As every parent knows, the dollar grows smaller for each child you have. The responsibility of raising children and keeping your head above water can be overwhelming at times. As a single mom in college, I have learned many ways to stretch the almighty dollar. And yes, that dollar doth protest vehemently!
Buy generic.
I cannot emphasize this enough! Did you know that a bottle of name brand Tylenol costs twice as much as its less flashy, generic counterpart? You can buy generic anything these days. Over the counter medications (always keep out of reach of little hands), food items, paper products (including disposable diapers!!!), beauty aides (I cannot, however, find a suitable generic shampoo or conditioner). Non-name brand clothing is a great way to save money, for your children and yourself. The price you pay for name brand items is not indictative of the quality of the product, but rather you're paying for a fancy package. Why would you spend money on that?
Recycle.
Although this sounds like a crazy idea to someone who doesn't have time to tie her shoelaces during the day, much less recycle, please hear me out! Sure, recycling is a great way to help our environment, but I'm talking about the kind you can do at home. Share outgrown children's clothing with a friend or relative. Use sturdy paper plates (if not soaked with food) more than once. Wear clothing more than once (again, as long as it's not filthy). Not only will this save time, but it will reduce the amount of money you spend on laundry soap.
Go garage sale-ing.
Yes, going to garage sales can be a time consuming process, but the gems that you find can be priceless. Don't overlook piles of clothing, kitchen ware, or shoes. People are always trying to get rid of the items they don't want anymore, and we, as parents, are always searching.
Buy bulk quantities.
If there's something your family uses all the time, or is always running out of, look for economy-sized packages. We seem to go through a lot of toilet paper at our house, and I always buy the 12 roll package. Many times, it will save you money.
Read labels.
A good shopper will be able to read the labels and compare "unit prices" between items. The way to do this is to note the price of the item (let's say, a package of sliced cheese). The cheese costs $1.50 for 15 slices. Simply divide (a calculator comes in handy) the price (1.50) by the number of units (15) and you find our that each slice of cheese is 10 cents. Compare that to another brand whose cheese costs $1.50 for 10 slices. That's 15 cents a slice, and you now know which is untimately cheaper.
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