Catherine McQueen/ Getty Images
My oldest son was skipping through the crowd at a local carnival — between his ride on a mini roller coaster and his spin through the sky on the Ferris wheel. "Last ride before dinner," I reminded him.
We then wandered to a picnic table at the edge of the festival grounds. I pulled out our soft cooler full of sandwiches, sliced apples, string cheese, and yogurt tubes. Just by packing our own dinner, we saved about $75 that night alone.
The cost of raising kids has never been higher, but there are creative ways to save serious cash, including online resources for free and secondhand goods. By incorporating three main strategies, our family of six saves over $7,000 a year.
When my oldest was 1, I joined our neighborhood's Buy Nothing group on Facebook, and it's been a massive win for our family. It's a hyper-local community that gives away and shares items with neighbors. There's no selling, buying, trading, or bartering allowed. All items are given freely from someone's abundance, whether a pair of sweatpants or a bookshelf.
Through Buy Nothing, neighbors have gifted us countless valuable items, including a vacuum, a motorized baby swing, kids' shoes, winter coats, and picture frames for a gallery wall. To make the experience fun for my kids, I refer to our Buy Nothing pickups as "surprises." It might be a puzzle or a waffle maker.
When we receive a bag of kid T-shirts, I let my son pick out a few he loves, so the experience feels like shopping — special items he selects for himself. Some of my favorite outfits come into our lives this way.
Beyond our official group, neighbors on our block generously gift us the shirts and shorts that no longer fit their sons and the headbands and dollhouses their daughters have outgrown. We are fortunate to live in a close-knit neighborhood with families who are happy to share.
I also use Facebook marketplace, garage sales, and local secondhand stores to find what my family needs, like superhero Halloween costumes or baskets to organize the linen closet.
When we come across things we no longer need in our house, we offer them to our Buy Nothing group and neighbors. I love seeing a treasured item, whether a board game or a dresser, find new life.
Because we stay consistent in sourcing secondhand items, the savings build throughout the year. Almost everything that comes into our home is used, and that makes me feel proud, not just for the money savings but also for its low impact on the environment.
When we look for things to do as a family, we search online local calendars for free events that provide maximum fun for our family, including community festivals, library events, and cultural experiences. We attend art festivals, book readings in the park, and events like the Hispanic and Asian-Pacific festivals. The events often have giveaway booths, craft projects for the kids, and music or dancing. The activities are free and add richness and depth to our family life. We might hear live jazz or learn about our city's history.
Rather than paying for the zoo entrance or movie theater tickets, we can enjoy family fun with minimal cost. We might visit the splash pad at a city park or go on a tour through the local recycling center. It's exciting to see our kids thrive in different environments and try new things.
My husband and I recently took our family to Chicago for two days and stayed at a hotel using our credit card reward points. Before the trip, I packed our large cooler with cut fruits, veggies, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, and chicken salad. We didn't eat out once or buy any food, except for donuts from a local shop as a treat. My husband says that maybe we should splurge for a deep-dish pizza next time. We both enjoy local cuisine and giving our kids that experience, but sometimes it makes more sense to skip it. We saved about $250 on the Chicago trip alone just for food and we ate a lot healthier too.
Having our meals on hand also allowed us to fit in more sites than we thought possible. We went straight from ascending the Willis Tower to gazing at The Bean without wasting time finding a restaurant, ordering, and waiting for food, only for our kids to take two bites of their chicken fingers. At Maggie Daley Park that evening, we shared a container of fresh strawberries and a package of graham crackers. The kids got extra time to play because we had their snacks ready.
Whenever our family heads to the beach or to explore a city, we load up a bag of food to take with us. While it requires extra prep and planning, we find the cost and time savings well worth the initial investment.
With peanut butter and jelly in hand, we cherish our time and build up our savings to go on more adventures together and put our funds toward what matters most to us. Plus, we know we've budgeted for the best indulgences when life calls for a little ice cream or one more carnival ride.
