NEW! Stay at Home Mommy

Like Tiffany, I like www.flylady.net for organization/cleaning tips & schedules.
Good for you for doing Dave Ramsay!
As they say on the commercial about the army (I think),
"Welcome to the toughest job you'll ever love!"

B.:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

I use coupons EVERY WHERE!!!! I make a menu for the week and use what I have on hand and make a list of things we need.

I joined play groups while my kids were younger too. Contact your local library and see what they have there for reading groups for kids.

Ensure your thermostat is set to a comfortable level during the day - expect your electric bill to go up as you will be home using stuff.

While your daughter is napping - clean house. At almost 2 - she MIGHT want to help - ask her to put her toys away - sing a song while you are doing it.

Wanna keep money coming in the door? Sell items on ebay or craigslist that you are not using anymore.

Call your cable company and find out if there is a cheaper package for you.
Call your phone company (wireless) and see if you can get a cheaper service.
Call your insurance company and let them know you aren't working so you will be driving your car less - maybe you will get a discount on lower miles.

Hope this helps!!

As far as saving money, I have a trick that I have done for years (outside of regular budgeting and planning) and it is each time I spend money I establish if it is a need or want. This even applies when I go to the grocery store. Then each day I keep a mental note of each time I did not spend money and keep a tally. Then I put the money I didn't spend in a safe. By the end of the week I usually have a good chunk of change to put in savings. It is amazing how fast it build up.

As far as the house and keep it up. I got in touch with a site called FlyLady.com and have never had my house in better order in my life. It is great, give it a try.

Good luck!

look at www.flylady.net for tips on a cleaning schedule.

I'm so happy for you!! What a huge blessing for you and your daughter, and your husband.
Two great websites:
moneysavingmom.com
groceryshrink.com
Cook from scratch-better for you and cheaper.
We got rid of cable. We don't like most of what is on anyway, and so it was a waste of time/money. If there are certain shows you like, you can probably watch them for free online.
Shop thrift stores.

I'm always so happy for women when they are able to make it home with their children. Your children will be blessed forever because you have taken this step. It will not always be easy. You will have bad days. No matter what you do in life, you will have bad days. But, they are days that your daughter will always remember and cherish. Blessings!

I am always looking for ways to save money too. Here are a few suggestions - I cut dryer sheets in half (works just as good as a full sheet and last longer). We cut our hot water heater down to 120 (save on water bill). I cut up green peppers and onions and freeze them (saves time on cooking). Unplug all appliances that are not in use (if they are plugged up, they use what they call vampire power). Our grocery store in town has meat for half price on Mondays ( if they cut up too much meat and do not sell it during the weekend, they mark it half price on Mondays). I buy some and put it in my freezer. Check out the dollar stores and dollar general, I have found some items there cheaper than the grocery store. When we get to the last of the toothpaste, I cut the tube open and can get two to three brushing out of it. I use vinegar and water mixture to clean with. I get free samples in the mail. Walmart has a free sample page on their website. Just go to Walmart.com, type in free samples in the search and when the page comes up, just click on free samples. Start Sampling.com is a pretty good site. I do surveys online, it takes a while, but its nice to get a check in the mail once in a while (I usually redeem for $50) Mypoints.com is nice. I save up my points and use them for a gift certificate to help with
Xmas. Can't think of anything else for now. Good Luck!

I think I was better at saving/economics/clean ups etc when I stayed home with my kids. I thought of myself as "the" pioneer woman-when the kids napped I often ran the wash (it was in the basement/not where the kids were) and when they were up and playing I would pick up and keep a general neatness around the house. If I needed to do the "big clean up" I sometimes made a play date switch with my friends and I could work on the house without worry and when they needed the help I would watch theirs. As far as meals-my husband and I talked out what we lked and would sometimes set up a weekly dinner plan--this way I could plan ahead with purchases at the market and stock up once (saves big on the runs to the market). Meal ideas? Make it simple-you all are busy---plan things like a large meatloaf or even a big amount of tuna casserole so you have more than one meal in the week. Ok you don't have to eat them two days in a row save it for the "next day after". Steaks can be done with an extra you can use the next day in a casserole or stew type meal--which is great for using up all those left overs--any stew can have anything added to it for extra flavors--and filling with the leftovers saves you wasting food. Now give up sodas--they really take a large chunck of money and not including weight! Water is the best but in the event it just is tiring add some "kool-aid" stuff-buy a larger canister so you only pay once not every time you think of it. This works all year too. Nothing better than lemonade in November! pink or yellow-they just taste really good! The hard part now that my kids are gorwn and I work again is I don't follow all my own rules and we go out often--that takes a lot of money out of or budget--bad move! I guess I need to go back to my old plan...have fun mom and enjoy the baby he will be big before you know it.

Flylady.net has great tips on organization and cleaning. Get on their email list and read through their routines and testimonials. She has helped me tons!! Dave Ramsey is awesome!! Congratulations on that. Also, don't buy prepared or packaged foods. Make everything yourself. Good luck and congratulations! BTW~ I've been a stay at home mom for 18 years.

