I know we only dove in a little bit when it came to saving money on kids’ sports, so I thought I would hit you with a few more tips this evening! Are you ready to learn even more tips for saving on kids sports? 

If your budget is anything like mine currently is (incredibly strained and stretched thin), you might be starting to stress about those sports fees coming up later in the year! Let’s prepare for them with these great tips.

More Tips for Saving on Kids’ Sports

Save Up Now

Save up now, whenever you can. Even $5 here and there can add up quickly without you even really noticing. Whenever you find yourself with a few extra dollars that you can do without, stick them in an envelope or penny bank or someplace away from temptation. 

Let’s say you are able to save $10 per week. That is an extra $100+ by the time school starts again! 

Ask About Scholarships

Many youth sports programs offer scholarships for those in need. There will likely be income restrictions (not always though) and sometimes they are only partial scholarships, but they are certainly worth checking out! 

Have Your Kids Play School Sports

Club sports are expensive. When my daughter played club basketball, it cost us close to $750 for sign-up and several hundred dollars per month. This didn’t even include the gas for traveling and the entry fees for our family to go to her games. It was very expensive. 

School sports are often much cheaper than club sports and sometimes they are even free! This may be a good option for your kids to play sports if you don’t have the budget to sign your kid up for pricey club programs.

Are you struggling to save money lately? Times are getting tough out there and saving money is very important, because, let’s face it. We don’t know what is coming, so it’s good to have a financial cushion of some kind. Are you wondering how to go about and do it?

Saving money can be a challenging task, but it’s a crucial part of achieving financial stability and security. Here are some motivation tips that can help you stay on track with your saving goals:

Motivation Tips for Saving Money

These are just some simple motivation tips for saving money that I have found have helped me and my family.

Set Goals

Setting specific, measurable goals can help you stay motivated to save money. For example, you may want to save a certain amount of money for an emergency fund, a down payment on a home, or a vacation.

Track Your Savings Progress

Keeping track of your progress can help you stay motivated. You can use a spreadsheet, a budgeting app, or a savings tracker to monitor your savings and see how close you are to achieving your goals.

Reward Yourself

When you reach a savings milestone, reward yourself with something small that you enjoy. This can help you stay motivated and feel good about your progress.

Make it a Habit

Saving money should become a habit. Try to save a percentage of your income each month and make it a part of your routine.

Learn to Avoid Temptations

Avoid temptations that can derail your savings goals, such as impulsive purchases, expensive outings, or credit card debt.

Visualize Your Future

Visualize the future you want to achieve by saving money. This can help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. This particular tip has been such a huge help to me in my savings goals! I have very specific dream vacation goals and retirement goals and I think about them every single day in order to keep my savings goals moving.

Find a Support Person or Savings Buddy

Find a support system that can help you stay motivated and accountable. This can be a friend, family member, or financial advisor. Have you ever had an accountability partner for reaching your fitness goals? It’s kind of the same thing here.

Remember, saving money takes time and effort, but the rewards of financial security and stability are worth it.

What money-saving tips have worked for you?

Do you have a large family? A large family is typically considered any family with 4 or children or more. If you do, you probably already know how expensive it can be to support a large family. Kids aren’t cheap, y’all! 

These money saving tips for large families are going to help you stress less and smile more because your budget won’t be so strained and you won’t be kept up all night long from the stress of it all. Heck, many small families have those same stresses, just often on a different level. 

Money Saving tips for Large Families

Practice Energy Saving Habits

I have a family of 5 and my power bill can get out of control, so I can’t imagine what it would be with a family that is larger in size. To save money on your power bill with a larger family, be sure to unplug appliances that aren’t in use, turn off lights during the day and when you leave the room, and try and turn your thermostat down. Even a degree or two can make a difference on your bill.

Meal Plan

Meal planning is one of the top ways to save money for families of all sizes, large families included! Plus, it saves you a lot of time too! Additionally, families that meal plan tend to not waste food as often as those that don’t. It’s a win win win!

Meal planning isn’t just for dinner, either! It’s a good idea to make a meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meal planning just makes life easier. 

Buy in Bulk 

I’m not usually big on pressuring people to buy in bulk. I don’t typically think that it is a blanket option for saving money for families. The only time that I recommend buying in bulk is if your family uses a lot of a certain product (for example, we eat a lot of oatmeal here so I often buy it in bulk), and when you have a larger family. 

