In years gone by, it was common for the man of the house to be the breadwinner while the woman stayed home and kept the house, raised the children, and was a helpmate to her husband.  Many of these families were able to live comfortably on one income. Today, however, it is a real challenge to support a family with only one income.  And while the economy has changed, the desire of many people to stay at home with their children, has not. If you are a mom or dad who wants nothing more than to devote your full time efforts to child rearing but fear you cannot afford to live on a single income, consider the following:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median annual income for an individual in 2005 was $25,149. In exchange for all of those precious hours with your children, is that $25,000 really worth it? Let’s see (please note that the following figures are estimates and that many variables can alter these numbers):

$25,149

-   2,909 for federal taxes, Social Security, and Medicare

$22,240

-   7,800 for childcare (for one child)

$14,440

-   3,600 for a second car payment

$10,840

-    1,400 for second car gas, maintenance, and insurance

$   9,440

-    1,300 for lunches out

$   8,140

-    1,000 for professional attire, dry cleaning, etc.

$   7,140

$7,000 — is it worth it? That’s probably not enough to pay your mortgage every month. It might not even pay your car note! However, if you are not convinced that you can live without that $7,000, let’s look at the ways that you can save money by being a stay-at-home parent. Of course, not every family will have the same expenses to cut back on, but here are some ideas to illustrate how easy it can be to save a little money.

$2,600 saved annually by cutting back on convenience foods (you’ll be home to cook, after all)

1,000 saved annually by canceling your lawn care service and doing the work yourself

1,200 saved annually by canceling your once-a-month housekeeping

520 saved annually with the coupons that you now have time to clip

1,300 saved annually if you can convince your spouse to brown-bag-it

+   480 saved annually by skipping the salon and giving yourself a manicure

$7,100

When you look at it this way, you are actually ahead of where you were when you were working!

To be fair, though, every situation will be different and every family will have its own set of expenses and standard of living. The point is, with a few sacrifices you can save a lot of money — in many cases, enough to afford to stay home with your children. Click here for more ways to save money around the house.

Photo by Alexi Kostibas, Creative Commons license

If you want to save money but think that you can’t possibly tighten your belt any more, then this is the guide for you. Below you will find ways to save money all over the house. None of these strategies alone will save you a fortune but if you do several, or even all, of them, you could easily save enough money to pay your phone bill or for diapers each month.

Kitchen

• Turn your dishwater’s heated dry feature off and let your dishes air dry.
• Only add dishwashing detergent to the main cup (with a lid) in your dishwasher.
• Always keep a hand towel (or two!) hanging in the kitchen. This will reduce the likelihood of reaching for a paper towel to wipe up a spill or to dry your hands.
• Vacuum the coils on your refrigerator twice a year. This keeps the fridge running efficiently and also extends the life of the appliance.
• Use your oven more during the winter months as the oven will help to warm the house.
• In the summer months, use the Crock Pot, stove top, and microwave, as these emit less heat into the house.
• Cooking a casserole or stew? Make a double batch and freeze half for another night. These frozen dinners are lifesavers when you don’t have time to cook and are cheaper than dining out.

Laundry Room

• Use the smallest recommended amount of laundry detergent. Too often we just fill the whole cup or scoop when much less would do.
• Wash your laundry in cold water. The exception to this is when you are washing with bleach (whites or cloth diapers)  in those instances, wash in hot water.
• Consider line drying your clothes during the spring and summer. The clothes dryer is one of the biggest energy users in the home. Even just drying your towels and bed linens on the line could save you quite a bit of money.
• Instead of liquid fabric softener, add a ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse water. The vinegar will soften your clothes and the smell will vanish when the clothes dry.
• If you use dryer sheets, cut them in half before using them. A half sheet is enough to keep the static out of your clothes.
• Use your used dryer sheets to dust around the house. They work just about as well as dry duster cloths (like Swiffer brand cloths) and are essentially free.

