All parents know that children can be expensive. From the time they are born till they get on their feet (we all pray that’s sooner than later).

It can be extremely challenging to balance running a home and taking care of their needs with minor to no income. However, I picked up a few frugal habits that immensely helped me over the years. By using these strategies, not only was I able to meet their needs, I was able to save money in the process.

Limit your shopping times.

I started only shopping for clothes twice a year. When my kids were little, I would stock up on school clothes during the back-to-school sales. The next time I would stock up was during tax time. Most stores have significant sales and clearance sales around these times. I could get a lot for less; I always used tax time to get what they needed due to my refund.

Size up rule

The size-up rule is simple when your kids are small. So how this rule works is you buy clothes your kids are in, then buy a size or two up. So, say I bought my son four pairs of jeans, two would be at the size he wore at that time, and two would be a size up. I would do this with all their clothes and especially their shoes.

I used to shop for my kid’s shoes at PayLess (those were the good old days, I tell you). They would always have the buy one get one free during the back-to-school time and around Christmas. So I would buy four pairs of shoes for each child (I have two), two pairs of dress shoes, and two pairs of school shoes; sometimes, if I had the extra money, I may buy two different ones each. However, they would have two pairs that they could grow into and two pairs that were a little bigger for later.

I did this so that if they grew out of clothes or shoes, they would always have them when needed. This is how I didn’t have to figure out how to get them clothes or shoes when I didn’t have the money. It also saved me money by not paying the total price for clothes and shoes.

Sale and Clearance

I only shopped during sales or clearance sales. If I was buying a name brand, I never paid the total price; this is how I saved a lot of money.

My kids were not big on name brands. One of the reasons they’re not is due to my upbringing. My parents always told us the only difference between a name brand and a store brand is the NAME. My dad would say, ” You are paying for the name, that’s all.” He was right; I remember when Martha Steward was in Kmart. It was a lot cheaper to buy her brand then. That is because her brand was just starting, and now it costs way more to buy Martha.

I found out that many stores do more than one markdown. So, if I could, I would try to hold out till the last markdown to get their clothes as cheap as possible. I also used this with toys and school supplies. Walmart was an excellent place to get supplies for as little as $1 to 25 cents.

Discount stores

When I tell you, Big Lots was my best friend during Christmas time when my children were small (you better believe me). I could find every toy on my kid’s list at Big Lots, and they were just $5 to $10 each. So my Christmas tree would be packed to the top, and I would have only spent about $200 to $300 for everything.

Once I learned about T.J. Max, Ross, Marshals, and Burlington Coat Factory. I lived in these stores. As my children got older and everything started costing a lot more, this was my way to save money. I still shop at these stores today. They have great sales, and they have them a lot throughout the year. For example, Ross has a 49-cent deal they do not tell anyone about once a year. It’s in January, and they don’t advertise it. So you have to check into the store throughout the month. You can also check YouTube for couponers to post videos about the sale.

Stockpile

Yes, you can stockpile everything when it comes to children. I didn’t get coupons when my children were small, but I wish I did. If you know how to coupon, you can use couponing to stockpile all your baby needs, from diapers to baby wash to baby food and diaper cream. When there is a good sale on kids’ socks, T-shirts, onesies, blankets, and sheets, I will stock up as much as possible. You wouldn’t believe how much money you save. But, for the most part, you always have what you need on hand.

Another good thing about stockpiling is if you have a large family, you can hand things down from child to child. You can also have items for each size and age group. Unfortunately, I have one boy and one girl, so I could not have hand-me-downs, but I would donate to others.

DIY

The last thing I did to save money did stuff myself. Many people don’t know that I cut my son’s hair for 18 years. Yes, I gave him his first and cut his hair for every picture day. There was no YouTube when my children were growing up. However, I learned by asking questions and reading the directions on the clippers. Not only did I cut his hair, but I also gave him a lineup.

Now it was no fancy cut. It was basic; however, it was net and nice. Once he got a job, he wanted to go to the barbershop to get fancier. However, he comes to me for a cut when he doesn’t have the money.

My daughter and I are natural; we did the big chop about 5 years ago. Before that, I did all of our perms; we never went to the beauty shop. It was just too much money for me at the time. Now that we are natural, my daughter does every style she wears herself. I do my hair as well; there is no reason to spend money you don’t have to.

You can learn how to do anything on YouTube these days. Learning how to do things yourself is one of the best ways to save money for children.

Nowadays, you can learn how to build your kid’s beds out of wood, make blankets, use a sewing machine and make your own clothes, and anything your kids may want or need that can be made at home. I wish I had YouTube when my kids were growing up (when I tell you, everything would have been DIY); I wouldn’t have paid for anything.

So you see that you can save money with kids; you don’t have to be broke as a parent.

Well, that’s all I have for today; I hope this helped you with your journey.

Thank you for reading Everything Frugal.