When you have a family, saving money becomes a group effort. Everyone needs to do their part in order for those pennies to be saved, even if it is only by doing small things. It’s not like everyone needs to go out and get a job obviously, because your children have more important things to focus on like school.
But, there are some things that everyone can do, or that some can do to help save some money. The more money you’ve got, the more exciting things that you can do and experience together.
In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the ways that everyone in your family can help to save some money. Keep reading to find out more.
Turn Off Those Lights
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Do you realize how expensive the electricity bill is? Of course, you do, you’re the one who pays it. But do your kids, and other family members realize?
Sadly, you are the one who looks at all the bills, and younger people don’t really understand just how much energy costs right now. That’s why you should explain it to them the best you can without making it too complicated. Simply tell them that when the light is left on, it costs you more money than if they were to simply turn it off and that if they do that, there will be more money for other things. This is a simple way to get them to understand, and hopefully, they will start turning those lights off.
Of course, if you’re in a room, then the light being on is necessary. But, make sure that everyone is turning it off when they leave, although not if they are going to straight back in. It could actually end up costing you more if they are being turned on and off every few minutes, so let everyone know if they’re going back into the room soon after they leave that the light can stay on until they’re out for a while.
Budget Well
As the person who takes care of the money, it’s your job to budget well. This is something that the others aren’t going to be able to help you with, but it’s something that you can do. Once you’ve worked out what money you get in and what goes out, you have a better idea of how much you’re going to have left over.
The best thing that you can do is budget some of this money for savings and then include it as part of the bills. By doing this, you won’t get confused and forget to put the money away, and you guarantee there is always something going into savings.
Budgeting isn’t always easy, and it might take a few times before you actually get it right. Stick with it, you’ll find what’s right for you soon. If you are in debt though, you need to get this paid off sooner rather than later.
For example, you might be wondering what is debt to success system if you’ve heard of it before, and it’s something to consider if you need to free yourself from debt.
Don’t Waste Food
How much do you spend on food per week on average? Is all the food that you buy consumed? Or is it at least items that can go over to the following week, rather than food that has to be thrown away fairly quickly? If you’re throwing out a lot of food each week, then you’re buying the wrong food and spending the money in the wrong places.
For example, if you keep buying fresh fruit and it’s not being eaten, stop buying it. If you want it, there are always frozen options which last a lot longer, and you won’t be throwing them away constantly.
Wasting food is a waste of money, and it’s something that somebody else would have loved to have eaten.
Take Shorter Showers
Not only is this good for money but it’s also good for the environment. Let everyone in your house know to take shorter showers as this will help your water bill at the very least. There is no need for everyone in your household to be taking 20 or 30-minute showers every day.
Depending on how many people live in your house, that is an insane amount of water to be using on a daily basis. You’re going to be spending a fortune on this and it’s not necessary. Between 5 and 10 minutes is more than enough to wash everything and be out of the shower.
If someone wants to have a long shower on occasion, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with this as long as it isn’t constant. Taking shorter showers is going to make a massive improvement to how much money you have.
Find Cheap, Fun Activities
If you ask your kids what they want to do on any given day, we bet they want to go to something like a trampoline park or to an amusement park. But, a lot of the time these things are expensive. It’s okay to do them as a treat every now and then, but certainly not all the time.
Think of alternatives, or get them to come up with some that are cheaper but just as fun. For example, a trip to the park with a picnic is going to be significantly cheaper, but it’s also going to be a really great day out. The kids can play and eat, generally have a nice time, and you get to sit down, relaxing for a little while.
You often hear about how hard it is to find activities that are fun and cheap, but it’s the simple things that we take for granted that are the best. A walk in the park, kicking the football in the garden, spending time together as a family watching a movie or playing a game. These are all simple, but they are all lovely to do together.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see how everyone in your family can help save some money. There are things that everyone can do, so it’s really going to be a team effort. Talk to the other people in your home and get them on board, we guarantee that your bank account is going to thank us for this one later.
Which ways have you come up with as a family to help save some money?