Bathroom

• Repair leaky faucets so your hard-earned money doesn’t go down the drain!
• Limit showers to 10 minutes per person.
• Don’t buy expensive drain cleaners to clear a slow drain. Instead, pour a ½ cup of baking soda into the drain followed by a ½ cup of vinegar. Allow the solution to sit for several minutes and then flush with boiling water.
• Reuse bath towels. Each person can reuse his or her towel for at least two or three days, thus reducing your volume of laundry.
• Try using half the amount you would normally use of shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste.
• If you have more than one child, bathe two at a time to save on water, time, and bubble-bath.
• Rarely, if ever, use your bathroom’s ventilator fan. In addition to pulling out odors and steam, it will also pull out heated or air conditioned air.

Living Room/Family Room

• Turn the t.v. off. A lot of us have a bad habit of leaving the television on even when we aren’t watching it.
• Cancel or downgrade your cable or satellite subscription. Do you really need 400 channels? Instead, consider subscribing to Netflix or Blockbuster Online. You’ll have an endless stream of movies and t.v. shows at your disposal but you pay much less than you will for cable or satellite service.
• Have a fireplace? Use it to save money on your heating bill. It should go without saying, but always be careful with fireplaces and young children.
• Particularly if you have kids, put a large area rug over your existing carpet or flooring. It is much cheaper to replace an area rug than it is to replace wall-to-wall carpeting or hardwood floors.
• Don’t forget to turn off the lights (and lamps) in the family room. For some reason, we tend to leave this light on, no matter where we are in the house. If no one is in it, turn off the light.

Bedrooms

• Keep your closet doors closed. On hectic mornings it’s not unusual for a closet door to be left ajar. But why cool or heat these extra spaces in your home?
• Pile on the blankets in winter. Turn your thermostat down and use extra blankets to keep warm while you are sleeping.
• Set the timer on your television if you have a tendency to fall asleep while it’s still on.

All Around the House

• If you have drafty windows, run a link of caulk around them to keep air from seeping through. The caulk will come off easily when you are ready to open the windows again.
• Change your heating and air conditioning filter on a regular basis. This will keep your unit running efficiently. For added efficiency, have your ductwork cleaned annually by a professional.
• Unplug electronics and appliances when not in use. Pay particular attention to computers, battery chargers, and small kitchen appliances. Even when they are off, they continue to use energy.
• If you have a programmable thermostat, use it! If not, adjust the temperature before leaving the house so that your heat/air doesn’t run unnecessarily.

Photo by James Bowe, Creative Commons license

Shop at a Discount Supermarket

Not to be confused with bent and dent or closeout stores, discount supermarkets like Aldi or Save-a-Lot offer their own brands, eliminate all the frills, and save you money. When I began shopping at Aldi’s, I went from spending about $400 per month on food for my family to about $240.

Shop at Walmart

If you don’t have an Aldi or a Save-a-Lot in your area, you will probably find that it is cheaper to buy your groceries at Walmart than it is to buy them at Kroger, Safeway, or other grocery stores. Even if you do most of your food shopping at a discount supermarket, Walmart is a great place to get paper products, cleaning supplies, disposable diapers, and pet food.

Make Frugal Substitutions

• Substitute ground turkey for ground beef. The turkey is lean, cheaper than beef, and hides well in dishes like chili, spaghetti, and casseroles. If your family isn’t dead-set on beef, turkey burgers are good, too.
• Substitute canned tuna for canned salmon. Canned tuna is very inexpensive and goes great in casseroles. If you love salmon patties, try your favorite recipe with tuna, instead.
• Substitute beans for meat. If your family enjoys Tex-Mex, use refried beans instead of ground beef in your tacos, burritos, and taco salads.
• Substitute powdered milk for fresh milk in cooking. Honestly, I wouldn’t voluntarily sit down and drink a glass of powdered milk. But for cooking, you’ll likely never notice it. Mix up a quart or so and keep it in the fridge for your cooking needs.
• Substitute frozen produce for fresh. Just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, frozen fruits and vegetables are much cheaper, particularly in the off season (consider the price of strawberries in January!). If you want raw fruits and veggies to snack on, carrots, celery, and apples can be found dirt cheap all year long.

Study Grocery Ads

Even though I almost exclusively shop at Aldi’s and Walmart, I am still on the lookout for incredible deals in other stores. Pay particular attention to the front and back pages of the grocery ads as this is where the best deals are often advertised.

