thing, especially if you spread the cost out over the month. But when you put them together for the month, you may find they’re a lot of money. That’s why they are so often recommended for the chopping block.

If that’s not enough, now what?

The tighter your budget gets, the more creative you need to be about saving money. You need to look at some of the less obvious little things that also can add up.

1. Cut down on your energy use.

Turn off those excess lights! Put up a clothesline if you can, and dry clothes outside in warm weather. Find ways to block more heat from coming in during the summer, and take advantage of any sunlight during winter.

You can also unplug electronics that aren’t in use. Many electronics continue to draw just a little power even when you turn them off.

2. Get on Freecycle.

Thrift stores are great for saving money, but free (aside from the gas to go get it) is even better. You might be amazed what people will give away. You can reciprocate when you have something to get rid of that someone else might like.

You can also sell the things you don’t need anymore, whether through eBay or a garage sale, but offering things for free when you’re getting other things for free is strongly encouraged.

3. Share resources with friends and neighbors.

You may know several people in financial situations similar to your own. If you can borrow things that aren’t needed daily you may be able to save the expense of buying them.

This obviously takes a lot of trust and/or tracking. You can’t have one person borrowing things and never returning them or reciprocating, not to mention the potential for damage. But if you can avoid buying garden tools if you decide to start a garden, for example, you can cut your costs down nicely.

4. Ask for a credit card rate reduction.

Often enough it works, and it only takes a few minutes. Talk to a supervisor if you need to.

5. Drink more tap water.

It’s the cheapest drink in the house! It’s even cheap if you count buying filters if you don’t like the way your tap water tastes.

I like to keep a bottle of tap water in the fridge so that it’s already cold. Works wonders for the taste, and if it’s a really hot day ice cubes can help to keep it cold.

6. Get books and movies from the library.

Your local library is probably a resource you are making too little use of. While it may not have every book or movie you want to enjoy, they still generally have a number, and may be able to order titles from other branches.

This is especially useful if you have children who love to read. As they grow their tastes are likely to go through rapid changes, so only a library can allow you to keep up without breaking your budget completely.

7. Use your car more efficiently.

There are so many ways you can save on the costs of driving. It’s quite true that proper tire inflation will improve your gas mileage and save you money. But do consider some of the other steps.

Carpooling can be a great choice. My sister does this with two other people in her office, so her commute costs are about 1/3 what they were before. It’s a nice deal for a fairly small (in her case) inconvenience.

You should also be combining your errands. Try to keep your grocery shopping down to once a week or less. The less you shop the fewer chances you have for impulse purchases as well, another savings.

Also think about how much running around after deals is really worthwhile. If you aren’t covering your gas costs, forget it.

So many things can really eat into a budget without being noticed. What habits do you find really help you to control the little expenses?

A complaint I hear very often from working friends with kids is that they can’t afford to have one parent stay at home. They need both incomes in order to meet the car payment, mortgage, food bills, daycare and so forth. And some of them are right. Others just need to rethink things.

Daycare, for example, is expensive. When you’re figuring out if someone can stay at home with the kids, you have to remember that certain costs go away.

Being a stay at home mom also can mean that you eat at home a lot more. It might not mean that, but if you care to cook much at all, you’ll have more time for it when you aren’t working away from home. Even on days that the kids have really busy schedules you can always use the crockpot to get things going early. Trust me, the crockpot is your friend. That goes double if the children are young and clingy.

Especially with gas prices going the way they are, you can cut a lot of money out of the budget simply due to driving less. What you save will depend on how far you’ve been having to go to work, or if you’ve been able to use public transportation.

The clothing budget for the stay at home mom probably also drops. There’s less worry about dressing right for your job, and you will probably wear far fewer dry clean only outfits.

There will also be a difference in your taxes. A lower income does mean lower taxes. This is a hard one to calculate, but it’s worth remembering if things appear to be borderline.

