Family Home Budget

Raising a family is fun but can be full of challenges. As kids grow so are the family’s expenses, that’s why it’s important to stick with your family home budget. Below are some simple tips that you can do to save big and live on  $30,000 or less.

Family Home Budget – Tips for Living on $30000 or Less

Savings tips for the home:

• Of course the obvious: turn out lights, don’t let water run, don’t leave TV on.
• First and foremost, we created a budget on Mint.com which sends us an alert when we get close to our limit for each category
• We keep our A/C at 80 in the summer and heater at 68 in the winter (turned down to 55 at night)
• We got rid of cable because there’s nothing we NEED to watch, and if we want to watch something, usually it’s on Netflix or we can watch it online a day late.
• Unplug anything not in use. Cell phone and laptop chargers drain power even if the device is not charging
• We use coupons and take advantage of BOGO deals at our local grocery stores and always plan meals around the sale ads
• We don’t eat out except for special occasions and even that is rare. I think it is more special to cook a special meal of someone’s favorite foods than to go out to eat. (Fast food/restaurants we are big chuck of where our money went before.)

• We have a small garden in our yard which my kids LOVE to help with in order to offset produce costs
• We have the lowest cell phone plan because I am usually at home and anyone who needs to get in touch with me can call the house phone, and same with data, I’m at home so I mainly use the wifi
• We use a bank with interest checking (While it’s not much, it adds up)
• I try to do all my running around for the week at once, so I am not constantly running around town wasting gas
• I LOVE yard sales. I have found so many great deals on everything from furniture to clothes to dishes and everything in between
• I check our local freecycle group once a week (a group where local people post things they have that they are willing to give away if someone comes to pick them up.)
• I make big meals for my family of four so we always have leftovers which helps with the not eating out because there is always something in the fridge to heat up.
• Allow 10-15 minutes between meal helpings, people usually overeat because they eat too fast and don’t give their food time to settle (esp my kids). If you give your food time to settle, you’ll usually find you’re full and don’t want seconds (of course you’re always welcome to them if you truly are still hungry)
• Always buy generic if available (always check active ingredients first though)
• I use gasbuddy to find the cheapest gas near me when I fill up (again, small difference, but it adds up)
• Buy anything you know you’ll eventually use that won’t spoil in bulk. (trash bags, lightbulbs, paper towels, detergent, etc.) This also saves on gas by cutting out extra trips to the store

Saving tips for kids:

• Matinee movies are usually half the price and we eat before going o they aren’t hungry for popcorn or candy
• Check with parks and rec for local events. We live in a college town, so there are always free events and concerts going on and we make an effort to attend these
• IF we decide to go out to eat, we base it on who has kids eat free nights (Frugal living website)
• We homeschool, so we do a lot of field trips with out homeschool group which don’t cost anything
• They have kids clothing consignment sale twice a year here, so I buy the kids new clothes and sell their old ones
• My daughter begged me to teach her to sew, so I did. Now she loves to sew new clothes for her dolls and barbies from scrap cloth I pick up from freecycle or yard sales
• Before planning an big money event always check for sales. My daughter wanted to go to Six Flags for her bday, so I checked around and found out that they were planning Homeschool Day for the day before her bday so we planned to go then because tickets were $37 cheaper than if we went on her actual bday

• Anytime we plan an outing, we make sure to pack a cooler with snacks/lunch/drinks, so we are not tempted to purchase them
• Teach kids to enjoy the outdoors. We save so much more than our friends because our kids don’t feel like they have to have the newest game system or ipad, they enjoy just going outside or to the ecology preserve near our home and playing outside using their imaginations.
• Utilize free/cheap resources for vacations: road trips, campgrounds, etc.

More than anything be realistic about your situation, of course there are things I wouldn’t mind having, but I have to stop and ask myself if it’s something I really need and/or would even use. Usually the answer is no. :-/

Thanks to Alexis R. for sharing these tips!

For more Family Home Budget – Tips for Living on $30000 or Less also read these:

Living on 30000 or Less: Raising a Family of 6
Living on 30000 or Less: 10 Tips
Living on 30000 or Less: Raising a Large Family
5 Tips on Living on 30000 or Less

Also check out our money saving tips:

Frugal Ways To Save Money

Frugal Ways to Save Money: Getting Out of Debts

$5 Savings Plan

Get Kids to Save Money

Living on 30000 or Less: Raising a Family of 6

How to Save Up Money: Tips for Living on $30000 or Less

How to get rich in 5 minutes a day

Do you have Family Home Budget tips? Share it with us below.