Combine Sales with Coupons

Not long ago, Kroger ran a sale on Kellogg’s cereal. The sale price was 3 for $8 which wasn’t a bad price for name brand cereal (though it was more than I was willing to spend). However, if you bought all three, you got $4 off at the register. That made the cereal 3 for $4. To sweeten the deal, I had a coupon for $1 off two boxes of Kellogg’s cereal. My final price was 3 for $3, or a dollar a box. I can’t get cereal for that price even at Aldi’s.

Use Coupons Strategically

Some grocery stores double coupons, usually up to around $0.50. I try to save my $0.50 and under coupons for these stores and use my bigger coupons at Walmart. There is, however, an exception to this philosophy. If saving the face value of the coupon will save you more in one store than the double coupon will in another, then of course, you will want to go the cheaper route. Also, look out for special days when some grocery stores triple coupons. If you have a good supply of coupons, you can rack up serious savings and even get some groceries for free!

Go Generic

Frugal shoppers have no brand loyalty. To maximize your savings, you have to go for the best price. There will be times (especially when using coupons) when you can get the brand name cheaper than the generic. And there will be a few items that you will decide you absolutely must buy in your favorite brand. For most items, though, you will probably find that the generic is just as good as the name brand.

Don’t Pay for Convenience

Is it easier to open up a bag of salad than it is to chop some lettuce and grate a carrot? Sure, but is it cheaper? No way. It amazes me how much we pay to save ourselves a few minutes of effort. Here’s another example: Oscar Mayer makes these handy little seasoned grilled chicken breast strips. They are perfect for putting on salads or fajitas. They are also $12.08 per pound (a fact that is disguised by packaging them in 6 oz packages for $4.59)! On the other hand, I could cook the chicken myself and spend about $2.00 per pound!

Watch for Manager’s Specials

These little gems can offer up significant savings. A manager’s special is a product that goes on sale a day or two before its expiration date. These specials are usually found in the meat, produce, and bakery departments and can discount the cost of an item by half or more. Always inspect the item for signs of spoilage but if it looks good, buy it! You don’t have to use it right away — put it in the freezer for later.

Cut Back or Eliminate Sodas

I’ll be the first to admit that too much of my grocery budget is spent on diet cola. My husband and I both enjoy and it and we both drink too much of it. Sodas, sports drinks, and other beverages can be very costly. Consider this. If each member of a family of four drinks just one soda per day, you will buy 122 twelve-packs of soda over the course of the year. At an average cost of about $3.50 per twelve-pack, that’s an annual cost of $427. If, like most people, you drink more than that, your cost will go up substantially. While water is certainly the healthiest thing to drink, iced tea is also a good choice and it is much more frugal than soda.

Eliminate Fruit Juice

I know, I know. Fruit juice seems like a healthy option, particularly for kids. And while some juices do have some nutritional value, others (even the 100% kinds) are basically pure sugar. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that if you do give you kids juice, you should only give them between 4 and 12 ounces per day, depending upon their age. The AAP further recommends giving them whole fruit, instead. And of course, not only is juice unnecessary for kids, but it is also an added grocery expense.

Before my son was born, I had absolutely nothing for a baby — no furniture, no clothes, nothing. As my pregnancy progressed, I started getting panicky worrying about how we would outfit an entire nursery. This was during the time that both my husband and I were working full-time jobs but somehow, we thought we were broke! Anyway, I knew that I was going to have to pinch my pennies if I was going to be able to buy everything we needed. In the end, I was able to put together an entire nursery for $119. Granted, I was given a couple of things but when you are pregnant with your first child, that is a common occurrence and you could easily end up with more free stuff than I did. Below is an explanation of all the expenses I incurred in this project.

My first priority was furniture. I knew that I at least needed a crib, a changing table, and a chest of drawers. I knew that I could actually convert the top of a chest of drawers into a changing table in order to save money. As it turned out, I ended up using a changing table as a chest of drawers! A friend of a friend of a friend had a changing table that she no longer needed and generously offered it to me. With frugality already coursing through my veins, I accepted it sight unseen. Fortunately, it was in great shape and it was the kind that has two shelves beneath the changing area. Struck with inspiration, I bought four large plastic bins to hold baby clothes, diapers, etc., therefore eliminating the need for a chest of drawers.