Some saving money skills can take time to master if you haven’t been practicing already. Clipping coupons, for example, can theoretically save you money, but many people spend even more because they aren’t being careful about buying things they don’t need. No matter how good the deal is, if you aren’t going to use it, it’s not a good deal.

Your savings can also be eaten up by the desire to put your kids into more activities. Many of these add up pretty quickly. They also add a lot of running around in the car. There’s a balance between putting the kids into activities they’ll enjoy and what is reasonable on your budget. You have to find the right one for your family.

And don’t forget there’s a huge value to unstructured play for children. Remembering this can keep you from running around to an excessive number of activities.

When in doubt about whether or not you can afford to stay at home, consider testing the situation. Try living on just one income, and saving as much as possible of the second.

You may also consider looking for ways to earn money from home. You don’t want to start this search when you’re desperate for money, as there are too many scams out there, but searching when you have the time to investigate and really think about what you would like to do can open up a lot of possibilities.

The key here is to just not assume that it can’t be done or it’s too expensive. Look at what it will take to be a stay at home mom, then assess your own situation. You may find some alternatives that will work for your family.

You’ve probably seen the ads often on television. Bundle your telephone, cable and internet (or similar services) and save money. Does it really work?

Not always!

In most cases you can do better by picking the best price for each service you want. The bundled price is simply better than if you bought the individual services from the company offering the bundle. They may not be beating the individual prices you can get.

Now prices can vary from one area to another, so it’s hard to say what the best companies will be for you. It can also depend on what level of service you really want. DSL, for example, may be quite acceptable for some people as an internet service, while others will only want cable. If you’re compromising on the quality or features you need, you are not going to be happy with a bundle.

Similarly, you may have had a bad experience with a particular cell phone carrier, or you may not get good reception in your area. And of course you may still be stuck in the middle of a two year contract that it’s not worthwhile to break.

This of course brings us to the point of “do you really need all those services?” And the answer is a very individual thing. You may have a good reason for needing both a land line and cell phone. You may need the high speed internet so that you can work from home more easily. But if you don’t need a service, bundling isn’t going to change that. Don’t use a bundle to add in a service you don’t actually want or need.

These days you have a lot of choices when it comes to land line telephone service. If you shop around, you can often do better outside of a bundle than in one. Similar for cell phones.

Cable television service, on the other hand, you often only have one choice, or else you have to go to satellite which not everyone wants to do.

As you compare, make sure you find out what the prices are after taxes and fees. If you look at your land line telephone bill, for example, you will see a number of fees and taxes added to the cost. These would be an issue when you bundle too.

It can be difficult to get an estimate of the taxes you will pay for some services when you order. It may not be at the customer service representative’s fingertips. But you can estimate based on what you pay for each now and do your best to get more information on the services you would be changing.

The one convenience many people state for bundling is that you get only one bill to pay. For me, that’s not much of a convenience, as bills can be paid automatically. Each still needs to be reviewed, but it’s not like you have to painstakingly write out a check for these services every month unless that’s still the way you prefer to do it.

As with anything else, bundling is only worth it if you’ve shopped around and you know what the deal really is. Don’t assume the commercials will tell you everything.

I’ve seen people talk sometimes about having a no-spend day. They buy nothing that day. It can be a help, certainly, if you tend to buy something every day. But if you’re like me, working at home all the time, it’s not going to change your spending habits that much.

In some sense, of course, you do spend every day. The food you eat was bought at some point, and it certainly costs you something when you consume it. There’s the cost of your housing. Any subscriptions you have, whether to a magazine, your cable television, even power and telephone bills.

However, if those little daily purchases are eating up your income, having no-spend days regularly can really help. You can have the kids bring lunch to school instead of using money to buy it. You can eat at home rather than eating out, or bring lunch if you have to go to work. Odds are these will save you over eating out, although school lunches may be pretty cheap.

