If you’re looking to save money as a family, first it’s important to decide on the reason for saving and what your goal is? Perhaps you realise that you should have more money at the end of the month and you're not sure what you’re spending on. Maybe you want to save for a specific project like a new car or for holidays. If it helps you focus, use a savings goal calculator.

Whatever your reason, the key to success is that everyone in the house is working towards the same idea and knows why it’s important to you all. If this is in place you will all feel invested in making it work and will gain satisfaction when you can see the rewards.

So with that in mind, here are our money saving tips for families.

Cook from scratch

It goes without saying really but feeding a family costs dearly so you should ditch those takeaways and ready meals! It is possible to eat out cheaply, so when you head out to restaurants find offers such as family meal deals under $20, but for week nights here’s how to get into cooking from scratch.

If you normally find this a chore, choose one day a week to batch cook some meals which can go in the freezer. It also helps to meal plan for the week ahead.

Try shopping at some of the cheaper supermarkets, buy supermarket brand labels where you can. Often these are just as good as branded products and more healthy having a lot less sugar than some branded goods. Choose frozen fruit over fresh when you’re adding these to meals like porridge.

If you have young children some of the best nappies and other baby products are often found in the cheaper supermarkets.

Buy second hand

When having children you learn just how quickly they grow out of everything, and how often it needs replacing! While there are some things you shouldn’t scrimp on like well fitting shoes; there are ways to make savings.

Any school uniform can be bought preloved, often from your child’s school. Supermarkets now offer plain coloured uniforms without logos in most school colours, try and stick to darker coloured polo shirts rather than white as these are stained very quickly.

Facebook groups for parents in your local area often offer great deals as parents swap unused uniform for each age group. This is also a great way to be saving money while having a baby. These groups are filled with parents looking to sell or pass on decent quality baby clothes or old buggies at great prices. If you find you are bottle feeding your baby and have unused milk, you can sell formula on to others who might need it. This is a great solution if you are starting to ween and now find you need less milk.

Benefits

It’s not all about frugal living, make sure you are signed up to receive any state benefits for raising a child. In the UK we have child benefit, you can register for an NHS dentist and you can claim childcare vouchers through your work place.

Each country will have its own particular system for helping parents. Make the most of these as they all add up.

Activities and days outs

There are so many little costs which add up when having children, these are often where money goes and you don’t even realise.

Try and limit your children to one paid activity club a month. Sometimes booking them through your school is cheaper.

Days out can be a minefield but we’ve found national parks where you can take a picnic make a great day out. Museums also often have free entry and there are so many to choose from.

If you have a lot of National Trust or English Heritage properties near where you live, buying an annual pass can make sense. This is where you pay one fee per year but you can enter all of their sites as many times as you like during that period.

I hope you’ve found some great money-saving tips which will help you reach your goal this year.

There are so many ways to save and once you start looking you’ll find them everywhere. From using the library, taking a staycation, or just using free online craft resources. It can all be achieved and you will still give your children a wonderful experience in their early years.