Quick and Easy Tips to Stretch Your Family’s Budget

In this day and age, stretching the family dollar is getting to be quite the challenge. The ability to save money wherever and whenever possible is at the forefront of many families today. The five main areas that seem to consistently demand our attention when it comes to increasing costs are food, clothing, shelter, school supplies and vacations. Let's take a quick look at these areas:

Without a doubt, food costs continue to increase. For a growing family this can be a real stress point on the budget. Fortunately, there are ways to save money even when money is tight. In fact, there are ways to both save on the food budget and still maintain your family's health. For example, consider the "cents off coupon".

It is quite possible that with the combination of coupons and sales shopping, you can get $200 worth of food for as little as $50! It will take some doing, but it is well worth the effort. You can also save money by shopping for ingredients at the store to then prepare more meals at home from scratch. By cutting down on the fast food drive thru purchases, you not only save money but eat healthier as well! Two other quick thoughts to ponder:

When you shop, eat something first! You will not be as tempted to "impulse shop" when you have food in your stomach. And always have a list and shop the perimeter! Stores know this and that is why they actually "corral" you through the middle of the store to maximize your temptation to impulse shop! Also, consider patronizing your local farmers market for your fruit and produce. Not only can they be price competitive with the chain store supermarkets but the produce will most likely be fresher.

In the area of shelter, the cost of renting or buying a home has skyrocketed in the last few years. As such, that alone is demanding upwards to half of a family's monthly income. Even though that alone is not negotiable, there are ways to cut costs in other areas to help offset the rising cost of housing.

For example, target your electrical and water usage. Keep any unnecessary lights and appliances turned off when not in use. If you use a washer and dryer to clean and dry your clothes, make sure the loads are full ones and the clothes are really in need of washing. Also, after the dryer has finished drying, don't ignore it and then repeat the drying cycle just because some clothes got wrinkled waiting for you to fold them. In addition, look for ways of improving the weatherizing of your home to maximize energy efficiency and then be better able to keep electrical costs down by not having to run the heating or cooling system as much.

Now, on to school supplies. As is the case at the end of summer, children that are about to return to another year of school will need school supplies. This is one area where much of what you are able to do to save any money will depend on demographics and what grade your child is in. However, some things to consider would mainly be in the arena of name brands versus generic brands. It is most likely that the generic brand will be just as good as the name brand supplies at a much lower cost. You could even plan ahead and pick up your children's school supplies from the year before when the stores are clearing their stock to make room for other items.

It is even advisable to stay away from designer clothing to save some big bucks. I know, as the children become older status can be everything but, if you stand your ground or at least let them know that if they truly need those $150 tennis shoes, they can earn the money by working during the summer and pay for those shoes themselves. If you stick to this, it might surprise you that, after they have worked hard and saved the money, they are less likely to let go of that hard earned cash! Lesson learned? Yep!

Finally, as most families know, the summer is prime vacation time. The kids are out of school and the weather is warm and dry. However, this being the case, it is also the most expensive time of the year to take a vacation. This being true, is it possible to plan a family vacation during the off-season? If you can, you will save big bucks on rental charges and will even experience a bigger surprise: fewer people on vacation, allowing more room for your family to have fun!

Well, there you have it! Just a bit of advice on how to save some money and help your family budget stretch a little further. There are many other ideas to be had that will aid you in making the money you have go farther. Just take the time and do a little "Googling". You'll be surprised just how much you can save with a little effort and a willingness to give up some things to enjoy life as a family.