Buying food: Use coupons, store sales and the internet

Coupon clipping today is nothing like it was 10 or 20 years ago. Sure there are still good coupons to be had in the Sunday paper, but online there are exponentially greater opportunities to find savings. By combining coupons (both found online and in the paper) with store sales, you can easily save between 50-75%. In some cases, you can even get products for free when you combine store savings with manufacturer's coupons. This process will take some extra time as you will need to look for the best deals offered by both the stores and the manufactures. But with the possibility of saving so much money, it may be worth the effort.

Buying clothes: Try a second hand store or a clothing exchange

Any parent of young children knows that kids outgrow clothes very quickly. Having to constantly buy new clothes can put a serious strain on the budget, not to mention the fact that some clothing items, like shoes, can be very expensive. Some simple ideas to save are to shop at a second hand store. Second hand stores vary by location but the general ideas behind them are the same. Second hand stores sell gently used clothing at a discount. You can save a significant amount of money by buying tour kid's clothes this way. At some second hand stores, like Kid-to-Kid, you can even sell your own gently used clothes and be given cash or a credit that can then be used to purchase more clothing. By arranging or attending a clothing exchange, you can provide your kids with properly fitting clothes for next to nothing. Clothing exchanges are often arranged by community or church groups and are generally free or ask for a small fee or donation. The idea behind them is that you bring clothing that you or your children no longer use and trade what you have for something that someone else brings. It's like a second hand store but you pay with your own used clothing.

Entertainment costs

Thinking of things to do with your family is hard, paying for all of those entertainment ideas is even harder. Entertaining and spending time with your family shouldn't be a budget buster, especially because there are so many ideas for how you can do fun things with your family for less. Don't think that because you are trying to save money that you cannot get out and enjoy activities as a family. There are many resources at a local level that you can take advantage of. First of all, have your eyes open to community event notices. Every city is different. Some cities post their area events in a mailer, other cities have a town hall where these events are posted. Find out what events are happening in your area because these city events are most often sponsored on a city and state level and end up costing you very little. There are also state websites that you can check out. A state's website will outline a number of activities that the state has to offer for tourists, but you can certainly take advantage of this resource as well.