I have just studied my Analytics and this was one of the things someone searched for: “fastest way for a housewife to save 20,00“. Since we don’t have an article dedicated to these saving tips, let’s try to gather some ideas so, next time a visitor comes via this phrase she’d find something useful.
I’ll be the one starting the list and I invite you to contribute your own ways to save more money (sure, even if you’re not actually a housewife ;)).
Prerequisites
Before you do anything, run a nice spending journal for few days and MAKE A BUDGET. Keeping track of the expenses for few days at least will allow you to understand your spending routine and what can be improved, while the budget will help you and your family minimize spending and still enjoy life.
And now let’s see how we can save money faster:
1. Can you downsize?
If you are renting, maybe you can choose a smaller apartment/house for a while. Sure, it’s a huge change, but this might actually save you more every month, depending on the deals you can find. If you’re not renting (or not willing to move out), how about getting some tenants instead? Maybe a spare room or the space above the garage? This can save you few hundred bucks, not bad, when you need to save 20 thousand.
2. Cut off any plans that cost too much and are not used
Cable plans are known for being expensive (and many of us actually don’t always use them anyway). Same goes for cell phone plans, which sometimes cost too much, while we barely use them anyway. This can save you tens of bucks every month, so few hundreds in an year’s time.
3. Cook at home and stop spending money on eating out
This can be pretty rough for many families, but it’s not a bad idea, even if you don’t have to aggressively save money. We actually don’t eat out too much, since we found it’s better (money / health wise) to cook at home. If you love fresh ingredients and having the total control over what you eat, cooking at home makes a lot of sense. If you’re also careful to use some of our best tips for saving money when buying groceries, you might save hundreds of dollars each month. This can help you reach your goal very fast and also feel better.
4. Ditch the Starbucks latte
.. or any small daily expense you don’t keep track of, but which costs you a lot of money. Pack snacks from home, brew your own coffee, try to spend less money and you can again save hundreds of dollars/month. Sure, since you’re a housewife, you’re probably not the ‘issue’ here, but, if you have a husband who’s spending money daily on snacks/lattes, you can help him leave home better prepared.
5. Use coupons and plan your shopping
There’s a lot of money to be saved with some smart couponing, knowing how to stock up on food and use your pantry to the max. From few tens of bucks each month, to few hundred, the savings will count towards your goal.
6. Meal planning
I personally never thought about this, since I’m not a real ‘housewife’ (let’s say I seem to lack the talent to really do great in the kitchen), but meal planning is a great idea even I can get. Instead of aimlessly cooking (and buying ingredients which then will spoil), you plan your meals around what’s already available at home and also on the discounted ingredients at the stores. Sure, it takes some time to get it right, but again it can really save a lot of money.
7. Use items till they break
We don’t purchase gadgets that are expensive (reason I don’t have anything Apple in my house) and we use them until they break. MP3 player? 9 years old and counting. DSLR? Purchased it in 2011, works great. Everything is used until we can no longer do our ‘job’ with it and then replaced with a new model.
8. You really don’t have to own hundreds of shoes anyway
… same goes with jeans, skirts, blouses etc. Have enough to be comfortable, but don’t get tens of them since you’ll not need them anyway. I have 6 pairs of shoes (including sandals and the home slippers), 5 pairs of jeans and 15 t-shirts. Few blouses / hoodies and that’s it. If I need anything, I can run to the store, but I don’t need. I work from home, so 2 pairs of pants and few tees are enough.
These are just few ideas to help you save more money each month. If you are implementing at least few of them you’d be able to save hundreds of dollars each month, or even more. Saving 20 grand can be done in about 2 years or less.
BONUS TIP:
We have focused on saving money, let’s get another tip that would help you reach the goal faster: freelance or start a small side hustle. Nothing fancy, but you can again score few hundred bucks easily (or even discover you have a knack for business and go serious about it).
Planning and having a clear goal are key to the success of pretty much anything you try to achieve, so why should it be any different with money? A budget is essential so you know where you’re money is going and having a target means you’ll know if you’re heading in the right direction.
More than anything though, I think taking the time to STOP AND THINK is the vital key to financial success: if you want to save money, you need to spend less (and quit with the retail therapy habit); if you want more money at your disposal, you need to pay down your debts (biggest interest rate first); and if you want financial freedom, you need to work on multiple streams of passive income which will enable you to get out of the rat race without living on the bread line.
So true. Without a good plan we’re destined to fail or at least achieve our goals harder.
Except for the meal planning, we’ve done pretty much all the stuff you presented on the list 🙂
Moved in a smaller apartment to save on rent – check (it’s been almost 3 years, we saved about €1200 /year by making the move)
Not paying for any useless plans – check (we get the ‘regular’ TV channels, which we almost never watch anyway)
Cooking at home & the starbucks latte – well, I’m always at home, have no excuse for it 😀
… and so on.
Saving money isn’t really THAT difficult, as long as you’re smart about it and are able to stay away from useless expenses 🙂
I’m not a housewife (far from it) and some of these things are a bit stereotypical, but they are certainly ways to save money. Meal planning has been incredibly effective for me, as well as using items until they are no longer usable.