How Can Families and Parents Save Money (Easily)

Raising children can cost a lot of money, I know, I’m a single mum. It’s a fact and with the rising cost of living the pressure can be high on family budgets. Here are my top tips that can help parents and families save money easily. Add these to your budget for extra savings.

Essential Learning Points

If you can’t implement all the strategies on how can parents save money, here are some of the top takeaways:

• Set up a budget and try to stick to it
• Look for savings on groceries that fit your family’s needs
• Pack lunches and snacks to go when heading out
• Think outside the square to find free activities, get discounts and cash back on attractions
• Use play dates in place of after-school care or vacation care

Now, let’s explore the strategies to help families and parents with kids save money easily in more detail.

1. after-school and vacation care Alternatives to Help Families save money

This one is a biggie for many families. We do this by organising play dates at home instead – this is great for 5 to 11-year-olds.

I work from home and so during the holidays we organise play dates with friends at my place, and theirs. This way my daughter has a buddy to play with and I can get work done without having to rely on screen time too much.

Yes, they might need your attention or help still from time to time, or you might have to make lunch or snacks, but it’s totally worth it. One of our friends has a fussy eater, so she simply packs her child a lunch box to bring with. You could do that too.

If you don’t work from home you can “return the favour” by having the other child over on your day off / or on the weekend so that perhaps the other parent can have time to catch up on work, housework or whatever needs doing.

We also save money on after-school care by having friends over after school. Once a week we swap pick-ups after school with another friend and have the children hang out with us until dinner or even slightly after. The following week, my daughter goes there.

Also make sure you take advantage of government subsidies and occasional vouchers.

2. Save money when heading out to playgrounds, the beach, etc

The best way? Try to bring your own snacks.

And water! $3 a bottle can quickly add up. BYO coffee too, you can make quality coffee much cheaper at home and bring it along in a keep cup or an insulated cup.

Of course, I’m not saying never to buy food from a cafe, a takeaway place or treat your kids to ice cream. No, but when you’re on a budget and your goal is to save money you can work that into your eating out or entertainment budget (more on that next).

3. Eating out with kids

Set aside money in your budget for eating out. It doesn’t have to be a fancy night out:

• A takeaway dinner or lunch is a great option – have it in a local park on a nice day
• A visit to a fast food chain taking advantage of in-app and other specials is great to break up the routine and not break the bank
• Take advantage of happy hour style specials
• At restaurants and cafes, order a big main like Spag Bol and share.
• On weekends, order a big breakfast and share that as well.
• Order extra sides to bulk out the meal, they are cheap and substantial most of the time so one meal with a couple of extras can feed two.

These are all great ways to enjoy a meal out with a budget in mind. I share more tips in the caption here.

For fast food, download store apps from the chains that you go to often. These allow you to access special offers, collect loyalty points and earn freebies. Suss out the best deals of the week and schedule them into your budget and meal plan.

4. Rotating toys can help families save money

Excess in any form can actually be overwhelming for children. Rotating toys is a fantastic idea to bust boredom and has a number of other benefits.

Every fortnight or month pack away some of their toys in a box or a cupboard. The novelty when you start rotating toys will be exciting and your children will be finding it much easier to engage with the toys because there is less choice.

5. Shop clothes out of season or buy second-hand for extra savings

If you want new items, discount department stores such as Big W, Kmart and Target as well as shops like Best&Less often reduce clothes when the new season stuff comes in (think winter/summer and summer/winter rotations).

• You can pick up tees and shorts for $1-$2 and trackies, hoodies, and long-sleeve tops for $1-$5.
• Buy the next size up for next year.
• Don’t forget to stack savings by using cashback apps!

Alternatively, find clothes and clothes bundles on FB marketplace (you can sell your children’s clothes on there too) to save money. Out-of-season stock is also often discounted here too.

Thrift stores are another great option for quality clothes at a fraction of the cost.

Purchase second-hand school uniforms and textbooks during school fundraising sales or look for uniforms and textbooks on pages such as the Sustainable School Shop which offers private listings (and sell yours on there too).

6. BUDGET-FRIENDLY LUNCHBOX TIPS FOR FAMILIES

If you are purchasing single-serve items, aside from finding the best prices and deals at half price or from discount grocery stores, try to limit their use at home to a minimum.

At home and for outings, portion out snacks from big packets and tubs. This includes chips, corn chips, popcorn, yoghurt, etc.

7. Toys and books savings FOR FAMILIES

Limit new toy purchases to big occasions: birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Eid, etc.

Buy second-hand (they can be new and unopened items or simply barely used items like doll houses, matchbox cars, and even bikes for example). Otherwise, keep an eye out for toy sales and buy then, taking advantage of additional loyalty points, cashback offers and discounts.

Find a local toy library and use a local library to borrow toys and books instead of purchasing new ones. Find freebies on marketplace or local parenting groups.

PS Books don’t resell well on marketplace so you could buy them cheaply there and either donate or sell them as a bundle when you’re finished with them.

8. Extra-curricular activities

Look for places that offer “make up” lessons so if your child misses a class you’re not wasting money.

Take advantage of government subsidies such as Creative Kids and Active Kids vouchers.

And, don’t over-schedule. Let your kids be bored sometimes. It fosters critical thinking and creativity.

9. Subscriptions and paid apps

Whether it’s Netflix, Stan, Disney+ or Amazon Prime, decide if you need all those services or if there is one or two that give you the most value ($/watch time). You can also save money on the monthly fees by using free trials and gift cards on sale to pay for the subs.

If your child has an iPad, avoid or limit subscriptions to various games. If you do subscribe to these services, review them once a month by asking your child if they are still actively using the service. Otherwise, cancel.

10. Mobile phones for tweens and teens

Instead of purchasing the newest phone model on a plan (that can cost upwards of $150 a month), purchase a mid-tier phone outright and get a prepaid sim card with long expiry. Or go with the prepaid phone and plan.

I actually pay $12.50 a month for my own mobile plan so if I can do it, your teenager should be able to manage it too.

Get them to connect to wifi at home so that they can save their data for when they are out.

Plus if you get your teen a prepaid sim from Woolworths (they are on the Telstra network) you will be able to save 10% off your groceries once a month. If you have two teens, then you can get that twice a month.

11. Holidaying with children

The only people who really care about the quality of the accommodation? Us.

When traveling on a budget with kids, consider your needs and book appropriate accommodation – a 5-star hotel might be great for a romantic getaway for two, but will you and your kids really care if you’re mostly out during the day adventuring or lazying around the pool? As long as there is a comfy bed, an ensuite with hot water and air-con, in my books, that’s where it’s at.

• And say no to paid upgrades. Use this money to put towards your food spend, attractions and activities instead. Especially if it makes little difference to the quality of your accommodation.
• Book accommodation using cashback apps and wait for upsized cashback.

Consider having a fun staycation like camping in the backyard and yes, consider camping as an option too. I used to hate camping until I saw my daughter’s face beam up with excitement at the freedom it offers (and no screen time, that’s our one rule).

You can book some NSW National Park sites for as little as $6 for the entire stay!

For families with younger children, think about going away outside of peak times to save money.

• This can save you $100+ a night in accommodation costs.
• It could be shoulder holiday periods – like a week before state holidays start, or mid-term.

You will need permission from the school but I know many primary school families that do this to save money.

Key Takeaways

• Create a budget to help manage expenses
• Make saving money an adventure – think outside the box
• Look for free activities, BYO snacks and utilise services like libraries, toy libraries and freebies on marketplace

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