This is a tongue-firmly-in-cheek guest post from Pooja Juneja on saving money the modern mum way. So, over to you, Pooja to tell us about yourself:
I used to work on fancy power point presentations and excel sheets. Then, I became a Mum and my world changed overnight. I soon found the gurgles and my son’s toothy smiles gave me more joy than anything in the world. But I also found out how hard it is to be a mum, juggling professional and family life – not to mention the tug on the purse strings! Finally, as my little boy turned two, I gathered the courage to leave the 9 to 5 for a dream that I believed in, and that is how Mums And Me, a daily deal site for families, was born.
Five top tips for the modern mum to save money
Like many mums up and down the country, we love a bargain. Clearly we love a bargain so much that we set up a website dedicated to the cause. But sometimes, we have to look closer to home to make those pennies stretch that little bit further.
We’d like to talk money. Or rather, we’d like to talk saving money.
Don’t get us wrong, this isn’t one of those blog posts about being organised and planning your family’s meals a week in advance (although that’s probably a good tip – we may have to try it ourselves actually).
Nope, what this blog post is all about is saving cash the modern family way. The disorganised, stressed out, working all hours, family way.
So read on for our tried and tested method to making those silver things in your wallet last that bit longer….
1) Invest in dry shampoo
This is THE product of the century. Think about it – there’s no need to wash your hair. So there’s no need to shower. So there’s no need to spend all that money on hot water. Not to mention all the cash you’ll save when your shower gel and exfoliating scrub only has to stretch to one shower a week instead of seven.
In fact, this is the PERFECT time to embrace the dry shampoo / no-shower look, as festival season is in full swing up and down the country. If it’s good enough for Kate Moss, it’s good enough for us; so what better way of saving money?
2) Get out your wooden spoons
Everyone knows babies love wooden spoons. Well, so do toddlers. They also love mud and gunky flour and water mixture and cornflour in a washing-up bowl. So, basically, they really love toys that don’t cost you anything. Messy yes, but look at the long term health benefits to your wallet…
3) Start drinking cocktails
Rather than your usual gin and tonic, switch to a gin cocktail. The more ingredients that are added to the mix, the less likely you’ll be able to taste the difference between the pricey version and the supermarket’s own brand. Winner.
4) Give up dusting
We never liked it anyway – and polish is expensive you know…
5) Buy a new wardrobe
This may seem like the opposite of saving money, but when you consider that your hair will be unwashed, you won’t have showered for a week, your house will be dirty and your toddler will be rolling in mud, you’ll need a pretty dress or two to distract any visitors.
So consider a shopping trip for new clothes a vital investment towards your future money-saving endeavours.
Now, where did we put that shampoo?
What are YOUR modern parent money saving tips? Do let us know below.