You have a larger family which means that you go through more food, which means that bulk shopping is a great idea!

Budget

Create a budget and stick to it. While it isn’t quite as easy as that, it also kind of is. Creating a budget and following said budget makes a big difference in how much money you spend each month.

A large family is typically considered any family with 4 or children or more. Do you have a large family? If you said yes to that question, you probably already know how expensive it can be to support a large family. Kids aren’t cheap, y’all! 

These money saving tips for large families are going to help you stress less and smile more because your budget won’t be so strained and you won’t be kept up all night long from the stress of it all. Heck, many small families have those same stresses, just often on a different level. 

Money Saving tips for Large Families

Buy in Bulk 

I’m not usually big on pressuring people to buy in bulk. I don’t typically think that it is a blanket option for saving money for families. The only time that I recommend buying in bulk is if your family uses a lot of a certain product (for example, we eat a lot of oatmeal here so I often buy it in bulk), and when you have a larger family. 

You have a larger family which means that you go through more food, which means that bulk shopping is a great idea!

Meal Plan

Meal planning is hugely beneficial to all families, large and small. Not only does it save you money, but it also saves you time! Another thing that meal planning does is helps you to prevent food waste in your household. 

This doesn’t just mean dinner either. It’s a good idea to make a meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meal planning just makes life easier. 

Thrift Shopping

Thrift shopping is one of my favorite ways to save money! If you have children, you know how expensive their clothes are. That’s why thrift shopping for clothes for the family is such a great way to save money! 

Thrift shopping is good for more than just clothing too. Appliances, home decor and toys are all great to buy second hand too! 

We talked a little bit the other day about how to save money on gas. Since gas prices are going nowhere but up, I figured we could expand on it a bit and talk a little bit more about other ways to save money on this necessary expense. 

If you are finding yourself needing to save more money, check out this list of even more clever tips to help you save money on gas.

Even More Clever Tips to Help You Save Money on Gas

Walk More

This one is good for your health and your wallet! If you have the option to, why not walk a little more often? If you are just running a quick errand that is near you, head on outside and walk there! It will feel good later.

Of course this isn’t always an option, but it sometimes is and it’s well worth looking at!

Carpool

If you have the option to carpool to work or while taking the kids to school, do it! Let’s say you kick in on gas money and you and the driver can save half of what you would normally be paying for gas. 

Telecommute

Do you have the option of working from home? Even if your employer only allows it a few days per week, this is a great way to save money on gas costs! With the change in the workforce over the last year or so, many people have been working from home and discovering the joy of saving money on fuel! 

Choose a Fuel Efficient Car

If you happen to be in the market for a new car, check out it’s fuel efficiency and make that one of the deciding factors before you buy. If you make the switch from a gas guzzler to a gas saver, those trips to the gas station will be far less stressful.

Gas prices are going up, up, up. I don’t know about you, but I am really starting to feel the pain at the pump. I drive a Toyota Camry and the last couple of times I have filled my tank it has cost me close to $50. I used to drive an Expedition so I am well versed in spending big money on fuel, but it’s been a while and I have never ever experienced it costing this much to fill my Camry. 

If you too are feeling the pinch, even in an economy car, these 5 clever tips to help you save money on gas will be helpful!

5 Clever Tips to Help You Save Money on Gas

Join a Fuel Rewards Program

This is what I am doing as much as possible lately. I have signed up for the fuel rewards program at my local grocery store and I am always looking for bonus rewards deals. The last 3 times I got gas I was able to save $1 per gallon. 

Download Some Apps

Apps like GasBuddy are great for helping you find the cheapest gas near you. When gas prices are this high, it is often well worth the a trip to a fuel station that may be a couple of blocks away from the usual one you attend. 

If you are on a road trip, the Google Maps app also shows local fuel stations and their fuel prices. 

Avoid Premium Fuel

I know that we want to do the best that we can for our vehicles, but getting premium fuel can add a significant amount to your fuel costs. Of course, if your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends that you use premium fuel, don’t follow this savings tip. 

Use a Fuel Rewards Credit Card

I don’t often recommend that you sign up for a credit card, but I do recommend Fuel Rewards Credit Cards if you tend to spend a lot on fuel throughout each month. We have 3 drivers in our house so this is a great one for our family. 

Use Cash

Many fuel stations offer gas cheaper when you pay with cash. I often see $0.10 to $0.20 discounts this