For Saving Money:
If you make budgets be as accurate as you can recording your daily transactions. But theres also a couple things you can do like"
Like some of the other posters said, buy only what you need,(specially when grocery shopping) but also you could use coupons (I love coupons) some come in the mail or you can find really good coupons online. Plan your meal schedule for the week, and BARGAIN SHOPPING!!! whatever it is that you need to buy other than food research like theres no manana!!! what I mean to say is look everywhere for the best price!. If you have friends, with kids, can you exchange clothes for your kids? (I have a friend and her son is almost my sons age and we exchange clothes a lot) Also, do LAYAWAY, is perfect specially for xmas presents, because you can make small payments over time. And not be all stressed out for money at the last minute.
I do all this, budgets, layaway and bargain shopping and I save around 15 to 20% sometimes even more on my weekly grocery shopping.
For Creating a schedule:
Its not that hard, just think of what meals you'd like to eat for the week, what you like, and what you have, and try to give yourself a free day when you can cook something special, like a chicken pot pie, or your favorite dish.
To Keep the house in order:
Make a shedule too, some days for laundry, some days for dusting, some days for doing the bathrooms, some days for sweeping if you can (I have to sweep and mop every day, my moms does it every other day) That way your house is always clean and you dont have to spend all day cleaning.
What I like the most about being a SAHM is that I can drop whatever I'm doing and play 15 mins of hide an seek with my 3 year old, or things like that, its very rewarding. Hope you find this helpful, this is a great question and Im looking forward to use some advice for myself too. Thanks a lot. Good Luck!

Congratulations on being able to stay home with your little one. :)

I buy the store labeled off brands for almost all of my food choices. They are just as good and much cheaper.

I buy in bulk ONLY when it is truly cheaper: diapers etc.

I called my cable company and cancelled HBO and saved $30/year.

Watch your cell phone usage if you don't have unlimited calls/texting.

While home, I turn off ALL lights. (Especially easy in the summer. )

I no longer buy mochas for myself. If I NEED one, I buy the ground espresso from the grocery store and make it myself. (I have an old, inexpensive espresso machine. Amazing.)

I clean during his nap except what I can do WITH him like vacuuming. Took him awhile to get used to that. I can wash windows while he's awake, light dishes, laundry etc.

I make big meals so there are leftovers: chili in the slow cooker in the winter, soup, double batch taco meat etc.

I subscribed to the newspaper to get the coupons but there are plenty of places to get coupons from the internet. I use them and the weekly ads to plan my meals. I buy extra when there is a good deal on something. I love the caselot sales! Things are so cheap then. I only buy what my family will eat. Don't buy because its a good deal if your family doesn't like it.
I buy clothes for my children off Craigslist and a local classifieds section. I have also used freecycle at times.
Freecycle and Craigslist are great resources. Local thrift stores are great. I just bought my daughter a Little Tikes toybox/bench for $3.00. She loves it.
You can also use Craigslist to sell things when needing a little extra cash. Sometimes it works, sometimes what you want to sell just doesn't sell-just like a consignment shop. When that happens I end up donating it so it doesn't just sit around my house.
I sew what I can but I'm just a beginning sewer so my children usually just get pajamas. I need to branch out. ;)
I keep unplugged any appliance that isn't being used. I keep my south-facing blinds closed during the summer and open during the winter. To cool the house in the morning I open the doors and windows and close them when the air starts to get warm.
Meals. I try to make 2 of something if possible so I can put one in the freezer when I can. I have a garden which helps. I bottle/put of everything I can. I can't do too much because I don't have a pressure canning but working on that. I use a hot water canner to put up salsa (from a mix that's safe for water bath canning) tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, applesauce (used in place of fat for baking), apricots, peach pie filling, peaches, etc.
This is what I do. I hope it helps.

SERIOUSLY!?!?!!!! Do you think you are above clipping coupons?

How about having a stockpile in your home of FREE body wash, razors, baby wipes, tampons/pads, toothbrushes and toothpaste? Or spending less than half price for Huggies and PullUps (making them cheaper than generic, by the way!), less than a dollar a box for Kellogs and Kashi cereal, and getting dishwasher and laundry detergent for rock bottom prices (many times free as well)? Think that might save you aome money???

If you really want to save in ALL areas - and "Get Gazelle" - then you must consider couponing! What do you NOW spend on ALL grocery and household items (including toiletries, baby care, pet food, cleaning supplies, personal care items - basically anything that goes in the fridge, freezer, pantry, laundry room, and the kitchen or bathroom cabinets)???

I know of people that spend around $200 FOR ALL THAT for a family of FOUR!!!! AND I know a family of four with two in diapers, plus two BIG dogs spending around $350 for everything INCLUDING pet care!!!

HOW?? COUPONING!!!! YES, it takes some time. BUT if you save $80 per week for an hour or two of 'work' then you are 'making' at least $40 an hour to contribute to savings. Do you know any other legitimate part-time at home jobs that pay that well? I think not.

PS: Walmart is not always your cheapest option. In fact, since I started seriously couponing I find I RARELY step foot in there anymore!!