The idea can be extended to the shopping you do need to do. No-spend can be no impulse purchases when you’re at the grocery store. Stick to your list instead.

Take the idea of not spending, and apply it to the various times that you do need to spend. If you have the habit of buying lots of little stuff you don’t really need, it can help more than you might expect.

I love being able to be at home with my family. It’s tough having one person earning the bulk of the income but it can be done. Here are some tips I’ve found that really help.

1. Remember what you’re saving.

Two incomes are not always significantly better than one. Depending on the number of children who would need to be in childcare, the cost of commuting, meals out, wardrobe, taxes and so forth, the second income may be more easily replaced than you expect. Some families even discover that having both parents work means they have less money. It doesn’t always happen that way, but it is quite worthwhile to figure out what the actual amount being brought in is.

2. Think about which parent stays at home.

It’s not always the mother who is most suited, either in personality or in earning potential. Both should be considerations. The person who will do best as a stay at home parent will generally do better with all the things that need to be done to keep a single income household running. Just make sure that the emotional support is there for both parents.

3. Check your housing expenses.

Housing is by far most families’ largest monthly expense. If it’s going to be tight going to a single income, look at ways to cut that expense. If you’re renting, consider a smaller place or one that is in a more affordable place… so long as you’re comfortable living in the area. You should not sacrifice your peace of mind.

If you own, look at what it’s costing you. If your current home is stretching your budget too hard, think about if it would be worthwhile to move. Sometimes the expenses of selling and moving are worth it, other times definitely not!

4. Look at your other monthly bills.

Telephone, electricity, gas, water, cable, internet… they all add up. Often times they can be controlled.

You can decide to simplify the plans you have on your phones. Cell phones are extremely common now, and some people choose to drop their land line telephone in favor of just using cell phones. Others simply drop features from the land line, such as caller ID, call waiting and any excessive long distance calling plans.

And of course you should be working on cutting down your water use, turning off excess lights, resetting the thermostat so you use less power, things like that. You can adapt and be comfortable with these.

You will have to decide for yourself what level, if any, of cable and internet services you need. These days the internet is used quite a bit by students, of course, and for quite a bit of regular communication through email for many people. But you can consider which speed of service you really need to pay for.

5. Pay down your debts.

Most especially pay down credit card debts. If you’re going to be earning less money as a family, you need fewer worries about your finances. Any debts you can get rid of or pay way down first will save you a lot of worry later on and provide you with greater financial flexibility.

6. Pay your bills on time.

Paying a late fee is a sign of not paying enough attention to when bills are due. They’re utterly unnecessary, especially since these days you can have many bills paid automatically. Just be sure any accounts you use for automatic payments always have enough money in them.

7. Make a budget – and stick to it.

Living on a budget isn’t fun. However it’s one of the most practical ways to be sure that you can afford to have one parent stay at home. Stick to it as best you can.

8. Have an emergency fund.

Stuff happens. A car breaks down. Someone gets sick. Have some money set aside so these problems aren’t added to with a financial crisis.

9. Use coupons and follow sales.

The more attention you pay to the many ways you can get lower prices, the less you’re going to pay in all your shopping. You can often get coupons for your favorite products by contacting the manufacturer. Plan your meals around what’s on sale and know which stores it makes sense to go to.

10. Learn about local free entertainment for your family.

There are a lot of things you can do for free in most areas. Museums may have free days. There are parks to play in. Play games at home.

11. Plan for holiday and birthday expenses.

You know when these are coming. If you plan ahead they won’t be a big drain on your budget.

12. See if the parent working outside the home can use public transportation or carpool.

As gas prices rise, either of these becomes a better and better idea. The practicality depends on your area, but when it works you can save a significant amount each month. There’s some loss of convenience, of course, but if the car is needed on a particular day that can be arranged.

You may be able to cut down to one vehicle for your family, a huge savings! My family has done this, and while it’s hard at times it is quite doable.

