Saving Money as a Mom
Let’s talk about saving today in my Financial Freedom for Mom’s series. I see some of you rolling your eyes at the thought of saving, especially now with the state of the economy. I get it. Saving isn’t exactly one of my strengths either but we know how important it is so we try to prioritize it.
Importance of Saving Money: Saving money is an essential part of financial planning. It allows you to build an emergency fund, save for your children’s education, and work towards other financial goals. But more important than all of this, it reduces a lot of stress. If you have solid savings, dealing with unexpected things becomes a lot easier because you know you can, comfortable, afford to to pay what needs to be paid. This peace of mind is huge and a big part of financial freedom.
Tips for Saving Money:
- Create a Budget: As we discussed in a previous post, creating a budget is essential for managing your finances. A budget can help you identify areas where you can cut back and save money. A budget allows you to get honest with yourself about where you are financially. Avoiding debt, isn’t going to make it go away. Under budgeting for groceries, doesn’t make them cost less. It just creates an unrealistic environment.
- Cut Back on Non-Essential Expenses: Take a close look at your expenses and identify areas where you can cut back. This could include eating out less often, canceling subscriptions you don’t use, or finding cheaper alternatives for things like clothing and household items. Your budget will help with this. When we got really analytical with our budget we realised we were spending R100 a month on parking – now it might not seem like a lot of money but it does impact our overall budget.
- Shop Smart: I think this is one area I am really good at, it has taken time but I try to be very smart about how and where we shop. I do 99% of our shopping online which helps me to buy only what I need. I do also only buy items on special and make use of loyalty cards and points. Sustainability is important to us but it can be more expensive, so I have had to cut back in other areas to be able to afford the organic, plastic free fruit and veggies and other products.
- Reduce Energy Usage: This one is a little trickier to manage. We have solar now, which is an additional expense but we have reduced our Eskom account by 80% and we aren’t spending money on inverters and other products to use during loadshedding. But we are still mindful about our energy use.
- Automate Your Savings: Capitec have a very cool little tool that you can use that automatically saves money, its not a huge amount of money but it is automated which makes it easier. There are other apps that allow you to set up saving automation.
Setting Savings Goals: Setting specific savings goals keeps you motivated and on track. Whether you’re saving for a family vacation, a new car, or a rainy day fund, having clear goals can help you stay focused and disciplined in your saving efforts.
There have been posts going around for years that imply if you stop buying coffee, you will save millions. I get the theory of it but if you are buying a coffee a few times a week, I wouldn’t immediately cut it. Maybe reduce the number of times you get a take out coffee but we all need a few things that bring us joy.
Saving money is possible with the right strategies and mindset. By creating a budget, cutting back on non-essential expenses, shopping smart, reducing energy usage, and setting savings goals, you can build a more secure financial future for yourself and your family.
