Today on The Morning Thing, we talked about money. If your family is like ours, you are always looking for money saving tips. Today, we shared multiple ways to stay on the family budget.

Check out the full article HERE.

17 Money-Saving Tips for Families on a Budget
1. Make a Family Budget Together

2. Trim Your Family’s Grocery Bill

Some of the ways you can trim your spending on food include:

• Making a Shopping List. A shopping list saves money by helping you avoid buying products you don’t need. The simplest way is to track consumables as you use them. Keep a magnetic notepad on the fridge and jot down what you need as you run out. If you’ve got an Apple HomePod or Amazon Echo device, you can also create shopping lists by voice command.
• Reading Sales Flyers. Review each store’s flyer and match what’s on sale with what’s on your list or plan meals around sale items. Or you can download Flipp to see sales flyers and make grocery lists by tapping to add sale items on the flyer to your list. It’s sometimes more cost-effective to visit multiple stores in one week to get the lowest prices possible.
• Using a Cash-Back App. Install a receipt-scanning app such as Fetch Rewards or Ibotta on your smartphone to take advantage of cash-back offers from grocery and discount stores. After grocery shopping, scan your receipts, and the app applies any special offers to your account.
• Starting to Meal-Plan. Meal planning is deciding what you’ll eat for all or most meals for the week so you always have food ready to go. It helps you avoid last-minute fast-food runs, maximize your purchases (so you waste and spend less), and even eat healthier on a budget.
• Avoiding Grocery Shopping When Hungry or Stressed. Hunger and stress can make you do strange things, like buying lots of chocolate or gimmicky processed foods. Plan to go to the store when you’re well-fed and relaxed. That way, you can stick to your list and not overspend on food you don’t need.
• Trying a Pantry Challenge. Part of saving money on groceries is making sure your family consumes everything you purchase. Every month or so, hold a pantry challenge during which you use up as many pantry goods as possible before you shop again. A pantry challenge cuts down on waste and lets you get a sense of how much you’re overbuying.
• Reducing Waste. A 2020 study published in the Nutrition Journal found that the average American spends $1,300 on wasted food each year. Adopting better grocery shopping habits is one way to cut back on wasted food and money. Make a list of everything you throw out without using, such as spoiled leftovers or soggy lettuce, to get a sense of the full scale of the issue.

3. Never Pay Full Price on Products and Services

4. Cut Back on Subscriptions

5. Negotiate With Your Service Providers

6. Save Energy at Home

Some energy-saving habits to teach your family include:

• Turning Off the Water. Teach your kids to turn off the water when they’re brushing their teeth or washing dishes rather than letting it run. You can make it easy for them to remember by putting little stickers on the wall or mirrors near the sinks.
• Switching Off Lights and Devices. Another way to lower energy costs is to turn things off when no one’s using them. For example, turn off lights and televisions when they’re not in use. Put little notes by light switches to remind your kids (and adults) to flip the switch as they leave a room.
• Adjusting the Thermostat. Teach your children the value of putting on a sweater when it’s cold out and wearing shorts and T-shirts when it’s warm. You can also set thermostat rules to ensure no one turns it up or down too much. A smart thermostat learns your family’s habits and can start to adjust itself, saving you money on bills. You can also program the thermostat to save even more. You can find models for less than $100.

7. Buy Reusable Goods

8. Go Thrifting

9. Hold a Swap

10. Get Stuff for Free

11. Get Deals on Gifts

12. Save on Parties and Celebrations

13. Take Advantage of Free Entertainment

14. Visit Your Library

15. Make It a Staycation

16. Right-Size Your Home

17. Sign Up for a Rewards Credit Card

WNZR encourages you to use this fabulous resource – Crown.org
Crown Financial Ministries offers budget calculators and tools, online courses and credit counselors to help you with your finances.
WNZR shares their feature My Money Life each weekday at 3:50pm.
You can listen to tips and insights from Chuck Bentley on how to manage your money life while still living on a budget!