In the coming weeks I went to yard sale after yard sale, looking for deals on baby items. The problem is, baby stuff goes fast at yard sales and I consistently had a hard time dragging my pregnant self (or my husband) out of bed at the crack of dawn on a Saturday. Nevertheless, I got lucky on one outing and stumbled upon a late model crib in perfect condition for $30. Of course, I checked to make sure it met current safety standards, which it did. It did not match the finish of the changing table, but I knew I could paint the changing table cheaply and easily. I was then very generously given a brand new crib mattress by a couple who bought it for their granddaughter but then never used it.

I then began scouring discount stores and baby stores looking for cute bedding sets on sale. I finally struck gold when I found an adorable sports-themed set at Walmart for $25. It had the crib sheet, bumper pads, comforter, and window valances. I picked up the coordinating mobile for $10 and I was done.

With the theme in place, it was time to buy room decor. I found some cheery yellow paint on the mis-tint shelf at the hardware store for $8. Admittedly, it turned out to be a bit bolder than I intended, but it was certainly bright and happy. I then printed out templates of a baseball and bat, football, and basketball. I picked up some fabric remnants in colors that matched the bedding and used the templates to cut out sports shapes from them. I then sewed (with just a needle and thread) some simple but cute wall hangings and embellished them with puffy fabric paint. Finally, I used a Print Shop type program and printed out decorative pictures of four types of balls — soccer, baseball, basketball, and football. I put the printed pictures into dollar store frames and hung them on the wall. Finally, I found a coordinating lamp on sale for $3 at a discount store and a pair of decorative shelves for $10. I put the lamp on a bookshelf taken from another part of the house and I was finished.

For $119, my baby’s nursery was complete. Some of you out there will be able to create a nursery and spend far less than I did. Others will find $119 far too low. Either way, it is important to know that you do not have to break the bank to provide a safe and happy place for your baby.

Sure, you’ve put baby locks on your cabinets and closed off your kitchen, but did you know that your baby could still ingest household chemicals? What happens when your little taste tester licks the window you’ve just washed or drops her food (and then promptly eats it!) on the floor you’ve just mopped? In spite of your best precautions, small amounts of these cleaners can make their way into your baby’s mouth.

The good news is, when it comes to cleaning, baby-safe cleaners are also frugal! In fact, if you have white vinegar, baking soda, and some lemon juice, there is nothing you can’t clean. If you are new to natural cleaning, here’s how to do it:

Floors

• Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar with a gallon of hot water and use to mop floors. For hardwood floors, lightly mist the floors with the vinegar/water solution and mop with a dry dust mop or cotton cloth.
• Make a paste of baking soda and water as a scrub to remove scuff marks from floors.

Windows

• Mix one part vinegar with three parts water in a spray bottle. Spray directly onto windows and wipe with old newspaper to avoid streaking.
• Alternatively, you can spritz straight lemon juice onto windows and wipe with newspaper.

Freshening

• Sprinkle the bottom of garbage cans and litter boxes with baking soda.
• Sprinkle carpets and rugs with baking soda and allow to sit for a few minutes before vacuuming.
• Sprinkle baking soda inside of shoes to eliminate odors.

Sinks and Tubs

• Liberally sprinkle damp tubs and sinks with baking soda. Scrub with a soft cloth and then rinse clean.
• Make a paste of vinegar and table salt to clean fixtures or to remove soap scum build up.
• Mix one part vinegar with three parts water in a spray bottle. Spray onto all surfaces (tile, tub, basin, fixtures) and wipe clean.
• Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into slow drains, followed by 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Allow to sit and foam for a few minutes. Flush drains with hot water.
• Cut a lemon into fourths and run it through the garbage disposal to eliminate odors.

Countertops

• Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to stains (like grape juice rings). Allow to sit for a few minutes then scrub clean.
• Mix one part vinegar with three parts water in a spray bottle. Spray onto countertops and wipe clean.

Appliances

• Mix one part white vinegar with three parts water in a spray bottle. Spray onto a soft cloth and wipe appliances.
• To clean your oven, sprinkle a light layer of baking soda over the bottom of a <b>cool</b> oven. Spritz the baking soda with plain water and allow to sit overnight (note: if you get up in the middle of the night for anything, it wouldn’t hurt to spritz the baking soda with water again). In the morning, wipe with a damp cloth. The baked on gunk should wipe away with the baking soda. Use a baking soda and water paste to clean the sides and top of the oven.