13. Get books and movies from the library.

Sure it’s not the same selection as if you’re buying them, and you may have to wait a while. But you can’t beat the price.

14. Get to know the other parents in your area.

Perhaps especially the other stay at home parents with kids around the ages of your own. They’re great for support, for the children’s playtime, for trading babysitting.

15. Consider whether working at home is an option.

It is very possible for the at home parent to earn anywhere from a very little to a lot of money from home. Do some research on the possibilities and decide if this will work for your family. It can make the difference when things get rough.

Kids are expensive, there’s no doubt. Food, clothing, entertainment, education… it all adds up.

If you take some time to talk with them, they can also help you save money. That’s helpful at any point.

In my experience, children are very sweet about things when you talk to them about why you want to save money. My daughter at age 5 offered to start a lemonade stand when we explained about money being tight. She just really wanted to help.

The first thing you want to give your children is a reason to help you save money. You may choose to share with them a portion of what is saved. You could set a savings goal for a family vacation. You just need to figure out what will motivate them and you.

Have a family meeting to start discussing options. You want to get everyone on board with the general concepts. You probably won’t come up with every possible idea for saving money right away, but you can get the thought processes moving.

One of the great things about talking things out with kids is that sometimes they are very willing to make sacrifices. They can really surprise you, even at a young age.

Some things they should help you with will be obvious. If keeping extra lights turned off is an issue, come up with a reward system for that. It doesn’t have to be significant, perhaps just a mark on a chart that will eventually lead to something.

You may be able to compete with each other a bit too. You can each pick a habit that’s wasting a bit of money, and see who does the best at beating it. You should be sure the competition stays lighthearted, and keep encouraging your children so that there’s a good chance that they could win. Your purpose here, after all, is two fold. You want to save money but you also want your children to get a good lesson.

Another good area to explore with your children is snacking. Could they go from a more expensive snack to a cheaper and possibly healthier one? It can be done. Things like fruit snacks really aren’t that cheap.

This should lead to your kids helping you shop for bargains in the grocery store. Have them help you with the ads, figuring out which stores to visit and what to buy. Maybe even have them help with some menu planning.

Another big expense for many families comes from video games. You may want to consider renting video games rather than buying them, or talking with other families in your area about trades. Your children will probably know which of their friends have the same system and might be open for trades. Setting up workable rules can be a challenge but also a good lesson. But if things are tight enough, new games may simply have to be given up on.

Your family can probably come up with a lot more ideas to save some money. You can figure out what kind of rewards for saving money makes sense for your family, and really get everyone motivated. It’s really wonderful to be able to get some control over some of the expenses associated with raising a family.

While the immediate thought is to try to cut back your grocery bills as higher gas prices and grocery prices make your budget tighter, these are often not the most effective.

Today I’d like to review some of the other areas that might help you to cut back successfully.

1. Underutilized monthly memberships.

How much use do you really get out of your gym membership? Are there any other memberships you have that you aren’t taking advantage of?

Canceling poorly utilized memberships is an instant savings that can be significant. The average gym membership is about $50/month. If you still like to go to the gym, find out about their per-use fees, and see if that would be cheaper for your personal habits than the monthly fee. Or start walking, bike riding and other fitness activities at home.

While they’re generally smaller expenses and happen just once a year, look at any magazine subscriptions you have. If you’re not reading it, cancel it!

2. Cut back on telephone services.

Some people these days have cut out their landline telephone and just use cell phones. Others choose to cut their cell phone. Either way, you may be able to save money by cutting one or the other, assuming that it’s practical for your lifestyle. It may not be.

If you keep a landline telephone, review the services you have on it. You may have a big package of services that you don’t take advantage of. Most people only use caller ID and call waiting with any regularity. You can even cut those if you don’t really want them.

You should also review any telephone service plans you’re on, whether it’s your cell phone contract or the deal you get on your long distance calls. You may be paying too much for your plan, or you may have too small a plan and be paying out for excess minutes.

