Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Being a parent is very expensive. Diapers, baby food, toys, clothes and the million other things you never consider until you need them. They all add up! Well, today I have for you a few simple ways that you can make sure you have a little more money in your purse at the end of the month.
Use Coupons!
No doubt you have seen those couponing shows where women are feeding half the street thanks to their coupon savings. Well, I am not saying you go that far. But look at the stores you do your shopping in and then look online to see if you can find coupons for that store. Look in your local newspaper as well and even get on Facebook and ask friends and family members if they know of any coupons. Saving a buck here or a few pennies there may not sound like much at the time, but it all adds up!
There are a lot of couponing sites so be sure to Google them. This is a great couponing site that is very popular.
Have A Shopping Budget
We all end up spending more money during our grocery shopping trips than we intend to and a way to stop this is having a budget and a shopping list. Make a note of what you actually need before you go to the store and give yourself a strict shopping budget. If you need to, use cash only and leave the cards at home which makes impulse spending harder! I know that sticking to this can be tough, but once you do it one time and realize that you do have enough food and supplies to last the week, it will become second nature and you will find yourself looking for ways to come in under budget…even while getting all the items on your list.
Look At Your Monthly Payments
By this, I am talking about your utilities, your water, power and so on. But not just that…look at everything! Your phone bill, the internet, cable bill and any other monthly cash outflows that are happening. See if you can save a few bucks by switching providers. Many companies these days are fighting for customers so there is a lot of consumer power out there right now. Even calling your existing internet provider or whatever and letting them know you are thinking of jumping ship may get you a better deal. Just knowing exactly how much a month you have going out in bills lets you know how you can budget the rest of the money you have.
Along the lines of a shopping budget, take that one step further and create a complete monthly budget. Use a budget calculator to track your spending and saving projections and try to stick to it. And of course evaluate progress each month and tweak it as needed
Buy Used
There is nothing wrong with buying things used. With my first kid I was guilty of buying all the most expensive clothes, clothes that they would wear for a few months at the most, and then outgrow them or get them so dirty they had to be retired! Buying used clothes can save you a ton of money. Not just for your kids, but yourself as well. Using thrift stores for clothing, toys and even furniture can really save you a ton of money. You can go in there with 20 bucks and come out with a whole new wardrobe. While the clothes will all be cleaned, give them a clean yourself and that way your mind is at ease. But you will be less annoyed if your kid outgrows a 1 dollar t-shirt you bought at the thrift store after only wearing it a few times than if it is a 10 dollar t-shirt you got from Walmart or the latest designer brand.
Do You Really Need That?
This is a question I ask myself a lot before I buy anything these days. Do I really need that new shirt? Do the kids really need another Lightning McQueen? Do we really need this huge cable TV package we have when we also have Netflix? We all waste a lot of money on things that are really not essential. Before you spend any money when you are out and about, always ask if you really need it. A little treat once in awhile is great for you and the kids and it makes you appreciate it all the more! As well as having this attitude when you are out and about, have it for the things you have in your house, Cable, iTunes, HBO and so on.
Conclusion
These are 5 easy and somewhat obvious ways to save money as a mother. Obvious as they are, they will save you hundreds of dollars very quickly. Take the challenge and start today…we promise your future self will thank you!
Great tips @lynne i never make use of coupons before , i think its time i try them
Look at the bottom of your Pick n Pay slip when you swipe your members card, the other day I got R40 off my next purchase. These add up, take a look when you swipe your member card at Pick n Pay next time.
Wow! Ok so can anybody tell me where we can get coupons in SA? All these sites are not in South Africa. I know that the big stores usually give coupons to the elderly but i haven’s seen anything else. I’ve watched the coupon shows and boy i am shocked at the amount of things you can get for free. People leave with trolley and their bill will be under R 100.00. Please share your thoughts… I definitely need to try and not go with my bank cards to the shop. I’m sure if i go with just the right amount of cash i will not over spend. I always end up not sticking to my list.. I am so bad and then i think to myself, but what did i spend the money on. I usually spend it on the family and very, very seldom get myself something. I’m seriously gonna start from next month to try the cash instead of card idea! Thank you for your article.
There are a few places – if you have a Clicks club card you can get coupons. Here are a few South African places to try:
wuhu
Picodi
Vouchercloud
Dealzone
Great tips thanks Lynne! I have also found that shopping for fresh products at Woollies food, you sometimes can come across great deals on the buy 2 and save deals they have.
I tend to buy cleaning chemicals, toiletries and toilet paper at Clicks on their 3 for 2 specials. Have become a bit of a bargain hunter of late, so also keep an eye on those rather bulky advertising inserts that come with the local community paper!
Every bit helps with a 11 year old and a 9 month old in the house! 🙂
Thanks Lynne will definitely try out these places!
Thank you! I never knew about this. I am excited to use my coupons next time I shop at Spar and Pick a Pay. There are a whole lot of things on the list that I need to buy. These days everything are so expensive we need to save in every way we can.
