Being a budget mom is a wonderful thing. Finding little areas of life where you can save money and budget is really exciting. Isn’t it?
Or is that just me?
Well if it isn’t just me, you are in for a treat for today’s blog.
In this blog, I want to tell you, from one budget mom to another, all the areas in life that are worth spending money on and all the areas that are not.
Because, for me, being a budget mom isn’t about being “tight” and saving all the money I earn. Rather, it is about making wise decisions with money. It is about making your money go as far as possible without being wasteful or frivolous. It is about smart habits that last a lifetime.
Does that sound good to you?
If so, please keep reading.
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Do Splurge – Kids’ Furniture
When it comes to spending money, you want to think of things in terms of investment.
If you are a budget mom, you will know already that you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on just anything. You want your money to be put to good use, for years to come.
One of the best ways to invest as a mom is in good quality, well-made children’s furniture.
If you are a new mom or your child is about to transition into a life stage which means their room needs a makeover, these are the times to invest in new furniture. If you go cheaply with this decision, you will find yourself needing to replace the furniture very soon. Cheap furniture breaks, chips, malfunctions, and so on. It is very often also made out of things you wouldn’t want your baby sleeping on or touching for long periods of time.
Good furniture is the only thing you should be putting your child in.
If you find that your budget is too tight to buy new right now, look for second-hand furniture that is of a good brand or make. This is still better than buying cheap brand new stuff that will fall apart in a month.
Think quality, think long-term.
Do Scrimp – Clothes, Accessories and Shoes
Now, on to the scrimping.
As a budget mom, I haven’t had the perfect journey.
One mistake I made early on as a mom was spending far too much money on baby clothes, accessories and other “stuff”. I got sucked in easily by how cute everything looked and wanted to get all the cute photos in the world of my baby in different outfits.
But, now as a wiser budget mom, I realise that all of these cute little things were quite a waste of money. Not everything, of course, everyone does want a couple of cute outfits for their child. But having so many is just not necessary. Babies and children grow out of everything so quickly and buying lots of things really is a waste of money. For everyone.
Shoes are a particular waste of money in this department. Yes, it is very cute to see babies and children in little Nike trainers, but they will be too small in one month and they will sit in the back of a cupboard forevermore.
The plus side is you will get plenty of gifts of these things anyway, so the cuteness will still be maintained. Don’t worry.
Do Splurge – Good Quality Food and Produce
Now back to the stuff you can splurge on, fellow budget mom.
The exciting bit, right?
When it comes to food for your kids, you don’t want to scrimp. It is sometimes much easier to go for quick fast food options and low-quality snacks, believe me, I get that. But this doesn’t do anyone any favours down the line.
When it comes to buying ethically sourced, organic, high-quality food, it doesn’t always come cheap. And as a budget mom myself, sometimes I resent this. I will be honest about it.
But, as much of a budget mom as I am, I know that spending good money on good food isn’t a waste.
Again, it is an investment. An investment in your children’s health and wellbeing.
As hard as it is sometimes to choose the more expensive options, especially when you have to do it so often, it really is the right thing. Don’t feel bad about this spending, trust me.
Do Scrimp – Online Games, Vouchers, and e-Credit
Finally, another one for the budget mom to scrimp on.
Online games, vouchers, e-Credit, digital cash, and so on.
If you have children in this day and age you will know exactly what I am talking about. It is very common now for our children to come to us and ask for money but not physical money, all in the digital world.
As much as your child screams, cries, begs, and pleads… don’t give in.
Remember our budget mom principles?
Nothing that isn’t an investment is worth consistent money and outgoings. Anything that is excessively temporary and frivolous just isn’t worth our hard-earned and hard-saved cash. And, believe me, all of these digital things are temporary and frivolous.
It’s not to say that your children can’t play games and they can’t have consoles.
It’s when it comes to all of the extras, the “skins”, the add-ons, the digital cash.
This is where we have to draw the line.
If you save in the ways you should, scrimp in the ways you should, even if they are seemingly small amounts, it all adds up in the right way, trust me.
Being a budget mom is a practice, and this balance is the key to this practice.
What do you think?
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