I’m not offering solutions on spreadsheets or ultimate budgeting tips to solve your financial woes. Here, I’m simply sharing ideas that I have done and those that I’m planning to do as I tackle the every day strain of running a household on a budget.
Some of these are original ideas, others are taken from other parents which I have adapted and modified to suit my family’s needs. As you look into the list, feel free to choose the ones that fit your needs and adjust or improve it accordingly. And also don’t forget to comment below the changes that you have made or will be making, so that other parents could also learn from them too.
For most of us who are outside the rich and super-rich circle, budgeting is a familiar thing; parents on a budget is normal. According to Cambridge dictionary, budgeting is the process of calculating how much money you must earn or save during a particular period of time, and of planning how you will spend it. And parents as one of the most resourceful and creative people on the planet, always come up with ways and means to have ends meet. I guess the situations parents have to face on the daily basis necessitate the need to be resourceful and creative.
Without further ado, here are the list.
Save on energy, save lights. Nowadays, we are slowly branching out to vlogging and creating Youtube videos. And as you very well know good lighting is essential to have a clear, sharp, and color-rich video. So for vloggers and Youtubers, video lighting is a must. However as we’re on the budget side at the time being, well, there’s no better light source than the sun, right? So what we actually use is light from a lampshade to give the face extra illumination, and then a lot of sunlight. We’re lucky in a sense that one entire wall of our house that leads to the balcony is glass-walled, so it is totally a great, free source of light.
Natural health supplement. Health is super important, and getting sick can be so hard on the budget especially if your paying the hospital straight out of your own pocket. Giving children health supplements would certainly boost their immune system. However personally, I would go for something affordable, natural and organic, nothing synthetic. Moringa plant is a proven and tested super food with loads of health benefits which are reasons I include Moringa in my children’s diet. So we made our own Moringa powder and thought of creative ways to feed Moringa to my children.
Grow your own garden. Food takes quite a chunk of our budget especially that we love to eat. If you live in the country or has a big space that you could convert into a garden, then you are lucky. However even those of us in the urban area, we could have a garden in the city if we want to. Having our own source of food is not only healthy it is also liberating on the budget. I grow Moringa, malabar nightshade, aloe vera, lemongrass, bitter melon, and planning of growing mung beans, bougainvillea and santan flowers. I have been trying to grow onions, tomatoes, and cabbage but to no avail.
Be creative with snacks. My family is big on snacks and DIY no-churn ice cream. Instead of always buying (of course we do at times) crisp and other junkies in grocers, I recycle food leftovers. If I have leftover chicken and veggies, I make these into veggy nuggets or I make our own fruitshakes.
Toys for Mommies. If there are toys for the big boys, kitchen appliance are definitely toys for Mommies. For budget Moms like me, buying kitchen appliance can be heavy on the budget, and could be a hindrance from procurring one. For a very long time, I dreamt of having my own oven, but the real one is just way beyond my financial capacity. Thankfully though there are affordable alternatives, and that’s what I’ve got, an electric oven. It is not as powerful but it does the work just fine. And since we love cold beverages, and fruitshakes are healthier choices, I bought an affordable blender. It’s defintely on a budget new toy.
Budget bloggers assistants. Blogging is a great way to augment family income but it does not come for free. There are things that we need to spend money on to have a successful blog. Aside from yearly payment for domain and hosting, there are a number of other important essentials, and I listed 5 must haves for mom on a budget bloggers. Have you got other affordable must haves for blogging?
Travel on a budget. Part of parenting is to educate children, and traveling is a great way to teach them with a whole lot of things. Traveling need not be expensive. There are plenty of beautiful places to go to that are free of admission including temples and museums which are awesome places to explore and experience, and other kid-friendly, family drive routes which are public and admission free like parks, beaches, and zoos.
Inexpensive Outdoor Activities for Children. Another yet important parenting responsibility is to engage children in extracurricular activities. For children, physical activities and plays are essential factors especially during a child’s formative years. Creative parents know just where to go or what to do to have those muscles flexed or those imagination fired up, and empower kids without so much of a cost.
DIY whenever you can. I’m not so gifted with craftiness but wherever I could save I can always find a way, for example make your own gift wraps, christmas gifts on a budget, home-made playdough.
- Old calendars for something educational. Every year we change calendar. Some calendars are made from really nice durable paper, and so instead of throwing them away why not re-used or recycle them into something really useful. During this time, my son who was a toddler was already showing readiness for reading. So instead of buying alphabet flashcards, I made my own, and save on a few bucks. Check them out. Aside from flashcards, we can re-used old calendars into picture frames, paper dolls, doll house, or any school projects that call for it.
- Old School Socks Rag Rug. I have plenty of school socks rag. And because I don’t want to spend money on new rugs which sometimes costs more than $3, I made these socks rags into rugs. There are other ways, according to Amanda over at the Glorious Grape, she used mismatched socks to make chew toys for her dogs. And Chubskulit Rose use old socks to clean furniture. Old socks can also be used as stuffing for throw pillows and the likes.
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