Many cell phone carriers will let you change your contract with no penalty so long as you are going to a new contract with them. This may start your term over, and you do need to think about whether or not that’s the best move for you. If there’s just a little time left on the contract and another company has a better deal for you, it may be a good idea to just switch carriers at the end of the contract.

3. How many television channels do you really need?

Whether you have cable or satellite, you’re paying for a lot of channels you never watch. While cutting subscription television services completely out may not be for you, a more basic package can allow you to still watch many great channels with good reception for significantly less money. Review what you really need.

4. Eat out less.

Eating out is almost always significantly more expensive than eating in. If you’re getting the cheapest of fast food the costs may be similar, but the quality of the food goes way, way down from what you could enjoy at home.

Lunch out is probably the one that many people do on a nearly daily basis. If you can remember to bring your lunch, either with an ice pack or to put in the company refrigerator as you work, you can save a lot of money while doing something with your leftovers.

Similarly, cut back buying coffee when you’re out. Homemade coffee takes just a few minutes to make and is significantly cheaper.

5. Ask for a lower APR on credit cards.

It takes just a phone call, and if your credit is in good shape you have very good odds of getting a rate cut from your credit card company. While I don’t recommend making only the minimum payment every month, knowing that you’ll be paying less over time can be a significant benefit.

If your current credit card issuer won’t decrease your APR, start shopping around. If you have good credit, you may be able to apply for a card with a lower rate, and transfer balances over. Just be aware of balance transfer fees and introductory APR versus regular APR. A lower introductory rate isn’t a benefit if the long term rate is too high.

6. Adjust the thermostat.

In summer, learn to tolerate a warmer house, in winter, a cooler one.

During the summer, I put extra coverings on the windows that get the most direct sunlight. This has a significant impact on the temperature in my home. Depending on the window I may use a blanket, sheet or cardboard box. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done.

In winter, of course, extra warm clothes are the rule.

In any season you can check to be sure that your home does the best it can in terms of insulation. This is one of those cases where you may have to spend money to save money over time, not an easy thing to do if your budget is already tight. But if you can manage it, the benefit will be there eventually.

Check your filters too. A clean filter can greatly increase the efficiency of your heater or air conditioner.

A programmable thermostat can take care of changing the temperatures for you, based on the daily routine you give it. If you tend to be away from the house all day, obviously you don’t need the heater or air conditioner running. But when you’re home you want things to be comfortable.

Another option is to use an efficient space heater. This can be more efficient than heating the entire house, especially if everyone spends all their time in the same room.

Alternatively, keep it in rooms that you don’t use much, and close their heater vents. Turn on the space heater as needed, turn off when you’re done.

7. Drive less and more efficiently.

With gas prices going up, anything you can do to cut back can help your budget. Planning your errands so they can be done can save money both in gas and in what you spend shopping.

Another way to drive less is to carpool or take public transportation. This is generally going to involve some inconvenience, but the savings can be substantial. My sister saves about $80/month carpooling with coworkers, and that’s the number she quoted me about 6 months ago. No doubt it’s more now.

8. Buy used.

Consignment and thrift shops often have great deals on near-new clothes and other merchandise. It may take a couple tries before you find the right shops for your tastes, but there’s a great range of options out there.

9. Rethink your watering habits.

Many people overwater their lawns. Do some research for your area and find out how much water your lawn actually needs a week. I heard a quote of 1 inch per week in my area, and it’s actually better for the lawn to have it in one deep watering, so long as the soil isn’t too dry, than in shorter spurts through the week. The lawn then grows deeper roots and becomes stronger.

10. Review your insurance coverage.

What are you paying to cover your car in case of an accident? What’s the deductable? How often have you really needed to use even a bit of your coverage?

While car insurance is pretty much a must in many places, you may be able to cut back on what it costs you. Increasing your deductible can save you money every month, and only costs you money if you make a claim. This can be a very good deal.

