Being a parent in this world is hard, but doing it alone with one income is like using a dry rotted rubber band and hoping it doesn’t snap.

There are many things you can do to stretch your income to fit your needs, such as setting a budget, being frugal, using coupons, and utilizing rebate apps.

Setting a budget and sticking to it should be your #1 go to when it comes to controlling your money. once you know exactly how much your set bills are you can make sure they are paid first then you can distribute what you have left if you have any left (if your anything like I was when I started that’s not the case) or you can see how much more money you actually need per month and where you can cut expenses.

being frugal is not about being cheap, its about finding the value in everything and getting the most for your money. sometimes its worth it to buy something you need that’s more expensive that will last longer. buy quality clothing and furniture second hand, buy a new car (with a payment that you can afford) that has a maintenance warranty so you don’t have to worry about paying for the oil changes and the yearly inspections. invest in a freezer for stocking up on food when it is in sale/clearance.

using coupons can be daunting but they can save you a lot of money. now a days its easy! you can do everything through store apps on your phone. there are plenty of amazing women on Instagram that post coupon hauls every week that are vary helpful, gmecoupons, couponing_dealswithkayla, torok.coupon.hunter are a few of my favorites.

Rebate apps can be a saving grace when it comes to stretching your budget. i use the fetch rewards app (use referral code G2VFW for a bonus) and Ibota (Use code btfsoqo for $5)