I’m a pro at buying used! New items are so expensive and you can really save a lot of money by buying second hand good that’s still in top notch condition
Yes you are right Gayle M where do we get coupons in SA I have the spar rewards card it helps a little only if you buy what’s on the list for that month with everything going up we as moms need to find ways to save because it always seems something comes up in the middle of the month for school and it’s days before pay day that extra cash can be put away for these unforseen events projects etc
I cancelled DSTV and joined Netflix, so much cheaper and so much more to watch. You must have a good data provider.
I love our fresh vegetables and herbs, had four butternut ready to pick and it tastes so different. Love that my boys also get to learn to maintain the vegetable garden.
Also we did gas stove and oven, gas geyser as well as gas chest fridge and freezer. This has helped a lot with electricity costs.
Thank you! I never knew about this. I am excited to use my coupons next time I shop at Spar and Pick a Pay. There are a whole lot of things on the list that I need to buy. These days everything are so expensive we need to save in every way we can.
Great tips @lynne.
I have done a wee bit to save some money and I must admit it really did help me a lot.
* I always promote saving anything – whether it is water, food, electricity or cleaning materials. Basically if you teach your family to get into the habit of this, then you already save. Every bit helps.
*Loyalty cards – I have loyalty cards for Dis-chem, Clicks, Pick and pay and Pep stores which I diligently swipe every time I visit these stores. And remember if you are a vitality member at Discovery, you get an extra 10% off when you buy baby essentials that are part of the Vitality program.
*Buy bulk – I’m always on the look-out for bulk deals, especially at Clicks. I prefer to buy from Clicks online because they always have stock and all the specials and bulk deals are applicable not just at selected stores like when you buy at the physical stores.
*Cheaper brands – there are loads of housebrands that are great. You get them at a lower price and they don’t compromise on quality. Say for instance toilet paper, certain cleaning materials, black refuse bags. You don’t need to pay the most expensive price for these items. Baby housebrands like the Dis-chem “my baby”range and the Clicks “made 4 baby”range are fantastic brands and I use them all the time.
*I’ve gotten loads of second good quality clothing for JD since birth. This really helped me immensely. They out grow the clothes so quickly that it’s no use buying expensive clothing. I bought lots of my baby clothing at Jet and Pep. Nothing wrong with the clothes if baby is only wearing them a few times.
*Grow your own fresh vegetables or herbs if you have the space and means. You can save money and enjoy fresh, organic produce from your own garden.
*I’ve decided yesterday to downgrade our DSTV subscription. As much as I enjoy series and cooking programmes like Masterchef, I just can’t afford the huge premium every month. No use watching TV but you’re out of money by the second week of the month. I can always upgrade again when my financial situation is in a better state and I can afford it.
*Have a budget – This is something I’ve been using for years. I include everything in my budget, even my bank fees, so that I know exactly how money I will have left at the end of the month.
Wow Eliza, you’re my kinda of girl. High five to you! I do exactly the same. I thought i was the only one trying these money saving tips. Thank you for spelling it out as well, now i can also apply certain things that i didn’t know of, eg. Clicks. It is really worth buying at Clicks and their cash back is always amazing. I always look forward to their cash backs. I agree 100 percent with you.
Hahahaha thanks Gayle. You can also go to Unilever’s website. They offer discount coupons at selected stores like Pick and pay and Spar. They send the coupons that you’ve selected to your cell phone. Then you just give the wicode to the cashier at the till point. 🙂
You can also join Hometester club. If you’re active on the site and do all the surveys, they sometimes select you to receive samples of well know brands for yourself and friends. Then you just have to fill in a follow-up survey with your review of the product.
So I always make it a habit of doing following these steps but sometimes its so hard. What I also find helps is when you get change if you just collect and keep them out of reach around month end time when things are tight you find that you have money to get you through until the end…like buying bread and milk
I love that tip Naomi because that change really adds up and comes in handy when you need it!
Oh this budgeting is something I always do throughout the month. I have to, we need to make sure to live within our budget… When we have extra, we also budget with that. It’s so important to have a budget. I budget up until the last cent. Absolutely love this article.
Grocery list is important, very important. And also cutting on things we thing we need when we really don’t. Especially us new mommies.
My biggest downfall is going shopping with planning properly and without a list!
As a mom I’m always looking for ways to save a penny. This year I said I definitely want to spend less and try to reduce my debt. Coupons and discount codes are a big help when making big or multiple purchases. I’ve also been a budget queen and also try to shop on sales or look for the absolute best prices.
What I need to work on is definitely looking at if it is an absolute necessity? And I also need to brush up on lowering my monthly payments. I do try to buy second hand where I can and it is value for money.
I’m with you on that, I’ve also had to make cuts on my spending and it makes such a difference cutting out things that aren’t necessary!
Great advice and tips thank you.