Frugal Living Tips From a Minimal Mom

In this post, I’m going to share five frugal living tips from a minimal mom’s perspective.

Frugal Living Tips From a Minimal Mom

Over the past five years since being married, I’ve learned a few things about spending money. I don’t like to do it! I have found myself being even more minimal each year, which causes me to want to save money. My husband and I are both naturally frugal people, we didn’t have a lot when we first got married. Which then caused us to learn how to spend our money more wisely. We weren’t perfect at it then, and still aren’t now, but we have learned so much since those first couple years. Furthermore, I’m excited to share with you a few frugal living tips from a minimal mom, myself.

Tip #1: Stop Going Shopping

This can be hard for so many people. We now have this super handy dandy device, we can whip out of nowhere and scroll all the shopping apps/sites, simply clicking a button to buy whatever we want. The unfortunate thing, is that many companies now cater to the fact that your bank account might not look so great, so they offer solutions like AfterPay or Zezzle. Something quick and easy to give you what you want, but causing you to go into debt. Sometimes you might need to delete those shopping apps off your phone. Unsubscribe from all the sales emails that tempt you to buy something just becasue its onsale.

Tip #2: Shop Second Hand For Items You Need

With every new season, I go through my boys clothes and calculate what exactly they are needing for their wardrobes for the upcoming season. It’s something I actually enjoy doing, and it challenges me to buy only what they need. We already keep their clothes pretty minimal, so it actually isn’t that hard to only buy what is necessary. On a rare occasion, will I buy a new piece of clothing for their wardrobes. I personally have learned, second hand stores are way cheaper and most often always have what I’m looking for, and in great condition.

In addition, I will also shop at local thrift stores for other household items we are needing, or if I’m needing some new clothes, I will always check a second hand store first. This helps cut back on extra unwanted costs, saving us money in the long run. Remember, everything doesn’t have to be brand new to use it or enjoy it.

Tip #3: Meal Plan & Cook From Scratch

Surprisingly, I love to meal plan. I never thought I would actually enjoy flipping through cookbooks and planning our meals, but I do! It’s somehow more therapeutic than as stressful, as I thought it would be. We have saved so much on our grocery bill since I started meal planning.

In addition, another thing I’ve learned since meal planning, is that you have to go into your pantry to see what ingredients you need. This causes you to only buy select few items that are needed, which cuts back on impulse buying.

Another thing, I personally do to cut back on impulse shopping, is utilizing grocery pickup. We shop at Aldi, which is also a great place to buy groceries. Their prices are a lot cheaper than most grocery stores, surprisingly.

Lastly, I want to touch on one more thing within this topic. I’ve noticed a major positive aspect of meal planning, you aren’t tempted to eat out/have food delivered. Most often, if not always, you will have leftovers from lastnights meal or something that can easily be prepared.

Furthermore, I also love throwing together a good crockpot meal. They are so easy, and most days our dinner is cooking itself and ready when we need it. Being a mom to littles, I tend to cook more crockpot meals for this reason.

Tip #4: Make Coffee at Home

Unfortunately, I used to buy a to-go coffee everytime we ran errands or would leave the house. Umm yikes… Thankfully, I do have a nice espresso machine to make the nicer coffee I prefer, however you can still make a delicious coffee at home with a normal coffee maker.

Also, saving for and purchasing a nice espresso machine can actually be an investment for your household. Which can save you more money in the long run… if you’re like me and want that “fru fru” coffee. LOL!

Another tip I recommend, if you do need a coffee to-go, to save your mama sanity for those harder days (I’ve been there, and still have those days), you can set a specific “coffee budget” for yourself. This is something hubby and I do every month when writing our budget, and it helps so much.

Tip #5: Save Your Money

Simply, following the above tips can easily add more to your bank account, but the real frugal living comes, when you learn not to buy everything you want. I’ve learned that retail therapy doesn’t solve all your problems, and training yourself to save/budget your money will make a world of difference for your future and your children’s future.

I hope you gained some inspiration to save more money and be more frugal. Be sure to check out my minimalist blog posts here, to get more ideas on how to be more minimal.

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