12 Practical ways to save money as a stay at home wife this 2023

Are you a stay at home wife who depends solely on your husband for all your financial needs? 

Are you finding it difficult to save some money every month or every other month as a financial backup plan because your budget just doesn't give you the freedom to do that? 

Or perhaps you have tried saving some money here and there but you eventually end up using it because of one problem or the other? Well then, this post is just perfect for you.

As a stay at home mother and wife, I know how frustrating it can be when you can only depend on your husband for every single thing. I mean,

 If you need to buy a bra or panties who do you ask? you ask your husband...

If you need to buy a pad, who do you ask? Your husband...

If you need to do your hair, nails, or travel, who do you ask? Your husband...

If you need to send some money to your parent back home, who do you ask? your husband. 

Don't get me wrong...it's ok to ask your husband for things but NOT EVERY SINGLE THING.

The truth is, no matter how nice your husband might be, he'll one day get tired of funding all of your needs especially if he is the only one bringing in the income and taking care of all the bills and children's every financial needs. He is also human...so it's but normal he gets frustrated at one point.

Now what most men do is, they give their wives a monthly allowance to take care of all the basic needs of the house like cooking, buying basic necessary items for the house, shopping, taking care of their beauty needs, (which most of the times, it is not enough for the entire month). Meanwhile the husband will concentrate on paying the bills and children's school fees.

Now that is if you're a lucky wife.....

Because I can only count a handful of men who gives their wives an allowance or as I like to say "husband's who pay their wives". 

Most African men or may I say Cameroonian men don't even think like that. They don't think of giving their wives an allowance.

What is common is "chop money" as we locally call it here in Cameroon. 

"Chop money" is money meant to cook food for the household. Simple!!!.

And most times, it is a steady amount.

Statistically, it could be between 3k -5k. It doesn't matter if prices of veggies and other food items changed in the market due to inflation, or the number of people to feed in the house increases.

 The "chop money" stays the same.

All the other responsibilities of the household and children fall on the woman (except the house rent and bills ofcourse, even though in some cases, the women still pays for everything).

That is why as a wife and mother, it is advisable to start up a small business. Any business.

It can be buying and selling old clothes, selling cooked food, selling yaourt, chinchin,etc 

Just anything that can be bringing in some money in your account.

Earning your own money matters a lot as a housewife, but what if you don't have enough money to start up a business or you can't find a suitable job that will not interfere with you managing and taking care of your home properly?

Here's what one housewife wrote;

Now you're stuck with the money your husband can afford to give you.

Or even if you start earning some money and add to what your husband gives you, you find out that that money is still not enough for all the things you need? Bc as they say " problem no di finish". There is always something you'll need to use money for. 

So merely earning some money to add up to what your husband gives you will not make you better off, unless you are not able to manage that money well. And for that, you must know how to spend wisely, save, and also invest. 

So then, with all the things you need to use money for as a Housewife, how then do you manage to save some money if the money is not even enough?

12 Practical ways to save money as a stay at home housewife in Cameroon.

These are 10 real and practical ways I personally use to save more as a Cameroonian housewife. 

1) Always plan your meals.

Meal planning has to be a must. There are no two ways around it. Make a list of food you and your family loves to eat. Categorize these different food according to the following; from Monday to Sunday and the most expensive to the least expensive food to make. Depending on how much you have during the month and what food items you have in the house, go for the food that is cheaper to make.

2) Always make a market list.

Always make a market list. Write down the lists of items and supposed amount you'd buy at the market. if you go to the market and the prices are higher than expected, pen it down. Always have a pen in ur bag when going shopping or any money spending outings in general.

3) Stop buying foodstuffs in the neighborhood.

Never buy in the quartier. Buying around your quartier or neighborhood as opposed to the market will put extra expense on you as  foodstuffs are cheaper in the market and most of the people who sells around the neighborhood are Retailer or "buyam sellers" as we locally call it.

4) Try to always buy in bulk.

Buying in bulk can be tough for some housewives and the only reason is, it cost more to buy items in larger quantities. This however is even more cost effective in a long run. When you buy foodstuffs in bulk, it can save you from spending any money on food items up to 3 months and help you save more.

5) Look for creative ways to store perishables food. 

When buying perishable foodstuffs e.g like tomatoes, onions, always look for creative ways to store them so they don't get bad easily. For example, buy dry peppers instead of fresh, ground all spices like ginger, garlic, spices and store in the freezer, make a paste out of fresh tomatoes and store in the freezer, etc.

6) Cook atmost 3 times a week and in large batches.

Now the fact that you are a housewife doesn't mean you're bound to cook every single day. Personally I hate cooking but then my family need to eat. So what I do is cook food that can last atleast 2days each. So that makes 3 times in one week. It doesn't matter if you have a big family or small family. If you have many people in the house, all you need to do is increase the food so it last 2 days. E.g instead of cooking 2cups of groundnut soup, you can increase it to 4 cups.

7) Visit the market at most twice a month.

Some housewives make it a habit to visit the market every market day even when they don't have anything planned to buy. Let's be frank, it's a known fact that the market is a money magnet. There is a high probability of spending money you never planned on spending when u visit the market. So make sure you go to the market only if you have to and ofcourse with a clear list of items you need to buy.

8) Be a creative cook.

Never throw away over riped foods like banana, plantain, tomatoes, etc or old food like soup, instead try to turn it to new food. For example, you can change groundnut soup to okra by just adding okra to your old soup. You can turn that old stew in the fridge into jellof rice. You can fry tomotoes and onions with salt and Maggie and then use that old boiled plantain in the fridge. And life goes on. Always look for innovative ways to recycle old or left over food to make new food for the family. 

9) Reduce your movement to avoid transportation cost.

If you are fond of travelling, visiting friends and family, now is the time to STOP.

10) Cut down your eating habits: 2 meals a day instead of 3 or more.

Most housewives, because they spend alot of time at home, eat more times than they can count which is a bad habit. Some eat just because they feel bored not because they were hungry. If you are that type, it is very harmful to your health and your pocket. You might not realise it but unknowingly it affects you financially. You reduce a huge portion of food which might have been used the next day to serve someone else or even you.  So instead you go buy the next day which is a huge financial setbacks.

So make it a habit to eat twice a Day while your children eat 3 times a day. Cutting down Your feeding apart from the kids ofcourse is very vital to your financial success.

11) Grow your own food.

One very effective way of cutting down cost is growing your own food. As a housewife, farming is a very good practice. You can learn to cultivate the food items you consume almost daily. Things like, waterleaf, ginger, vegetables, corn, etc. You don't need to own your own farm. You can beg a small space around your neighborhood and use it. There are so many landlords who are looking for people to help them keep their lands neat. So you can take that opportunity and use it to plant some food stuffs you can harvest later on.

12) Join a small "njangi".

"Njangi" as we commonly call it, is a small meeting where a group of people come together and decide to save a certain amount of money each. And during each get together, one person collects all the money contributed. With a "njangi", you are obligated to save a certain amount of money and wait your turn until you can collect. As a housewife, this is another great way you can save something for yourself. Some women pinch out their "chop money" just to be able to play their "njangi" while some other women go as far as "stealing" (some women will say it's " strategic taking" not "stealing") their husband's money just to be able to play their njangi. 

Concluding

Financial Planning and management is a very important skill to develop as a housewife with limited budget. With all these tips, you can use to save enough to even start up a business, and ofcourse secure your financial goals.