My family of 5 has made lifestyle adjustments to save money. We buy generic grocery brands and cut back on subscription services.

• My husband and I have three kids, and in recent years, things have gotten more expensive.

• We’ve figured out ways to make our money stretch further for our family of five.

• I buy generic brands at the grocery store and we spend time outdoors for entertainment.

As a family of five, we have definitely felt the pinch in recent years. It feels like so many things are getting more expensive, including the cost of groceries, daycare, utility bills, insurance premiums, and more.

In order to make ends meet, we’ve had to make a few adjustments to our spending habits. Our lifestyle has definitely changed, but I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily a bad thing. In fact, reining in our spending has meant that when we splurge on nice-to-haves, we appreciate them more.

Here are the tweaks we’ve made that have worked for us.

I meal plan and buy generic brand groceries

I try to meal plan as much as possible in such a way where we’re using up all the ingredients we buy. For example, if I buy sour cream for a Mexican dish, I use the rest up up in a dessert as well, rather than letting it go bad.

I don’t let anything go to waste at home. If vegetables are starting to wilt or go soft, I throw them in a soup or stew. If meat is about to turn bad, I freeze it and use it later in the month.

I’ve always been a thrifty shopper, but I am even more budget-conscious nowadays. I buy the generic brands and check what’s cheapest according to the unit price at the grocery store. Sometimes, I’ll buy in bulk if it means saving money per unit and it’s something we’ll use up eventually.

We also eat what’s in season or on special. If blueberries are $8 a basket and apples are $2 a pound, apples it is.

We rarely eat out at restaurants

When we only had one child, my husband and I used to love eating out. We ate out once or twice a week, but now that we’re a family of five, it’s just too expensive.

We probably only eat out at a restaurant once every few months now. Often, we’ll make it a date night and leave the kids at home, so that my husband and I can enjoy the outing in peace (and it’s also cheaper that way).

Funnily enough, I don’t miss going out to restaurants at all. Not only are we saving money, but we’re also eating more wholesome, home-cooked food. When we do eat out, it feels like a real treat, too.

We cut back on subscriptions and spend our free time outside or with friends

Three years ago, we moved to Bright in regional Victoria, Australia. Living in the country, we had to get better at making our own fun and discovered that free entertainment is actually a joy.

Nowadays, most of our weekends are jam-packed with picnics and nature walks, bike rides and dinners at friends’ houses, or friends coming over to ours. We also invest in quality “toys” that will last the distance and provide entertainment in years to come. For example, all of us have mountain bikes that we ride most weeks.

One of my favorite hobbies is reading, and to save money, I’ve started using the library rather than buying books. Libraries are such a great resource, even in a small town like ours.

We’ve also cut back on subscriptions we don’t need, like streaming services.

I swap clothes with friends or buy secondhand

I used to love buying nice clothes, but my priorities have shifted. When I do buy something, I love buying secondhand. It’s a great way to find quality clothing (sometimes even designer brands) for a fraction of the usual cost.

My friends and I lend each other clothes for special occasions in order to save money, and I also hosted a swap party with a bunch of my friends recently. Everyone brought clothes, jewellery, perfumes, and books they no longer wanted, and went home with a bag of goodies at the end of the night. It was a great way to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Budgeting has been key, and every little bit adds up

Overall, adjusting our spending habits has helped us stay afloat during what has been a challenging time financially for many families. Having a clear understanding of where our money is going has been crucial, and has allowed us to identify areas to save. It’s easy to forget that every little bit adds up, but it definitely does!

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