Cutting health insurance can be a bit trickier. There’s still a certain quality of coverage you probably want. But once again, if increasing your deductible will save you money overall with the way you use your health insurance, it may be worth the effort. The only question for many people is ‘Will I remember that during open enrollement?’

Review your homeowner’s insurance too, if applicable. Balance what you will be able to handle paying in case of a claim with what you are willing to spend monthly.

11. Turn it off and unplug it.

Turn what off?

Whatever you’re not using. Turn off unnecessary lights and teach the kids to do the same. Turn off the television… unplug it if you’re willing, as it does use some electricity even when it’s off. Same for the DVD player or any other electronics that have a clock or respond to a remote. Any of those you’re willing to unplug can save you a bit of money.

12. Get a smart power strip.

A smart power strip is an interesting device. It shuts off the power to all devices plugged into it when you shut the first device down. This can work great for entertainment centers and computers… just make sure that if it’s something you want to stay on, such as a DVR, you plug it into a separate strip.

This can seem like a small thing, but the power these things use up just by being in standby mode can really add up.

13. Clean out the house… declutter!

While this won’t necessarily save you money, it can make you money or at least get rid of the things you don’t use anymore. If you think you can make some money, hold a garage sale or sell the best stuff on eBay. It’s a bit of effort that can be quite profitable.

14. Drink more tap water.

Get a Brita or other filter if you prefer, as it will quickly pay for itself over buying bottled water, drinking juice or drinking soda. It’s also very healthy for you.

If you don’t like to have a glass of water at your desk, especially if you’re concerned about spills, get a reusable water bottle. If BPA concerns you, there are metal bottles available, or non-BPA plastic ones. ReusableBags.com carries a good selection. I’m completely hooked on mine.

15. Check your car’s air filter.

A dirty air filter reduces your gas mileage. And cleaning one is so simple even most people who can’t do car repairs may be up to the job.

Cher your owner’s manual to locate the filter. Undo the top screw or release the clamps, take off the top and you’ll see the filter inside. Pull out the filter and use the hose of your vacuum cleaner to suck the dirt out of it. Run the vacuum through the holder as well to get any other dust. Take care not to be too rough with the filter, as you can damage it. Put it back in and reattach the top. The job is done and you didn’t have to pay someone to do it.

16. Talk about ways to save money with friends.

Friends can help you to find new ways to save money and just encourage you in your own efforts.

17. Look for free events in your area.

I went last weekend to a street fair just 2 miles from my home. We walked out of there with a free month of karate classes for my daughter, and a generally fun day. We did spend some on rides for the kids, but not much considering the overall entertainment.

Most cities will have some sort of event calendar online these days. Find your city’s website and check it out.

18. Borrow from the library.

Rather than buy books or rent movies, check out the selection at your local library. While their selection of movies won’t come even close to Netflix, or even a local movie store, you can check to see if the movie selection is adequate to your needs.

But many do pretty well, especially when it comes to finding great titles to read to the kids. Children don’t care how long the book has been out; they’ll enjoy the story regardless.

19. Make your own cleaning supplies.

Just a few ingredients that you may have around the house already can work wonders. Baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil can replace most of the cleaning supplies that cost you far more, and aren’t toxic.

20. Use rechargeable batteries.

The battery charger and rechargeable batteries are a bit of an investment at the start, but they quickly pay for themselves. We handled the expense in my family during the changeover by just buying rechargeable batteries as needed. Our charger handles all sizes we use.

21. Think about living in a smaller home or apartment.

This one won’t work right now if you’re upside down in a mortgage, and definitely may not be right depending on the real estate market in your area. Going into a smaller home can save you money in many ways if it makes sense to do so, from a lower mortgage payment to lower heating bills and so forth. Do not try this if you own a house unless you are sure you will save money!

