After becoming a mother at just 19 and having three children by the age of 25, Alix Mahy learned a lot about living on a very tight budget. She shares eight invaluable tips to help you ensure your kids get everything they need (and even some of the things they just want).
Being thrifty doesn’t have to mean your kids feel like they’re missing out. For me, it’s less about saying no to everything and more about knowing where to spend and where not to. I’ve got a few habits that save us a surprising amount each week without my kids even noticing. Here’s how my family does it.
1. Shop clearance all-year-round
Every week I duck into The Warehouse and check the clearance section for things I might not need right now but inevitably will. Clothes my childrens' next size up, homewares, birthday gifts.
I keep a list on my phone split into three categories: urgent, eventual, and want. If something’s not urgent I wait for clearance. And if it sits around for too long on my 30 days I question whether I actually need it.
I also check for minor imperfections like scuffs or damaged packaging and ask customer service if they’ll mark it down. You’d be surprised how often they say yes.
And a few days after any big seasonal event, Easter, Christmas, Halloween, get in fast. Shops need to clear stock quickly and the markdowns are steep. I’ve grabbed hundreds of dollars’ worth of Christmas decorations for next to nothing, boxed them up, and forgotten about them until December. They feel brand new.
2. Be strategic about birthdays and Christmas
For birthdays and Christmas I start thinking three to six months out. I keep a list of gift ideas, then look out for clearance deals, marketplace finds, or secondhand things I can clean up. Our budgets are set and we don’t move them: $100 per child for birthdays, $50 from us and $50 from Santa at Christmas, plus $30 on each stocking. I also add things they need anyway: new shoes, clothes, a school backpack, so the pile looks bigger. And I share lists with family so everyone buys things we actually need. Future me is always grateful.
3. Don't equate treats with spending
Some of our favourite treats are completely free: a surprise trip to the park after school, lying on the trampoline looking at stars, or biking somewhere instead of driving. Movie nights and pancake dinners feel like a big deal to kids and cost almost nothing.
For bigger occasions we often ask family to gift experiences instead of more stuff, a zoo pass, a special outing, tickets to something. It reduces the pile of things nobody plays with, gives them something to look forward to, and memories. Kids will look back on those pancake dinners at 8pm on a Tuesday way longer than they will most of the things you’d buy them.
4. Get staunch about your grocery budget
After rent or mortgage, groceries are usually the next biggest expense and also the easiest place to quietly haemorrhage money. I set a weekly budget and treat it as a non-negotiable. Click and collect is one of the best tools for this. I can sit at home, fill my cart, then go through and remove anything that crept in before I check out. No kids grabbing things off shelves, no impulse buys at the checkout.
I plan seven dinners a week but don’t lock them to specific days, so I can stay flexible without wasting food. I also buy one or two discounted items each week, meat for the freezer, pantry staples on special.
Simple swaps help too; big tubs of Greek yogurt instead of pouches, home brand where it makes no difference, and homemade pizza bases or burger buns instead of buying them.
One thing I don’t skimp on is household essentials like dishwasher powder and toilet paper. Buying cheap versions ends up costing more in the long run. Know where to save and where not to.
5. Don't replace: reuse and rotate
You probably have more than you think. We rotate toys, books, puzzles and board games – just popping some out of sight for a spell and then bringing them back a few weeks later – so they feel fresh without us having bought anything new.
Hand-me-downs work the same way, whether it’s clothing, shoes, or toys for younger siblings, putting them away for a spell and bringing them out at the right time makes them feel new again.
Same goes for party supplies, keeping decorations neutral means you only need one or two themed items to pull a whole look together without buying a new set each time.
f you’ve got something you’re not currently using, box it up, put it away, and write it down somewhere. I keep a rough list of what’s in storage and where it lives. That way when you’re about to buy something you’re almost certain you already own, you can actually find it. It also teaches kids that things have value beyond the moment you first get them, which is a handy lesson.
6. Borrow before you buy
Before you buy something, ask yourself if you actually need to own it. Sports gear is the big one. If your kid wants to try a new sport and you’re not sure they’ll stick with it, borrow the gear first. Balls, pads, uniforms, ask around before spending money on something that might live in the garage after three weeks. Same goes for baby gear, camping equipment, power tools, anything you’ll use once or twice a year.
And if you’ve been eyeing a larger purchase like a kitchen appliance or a piece of exercise equipment, borrow one before you commit. I’ve talked myself out of more than one purchase by actually using something for a week and realising I wouldn’t use it enough to justify it. Ask friends, ask family, check local community pages. Most people are happy to lend something that’s just sitting there.
7. Don’t let 'normal' expectations inch up
Kids adapt quickly to whatever you make normal. If every weekend involves buying something new or every tantrum gets solved with a treat, that becomes the baseline and anything less feels like a punishment.
You don’t have to share every detail of your finances but you can be straightforward in age-appropriate ways. We don’t get the latest “thing” right now because we’re saving for something else. Your friend’s family does things differently and that’s fine, we do things our way. One kid getting an extravagant goody bag at a party doesn’t mean that becomes the new standard at your house. Normal is whatever you do consistently. Treats are special because they’re not every day.
8. Remember: your kids are watching and learning
Everything you do around money, your kids are watching. Comparing prices out loud, choosing the homebrand without making a big deal of it, waiting for something to go on sale instead of buying it immediately. These habits transfer.
Get your kids involved in small decisions early, let them choose between two options at the supermarket, give them a small budget for something and let them figure it out. Talk about value, not just price. And donate, lend, and share when you can. Kids who grow up seeing generosity as normal tend to be less fixated on accumulating stuff. The goal is raising kids who know the difference between what they want and what they actually need.
None of this has to be perfect. Some weeks the budget blows out, some weeks you nail it. But the goal is to make these habits feel so normal that you stop thinking about them. In a world that’s constantly telling you to buy more, upgrade more, and keep up with everyone else, there’s something quietly radical about just opting out of that. You’re not actively trying to be thrifty every single day. It just becomes how your family does things. Less noise, less stuff, less stress. And once it clicks, it’s genuinely easy.
For Alix Mahy's budget family food ideas, check out @onehandstirring on Instagram and TikTok.
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