Sometimes there are no easy ways to reduce spending. We all have to buy necessities. But with some simple tweaks, you can change some things and reduce spending. If you get your whole family on board, you can look at things like meal plans, snacks, and family activities and save a good bit of money.
13 Family Ways to Reduce Spending Naturally
Let everyone help choose the food each week
This doesn’t mean your kids get to decide on a pizza to buy! But it gives everyone a sense of ownership and ensures that you’re rotating food for everyone to eat, which reduces the chances of eating out and wasting food.
Let each child have their own snack bin
If you buy prepackaged snacks, consider dividing them into snack bins for each child. If they run out of food for the week, they will have to stick to fruit or other snacks.
Have dinner themes for certain nights
Have a few nights set that everyone can look forward to. Our kids know that dinner always comes out of the fridge on Friday night; we always have rotisserie chicken on the days I go to Costco; one night is always the other night.
First put in half of the large snack bags
If you buy large bags of pretzels or chips, divide them beforehand so that you don’t end up with old chips or the whole bag can be eaten in a day (food cravings are real).
Start weekly cleaning routines
If you’re not already doing it, start the weekly cleaning routines that everyone is putting together. This reduces spending because things don’t get lost and you stay on top of what you have. For example, if you clean out the refrigerator regularly, you are less likely to buy too many groceries.
Declutter the children’s toys as needed
Getting kids’ toys out encourages independent play (for free!) and keeps you from buying things you already have or your kids don’t play with.
Go through the clothes at certain times of the year
This is one of the best family ways to reduce spending naturally. This helps you find a hand me down that will fit younger children, and you may notice that you bought clothes on sale last year that will fit one of your children.
Set up weekly rituals
Our kids know that Friday night is movie night and Saturday morning is cake. This gives them something to look forward to throughout the week, eliminating the need for automatic and expensive checkouts.
List of outdoor activities at the beginning of the season
At the beginning of summer, for example, check your swimming gear and the beach. Some years I find I don’t need to buy new glasses! Some years I have realized that we need new beach toys and I have been able to keep my eyes open for sales.
Develop and stick to simple holiday family traditions
This can prevent you from deciding to do big and expensive things at the last minute. For ideas, check out my back-to-school traditions and Christmas traditions.
Have a weekly calendar meeting
This is great if you have older children who can no longer drive but have busy schedules. With everyone on the same page about what’s happening next week, it makes it easier to plan meals and avoid unnecessary spending.
Choose one day a week to do specific tasks
Going to the grocery store just once a week will bring big savings. This will require you to keep a running list of what you are out of. This will also save gas!
Make breakfast and lunch easy
Not all meals have to be delicious. Work together with your kids to come up with a few breakfast and lunch ideas that they all like, and rotate them throughout the month. Bonus points if they can do it themselves!
Do you have family plans that naturally reduce spending? Let us know in the comments!
