Collaborative post by another author. It's hard enough to save money when you only have to worry about yourself. When you add a family to the mix, it gets even harder to save money. From buying groceries to trying to find clothes that fit your children before they grow out of them, it seems likely that your wallet is leaking. But for everything you have to buy, there are normally ways to get it for less money or for free. Read on to learn how you can start saving money at home.

Take Advantage Of Sales 

Think of someone you know who always seems to get the best deal. You know, the friend or family member who always manages to get all three of their children's winter coats for the cost of one, or a month's worth of their favourite cereal for half the price. How do they get their deal? What fairy dust do they sprinkle on store clerks and cashiers?

In reality, they probably just know what a good sale is worth. It seems so obvious, but sales are a must for families. Yes, those in-store promotions have made people go crazy over cheap t-shirts since the beginning of time.

Think about shopping for clothes. Many places have sales on clothes for men, women, and children, as well as items for the home, pretty often. Even sales are great, but if you sign up to receive emails from these stores, you could save even more when you use the discounts on sale items.

Remember that savvy shoppers remember days like Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) because the early-bird deals are great deals. Not so interested in getting up at 4 a.m. for those prices? Some stores that match prices have been known to work with this trick: buy the item a few days before the big sale, then return it on the day of the sale to get the price adjusted. Some stores won't honour the sale price, but you'd be surprised at how many do. If that feels too sneaky, keep reading to find out how your family can save money while still being a "preferred" customer.

Shop Online

Online shopping has made life a lot easier for families, which is not a big surprise. Not only does it save you time, gas, and headaches when taking the children to the shops, but it's also a great way to find great deals on many of the things your family needs.

First of all, there are a lot of discount sites on the Internet. You can find coupons for your favourite grocery stores and brands, which will save you a lot of money on your grocery bills. Coupon sites and even some grocery stores have online coupons that you can print out or load directly onto a store's preferred customer card. Online coupons can be a good way to find deals that match the brands and items you like, instead of buying random deals from a grocery store circular just because you get fifty cents off.

Some great sites will help you save money on almost anything, not just food. You can find swaps in your area on sites like Swap.com, where you can trade clothes, furniture, and even books and DVDs. Too much contact with people? You can also join the site online and put up a list of the things you want to swap and the things you have to swap. Like eBay, all you have to pay for is the cost of sending and receiving items. You can send and receive used paperback books by mail through sites like paperbackswap.com. You only pay for the postage on the books you send.

Not only is it easy to save money online, but it can also be more fun than cutting coupons. 

Always Pay What You Owe

What's a great way to save money? Not paying your monthly electric and cable bills and ignoring your credit card statement with glee! Oh, wait. That's a great way to get into so much debt that you can't pay it back and ruin your credit rating.

Monthly costs can indeed be scary, but if you work on paying off your debt and not spending more money than you receive, you'll avoid a lot of problems in the future.  Keep in mind that if you don't pay your rent on time, your landlord can legally file papers to evict you within days. Mortgage and car finance lenders are also very strict about paying on time, so if you miss a payment, you could end up in a lot of trouble quickly.

So how do you keep that high credit score? Try using software or even just a spreadsheet to keep track of bills and keep a close eye on spending. Keep all your bills in one place so you don't forget about any. 

Self-sufficiency is one thing when it comes to paying your bills, but a "do-it-yourself" attitude around the house can be a little scary. Read on to learn more about projects and repairs you can do yourself that will save you money and not scare you.

Do It On Your Own

So the sink is leaking, the toilet is running, and the tiles in the bathroom seem to have a pink film on them that wasn't there when you moved in. Sounds like you'll have to pay a lot for plumbing bills in the future.

But before you pick up the phone and hand over your card details, you might want to open a book or turn on your computer first. Do-it-yourself repairs have become much easier to do now that videos showing how to do things are easy to find online. 

Keep in mind that you don't have to stick to repairs. You can also do easy, inexpensive home improvement projects on your own. So feel free to look on the Internet for a way to put up that crown moulding you've also wanted in the living room or update that table with a Hairpin Leg Pair.

Making your cleaners and beauty products is another way to save money that you can do yourself. Mixing water with vinegar or baking soda is a good way to clean the kitchen without using harsh chemicals or spending a lot of money on brand-name sprays.

Don't forget that beauty products don't have to cost a lot. Instead of a fancy serum, you can make your hair shine use mayonnaise or eggs as a deep conditioner or to help control dry scalp in your kids. Make your lip balm with aloe vera and oil, and use olive oil from your kitchen to moisturise. 

There are other ways to save money on beauty products, though. Read on to find out how to save money on health care.

Grow And Make Your Food 

So, in an ideal ecologically balanced world we might all live off our land, raising animals and eating spinach we grew all summer. But in the real world, not every family has time to take care of their turnips. If you can look after a vegetable patch go for it. When you think about how much you save by storing and freezing your own produce, you're saving money all year long.

You don't have to spend your money on frozen burritos for the rest of your life just because you live in an apartment and don't have a garden. For one, anyone can have a small herb or vegetable garden in a box or on a window sill. These plants are harder to kill than to grow. You could grow your basil, mint, sage, onions, and even tomatoes if you have a small space inside. It's also worth checking out if their are any available allotments near you as you could benefit from the exercise and the produce.

Growing your own food isn't just recommended because it saves money and is good for the planet, it also discourages you from buying fast food. 

Do Your Shopping Right 

Does it seem like a quick trip to the store for milk always turns into an hour of buying things you don't need, like sausages and those new granola bars, and a painful bill at the register? Not to mention you forgot to get the milk.

In the end, if you go to the grocery store less, you'll spend less money. But how can a family that seems to need a milk quart every three hours and with enough cereal to keep the countries grain growers in business cut down on trips to the supermarket? Planning is one way to do things. At the beginning of each week, do what you always say you'll do: come up with dinner ideas for each night, check your pantry for things that need to be replaced, and ask each family member what they'll need from the grocery store during the week. Make one big shopping trip to make sure that you won't have to make any "quick" trips for the rest of the week.

And let's not neglect those discount coupons. Extreme couponing leaves most of us tired, but simple coupons used every day are a great way to save money. One more trick? Take note of the coupons you get each week in your newspaper or weekly circular, and put them in a drawer for a few weeks. Remember that stores often "stock up" on items with coupons, and after the initial rush, they are often left with too many of those items. What do they do, then? They put them on sale. If you wait a month to use those coupons, you might save twice as much money.

It might seem like the only ways to save money are to watch your thermostat, stay away from the grocery store, and fix your dishwasher.