5 Money-Saving Tips In This Tough Economy

Who isn’t feeling a financial crunch these days with regular gas around $3.15 a gallon?

I recently ran into a friend at Wal-Mart, who never shopped there before she lost her job and was actually excited to see how much money she was saving for her family.

Living frugally is something I’ve had a keen interest in since I clipped coupons as a newlywed. Here are five tips to help your family save money:

Cut Your Kid's Hair: Don’t laugh, it sounds more complicated than you think. The cost for kid's haircuts can really add up. The library and Internet have videos and books on how to do the simplest of kid’s cuts. I bought a pair of haircutting scissors, drape, electric clippers and have been cutting my boys' hair ever since. It’s messy at times, but to me worth the savings. Plus, when they need a cut, I am never closed! Granted a few times when they were younger I gave them the Jim Carrey Dumb and Dumber cut, but I’ve since improved my technique (thankfully).

Do Not Buy Snack Size Anything: Sure it’s convenient and looks pretty in its packaging, but it’s not worth the price. Buying large bags of whatever your favorite snacks are and divvying up into reusable containers saves money. You also can purchase reusable drink boxes that can easily go through the dishwasher. Many parents like to cut juice in half with water, something not possible with purchased juice boxes.

Shop Sales and Use Unit Prices: The bulk stores like BJ’s and Costco aren’t always your best buy. When price shopping, look at the unit price and you will get the true cost savings. Look at the weekly supermarket circulars and shop the store that has the best price on meats or whatever you need most. If meat is on sale, buy as much as you can and freeze in individual or smaller portions. We also buy bread and freeze it so we never run out. It’s as good as fresh when thawed and in the summer you can pack your kids’ camp lunches and it keeps the sandwich contents cool.

Use Library Museum Passes: Some might not be aware of the amazing places you can visit by reserving free passes through the Framingham Main Branch Library. As long as you plan ahead, you can visit popular places like The Museum of Science, The Children’s Museum, The New England Aquarium and more for significant savings. Check out other Minuteman Network libraries for what passes they have as they can vary from library to library. Remember that wherever you reserve passes you must travel to that library in that town to pick up.

Hand Me Downs and Consignment Stores: My youngest son has almost never worn new clothing thanks to having older brothers. We also receive hand me downs from friends and then pass along our clothes to others in the same way. Also shopping consignment stores for costumes and dressy clothes can save you tons, as they are usually lightly worn.

Happy savings!