7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money

7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money Introduction 

7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money. Are you wondering how to save money as a homemaker? You’re not alone! Especially these days when the price of everything seems to be skyrocketing. 

Many people think that staying at home and being a homemaker means a ridiculous hit to the family budget, and that every woman should “do their share” to contribute financially, but I’m here to disagree and tell you that isn’t always true. 

This is what inspired me to create the 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money.

You can totally save money with simple and practical steps while caring for your home and family. Come on in and let me show you my favorite 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money! 

7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money 

Stay Home 

Staying at home as much as possible will save you so much more money than you realize. 

Picture it… 

You wake up later than you had planned, right along with the kids. Everyone eats breakfast, generates some dishes and clutter. Okay, now what? You’re bored, they’re bored, and you have no clue what to do. You know you better decide before boredom takes over and everyone starts fighting, crying, and having a full blown meltdown and you end up with a migraine. 

What sounds good? A nice relaxing stroll around Target, an iced coffee and a trip in the car with the radio on. Just to get out and do something, anything as long as it is out of the house. 

You load everyone up in the car, order your coffee, spend twenty minutes in line burning gas to pay $6 for a small cup of coffee that is more ice than actual coffee. 

The kids wander around Target with you and start asking for stuff, coloring books, a new Lego set, maybe a gardening kit for kids. Nothing fabulous, and at least it is educational toys, right? You need a few things, a new kitchen towel, a potato peeler is on clearance, you suddenly remember you’re about to run out of shampoo, a new candle smells amazing and you just can’t resist. 

Once you make it out of the store, the kids are starved, and you stop for fast food. It’s okay to splurge just this once, right? $40 later, the kids are stuffed and running around going insane with laughter and throwing balls from the ball pit at each other, while you relax for a moment, knowing the kids are happy and you’ve avoided any meltdowns. 

You get home only to realize that it is almost dinner time, and you have no clue what to make. Not to mention being exhausted from your trip out. No time to thaw anything from the freezer. Now what? Pizza delivery? Again. There goes another $80 to feed the family. 

Raise your hand if this has happened to you. I know it has me. The problem here is that this can really easily become a habit and the normal instead of a rare exception and treat. 

When you add up the gas spent, the money you spent at Target, the money spent on fast food, followed by pizza, you spent a ton of money in one single day! Now factor in the time you could have been doing something productive. Like planning and preparing a meal for your family, organizing the house so it is a calm and relaxing space, spending time with your kids, the list goes on and on. 

Staying at home doesn’t seem like it should save that much money, but it really does. Going out for a “simple” trip just to get out can cost a lot more than you realize or expect it to. If you ever wonder where your money goes, think about how many days like this you have in a month. 

If you dislike being at home, changing the atmosphere of your home should be your number one priority instead of just trying to escape it. Home is meant to be a sanctuary, not a place of anxiety you need to escape. 

Is your home cluttered and messy? Time to clean! Seriously. A clean space is a productive and happy space. A space where you can relax. If you’re bored, it is time to start cleaning, and get the kids involved with you and make it a time to spend together. That’ll help them develop productive habits, you’ll cure your (and their) boredom, get chores done, and create a warm and inviting space. 

Use What You Have 

This one seems so obvious, right? It is and it isn’t. Think about how we start planning. We think about what we want, not what we have. 

• Meal planning, list out what sounds good to everyone, which differs for everyone, and nobody ever agrees on anything. 
• Family vacation, what is our dream destination? 
• A new vehicle would be amazing, heated seats are a must have! 

The problem with this kind of planning is that we haven’t started with what we have. We just made the list and hoped we could afford it. If we can’t, life feels like a giant disappointment, or we just put it on a credit card, dig ourselves a little deeper in debt, and pray it all works out. 

How do you change this mindset? 

• Look in the freezer and pantry before you make a grocery list for the week. Use what is there, and plan your meals around that. Don’t be afraid to use things that are about to spoil. Add some veggies into your scrambled eggs in the morning, for example. 
• Set a budget for your vacation, and stick to it. 
• Budget for holidays and birthdays. 
• Don’t buy duplicates of things you already own. I’m notorious on this one when it comes to my books. 
• Use electronics until they die, not just because there is a newer version available. 

You need to get into the habit of understanding that money is limited, even a scarce resource. Work with what you have, don’t just blindly buy and pray for the best. 

Plan for Your Big Goals 

What is your big goal, and why are you saving money? This differs for everyone, so answer what is the truth for you and your family. 

• Are you trying to get out of debt? 
• Remain a stay-at home-mom or homemaker? 
• Start a business working from home and need startup money? 
• Does your husband want to leave his job and follow a dream of starting a business or finding his dream job? 

There is a reason you are reading this post. It isn’t just to entertain yourself while you’re in the bathroom looking for five minutes of peace and quiet away from the kids. What is your big, BIG goal? Plan for it, think about it, dream about it, and then let that guide you in everything you do. 

Start saying no to things that don’t help you work toward those goals. A great example is, I want a down payment to buy a house in the next twelve months, so a vacation can wait. Don’t be afraid to say no to things that don’t help you reach your goals. 

