4 Ways to Live Frugally As a Family (Without Making Huge Sacrifices)

We have always been a family that lives frugally. We budget, we monitor our spending and we keep an “emergency fund” in our back pocket, just in case. And to be honest, I love this about our frugal little family — little, as in the five of us! But it doesn’t mean that you must give up on everything in life. That’s actually the opposite of how I feel. In fact, it’s 100 percent possible to live frugally without feeling like you’re missing out on anything.

You simply have to get your whole family on board. Understand that spending less and staying within a budget does take help from every single one of your family members. Once everyone is on board, the process goes a lot more smoothly!

Plan Ahead to Save Money

If you have the time to plan ahead, it can really pay off! Booking trips in advance or during sales can save you a ton of money and not have you feeling like you’re sacrificing anything. Waiting last minute is where the big bucks come into play, so do your best to avoid that travel trap.

Kon Mari Everything

I’m sure you’ve watched a few episodes of Netflix’s popular Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, right? The method is not only to bring more joy to your life, but it’s also a technique to help you appreciate the things you already own. Cherish all the items you already have in your home. Your beautiful books, your lavender lotions, the little throw pillows, the comfy old couch.

Once you realize how much you already have, you’ll stop buying more. A heart filled with gratitude is not seeking more stuff. So next time you walk into Target, make a mental list of all the wonderful and beautiful things you already own to prevent unnecessary impulse purchases.

Decide Where and How You Want to Spend Your Money

Every family is different. Some families choose to have a lavish house and new car and spend their money on monthly payments to afford those luxuries, while other families choose to live a more minimalist life. If you can decide how you want to spend your hard-earned money, you’ll find that you have ways to make it stretch further than you ever thought possible.

Finding and purchasing a home below your budget allows you much more spending money to do fun activities every month. You can easily find free things to do around town or start a productive hobby. It’s all about finding that balance on what you can spend.

Think Creatively When Traveling

While staying in hotels can be nice, they can also pack a big punch — (paying $300 for one night to “sleep” is excessive, right?! Think outside the box to save money on your trip. Airbnb offers a ton of amazing and affordable options. You can even get a whole house (yay!) possibly for the same price, or less than you’d pay at a hotel. Have fun with it, and see how far your money can go.

Plus, who wouldn’t want a whole house versus a small, cramped hotel room? Talk about a rough “sacrifice,” right?

The Simple Method to Living Frugally

Living with less opens your time and gives you mental clarity to experience more in your life.

Instead of organizing your garage again, you can spend your weekend in a park with your kids. Instead of shopping for sport and filling your home with more stuff, cherish the things you already have.

As moms, our life is already busy, so don’t add more stuff to the noise. Always remember, less mess equals less stress. Living frugally and simply has allowed me to focus on my kids and wonderful marriage.

How do you live simply? What frugal strategies do you use to save money?

About the Author

Suzi Whitford is a former Industrial Engineer who left the corporate world to raise her little tribe of children. She spends her free time helping moms start and grow their blogs and applies her corporate knowledge of Lean Six Sigma to simplify the blogging process. Over the past five years, along with the help of her amazing husband, they have grown their family by three and paid off all of their debt before the age of 30. Suzi aims to help other moms gain the confidence to use their talents and grow successful businesses online.  

2 COMMENTS

  1. Love this! We are in the process “living like no one else, so we can live like no else”-Dave Ramsey. It was just perfect timing for me; and more of a confirmation that I need to be more on board with my husband. THANK YOU!

  2. Awesome post, especially when the Instagram seems to be heavy on moms who seem to be able to afford botiqje clothes, blowouts and every event and membership under the sun for their kids.thank you for something that is actually relatable!!

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