These days, it seems like you need to be rich, or at least earning a great wage if you want to achieve some of the most basic goals in life. Buying your own home isn’t nearly as easy as it used to be!  Then being financially independent seems practically impossible. For people dreaming of the pitter-patter of tiny feet, even having a child can cost an absolute fortune.

While there are things you can do to make it easier to afford the items you need to prepare for your new arrival, like take on credit or borrowing from friends and family.  You’re going to need a budgetary overhaul to help with your long-term expenses. Here are some of our top tips on how to save more money as a modern parent.

1. Always Plan Your Meals

One of the most common causes of lost cash for even the most frugal family is the impromptu meals out that you buy instead of making dinner at home. When you’re exhausted after a day of looking after your kids, it’s tempting to buy a quick takeaway meal.  Rather than spending ages serving up a healthy plate for a couple of pounds per serving.

One of the best ways to reduce your risk of eating out and over-spending is to plan your meals in advance. If you know exactly what you’re eating each day, you can start to build up your appetite for that food. Additionally, you may even be able to prep certain meals in advance if you know you’re going to have a busy day.

2. Shop Smart

You don’t have to be an extreme couponing expert if you want to save money on your daily expenses. Instead, you just need to take a more thoughtful approach to how you buy. Now that you’re planning your daily meals for instance, it makes sense to write a list of the items you need and buy them all at once. This reduces your need to travel back and forwards to the supermarket and over-spend on petrol.

Writing a list for your shopping will also allow you to double-check if you have any of the items that you’re thinking of buying at home before you spend. You might even decide to pay for your groceries to be delivered if you can save some cash that way.

3. Try a Staycation

While it’s always fun to go jet-setting around the world during your weeks away from work.  It’s worth noting a foreign adventure can be seriously expensive. If you’re saving for a big purchase, like a deposit on a new home, you might be able to cut costs significantly by planning a staycation instead.

Either consider camping somewhere in your local area or ask yourself whether you can afford to pay for a hotel somewhere nearby.  Then you can drive to your destination instead of paying for travel. You might even be able to enjoy a vacation in your own home!  After all, you’ll still get time away from work.

4. Sell Things You Have Finished With

When your children outgrow clothes or toys sell them on to try and recoup some of the cost. You can use sites like eBay or Gumtree.

You can even sell formula which is something I never knew about, its a great tip to help raise children more frugally. Plus I am a big fan of preventing waste especially if you are like me and bought in bulk anything your little ones needed. Particularly if there was a special offer at the supermarket, I would load my shopping trolley high! But you need to be aware of best before dates and try not to buy excessively. But its really handy having a site that you can offload your unused formula and make some much needed funds at the same time.

5. Invest in Items That You Can Reuse

These days, we all have a habit of over-spending on disposable goods. For instance, you might buy several bottles of water a week, rather than just filling your own reusable water bottle at home. While it might be more convenient to just grab a bottle of water out of the fridge, this is actually costing you a lot more money.  Plus it could be causing damage to the environment too.

Before you over-spend on disposable products like paper towels and bottles of water, ask yourself whether you can save more money and go down an environmentally friendly approach instead. You might be surprised by how big the savings can be.

6. Buy More Second-hand Products

Buying items that are “preloved” instead of getting items brand new can take some getting used to. This is particularly true if you’re used to splashing out on the latest products. However, you can save a considerable amount of cash by taking the second-hand route.

For instance, if you’re planning on getting a new bike, why not shop around and see what you can find from thrift stores or sellers marketplaces online. You could also look into buying toys and furniture for younger children online too.  Most of the time your kids won’t even notice that the items are second-hand. You may even be able to find the things that you want at a pre-owned price when they’re still just as good as new.