Embrace Having Less 

Embrace having less. What does that mean? Is it one of those things everyone says to sound buzz-worthy or trendy? I don’t think so, but let’s also talk about what it really means. 

Simplicity and minimalism are both amazing, honestly. Because it is less clutter, less stuff you have to worry about. It also takes a lot of stress away when you’re not trying to keep up with everyone else and the things they have. 

• Less clothing means less laundry and an always organized closet. 
• The latest kitchen gadget can’t get lost or broken and need replacing. 
• You don’t need to worry about trends when you can’t afford them. 

When you learn to use what you have (go back to part two), you don’t think of it as a hardship, because you know and understand that you have exactly what you need, not useless things you want. 

Life would also be really boring if we always got what we wanted whenever we wanted, too. Honestly, I’d love to go and always have an unlimited budget to buy every book I wanted every time I saw one on the shelf. But then, where would I put them all? I struggle with space now, and I’m pretty responsible with my book budget. I’d need a bigger office with more bookshelves, which means moving, and the list goes on. Sometimes we aren’t always meant to have everything we want when we want, and that is a good thing. 

The honest truth is that if you’re not happy with what you have now, you’re not going to be happy with more stuff once you get it. It may sound harsh, but it really is the truth, and I hope you take this one part with you, if you take anything from this post.

Understand Why You Spend Money 

If you want to save money as a homemaker, you need to figure out why you’re spending so much money. 

• Are you bored? 
• Do you feel unattractive and want to buy something pretty? 
• Are the kids getting on your nerves so you buy them new toys to distract their attention? 
• Did a friend get some new upgrades in her home? Countertops, backsplash, a new rug? Do you now want that too? 

There is nothing wrong with admitting these things. Seriously, it is okay to feel these things and own them! I’m not here to judge you, and honestly, you shouldn’t be judging yourself for these feelings either. 

When you feel these things, it is a good practice to separate needs from wants. When you can take a hard look at why you want something and admit the truth to yourself, you’ll quickly realize and see the difference between wants and actual legitimate needs. 

Cultivate an Attitude of Contentment 

Saving money isn’t just about dollars and making your bank account grow. It is about cultivating an attitude of contentment. This is where emotional and financial well-being come together and intersect. 

Take the time to appreciate the home that you’ve made, your husband, the family you care far. All of the simple joys in life that don’t come with a price tag. You can be happy without spending money. You don’t need stuff to make you happy. You need the people in your life, your home, your health. When you change that attitude, you are literally changing your life. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t have bigger goals or be working toward improvements and bigger things. That isn’t what I’m saying at all. You can have big goals and dreams and still be content with what you have right now. 

Being content with what you have while you are working toward your bigger goals and enjoying and focusing on both will help you be less likely to make impulse purchases and not know exactly where your money is going. 

Gratitude can act as a natural brake for your spending habits. I’ve learned this over the last couple of years, and I love that! Seriously, I really do love this fact. 

How do you practice this? List three things you are grateful for every day. I like to do this both when I wake up and when I go to bed. Starting and ending my day with gratitude makes my entire day much smoother and more positive. 

It can be super simple too. Like, you’re still alive and woke up to enjoy another day. A meal you tried and experimented with turned out really well and the entire family loved it. The weather. The people in your life, both family and friends. It doesn’t need to be huge or complicated to allow you to be grateful for it. 

Practicing gratitude and cultivating contentment allows you to focus more on what you have instead of what you don’t have, and that lessens the urge to spend money on things you think or hope will bring you happiness. 

Build Emotional Resilience 

We have all spent money when we’re experiencing strong emotions. Retail therapy is a thing. These emotions can be stress, boredom, and even joy. 

Building your emotional resilience will help you not only cope, but also to thrive in challenging situations without needing to resort to retail therapy to help you cope. 

If this is something you struggle with, pause and think about alternatives to spending money. 

• Talk to a friend. 
• Go for a walk. 
• Enjoy a hobby. 

Emotional resilience and understanding your own patterns of choices can help you avoid debt. Debt from emotional spending creates more stress and it becomes a vicious cycle that can be very hard to break. 

When you focus on building your emotional resilience, you’re building your financial resilience at the same time. 

7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money Notes 

7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money. Saving money as a homemaker is so much more than cutting coupons or hunting for bargains and shopping clearance racks. You don’t need to get a job to do your share either. Ignore anyone who tells you this or tries to make you feel guilty for your choice in lifestyle. There are so many things like these 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money that you can do instead. Ignore the haters, because there are plenty of them out there. 

This is a lifestyle choice and that involves understanding yourself, your needs, and your goals. That is what inspired me to create this list of the 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money and help others, as this is a path I have had to go on myself and make those same changes in my own life. But what I will say is that it is so totally and completely worth it. Because once I made the 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money, I became significantly happier. I want to see the same thing for you in your life!

Embrace the challenge and find joy in little victories along the way. Because when you save money wisely, you’re not just counting pennies, you’re making your pennies count, and you should be proud of that fact! 

7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money Discussion 

Have these 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money helped you in any way? Are you good at saving money already? Are there any tips you want to add to this list? Did I miss anything or leave out an important step? 

I want to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts and your own experiences about the 7 Lifestyle Changes to Save Money and advice in the comments! Let’s all help each other.