On the other hand, renters may have more flexibility to move if they’re not stuck in a lease. If you can move into a place that costs you less to rent every month, you may have a significant savings that will make up for the expense of moving quickly.

Just be sure both the financial and the intangibles are worth the move. If you love where you live, the money may not be worth it unless things are just that tight.

22. Think before you buy.

Anytime you think you want to buy something, consider why you’re doing it. If you can walk away and return to the item later, do so. If the purchase can wait a month, do so. Do what it takes to make sure that it’s something more than an impulse buy.

23. Simplify your gift giving.

You don’t have to cut it out, but you can simplify it and give things that will be greatly appreciated and cost you less money.

Try giving time, especially to friends and family who you know have very little of it. Free babysitting is appreciated by parents of small children. A homecooked meal may be appreciated by grandparents, especially if it means you take some time to be with them.

If you’re creative, take advantage of that fact and make gifts. Homemade gifts don’t always have to be chintzy. Create something that you know the recipient will appreciate and that you’ll enjoy making.

24. Shower more efficiently.

I know, a nice, long, hot shower is bliss for many people. It also uses a lot of water and either electricity or gas to keep the water warm. If you can keep the length down you will save money.

You should also be sure that you have a low flow showerhead on your shower. A good quality one will still provide excellent water pressure, but use significantly less water. I’ve found that the mist setting on mine is good for everything but rinsing conditioner out of my hair, and uses significantly less water than the other settings.

25. Wash your clothes in cold water.

Most of the time, your clothes will come out nice and clean, even if you don’t use warm water. If you’re worried about it, there are now detergents formulated to work in cold water. I’ve never used one and never had a problem with clothes not getting clean enough… except when my kids absolutely stain them. What can I say? They’re kids. They like to get really, really messy.

There are, no doubt, many more ways you can save money. I’d love to hear more suggestions from any of my readers.

Even when you’re trying to save money, there’s often that one person in the family who just isn’t quite cooperating with the plan. The one who still really wants those extras.

Maybe it’s Mom, maybe it’s Dad, maybe it’s one or all of the kids. But that person sure makes going grocery shopping difficult. How do you avoid buying all the extra stuff they want?

Well, kids are easier to cope with than when it’s the other parent. You either learn to say “no” or you go shopping without them as much as possible. Neither one is easy at times, and as your kids grow you will have to figure out what works best for each age, but you do what you can.

Such as have them buy the extras they think they can’t live without with their own money.

But it’s much more difficult when it’s one of the parents who isn’t hearing the other say “we need to spend less money and don’t really need that.” It gets to feeling as though you’re nagging or that they just aren’t paying any attention to you.

And of course an adult can easily just go back to the store on his or her own and buy the things you said no to before. It can take much more effort to break through the stubbornness.

Shopping alone is often much cheaper than bringing anyone else along. Just make sure it’s the person most willing to limit impulse buys. And bring a list.

A list can help even when you do bring the family along. Warn everyone who’s coming along that only items on the list will be bought. Go through the grocery store ads so you know what deals you don’t want to miss, and at least tentatively plan the kinds of meals you’d like to have for the week. The more you know about what you’re actually going to eat, the less excess you will buy.

Talk over the issues too, and be clear about exactly what is happening to your budget due to overspending at the grocery store. Making the problem clear may not be enough to immediately stop the problem, but it does mean you can brainstorm some acceptable solutions.

Take a look at your eating habits too. Can you give up convenience foods? What about sodas? Candy?

These items tend to add up fast, and many aren’t too good for you to begin with. Work up a way to work these out of your diets if possible, or at least agree on limits. I’ve always found that if they’re in the house, they get eaten, but if they aren’t, I won’t get desperate enough to go to the store just for them.

Changing your grocery shopping habits probably won’t solve all your money problems – many families have other places that could be cut equally or even more effectively, but it’s an area many are willing to target. Talk it out, work it out and see what happens.