1. Put Housing First
2. Set Up an Emergency Fund
3. Save Loose Change
4.Review Your Cell Phone Plan and Usage
Can you make changes to your cell phone plan? Could you give up a few gigs of data each month? How many calls do you make each month, really?

5. Reduce Entertainment Costs
In many household budgeting plans, one of the first things to go is the “entertainment budget.” While TV, movies, and games can be a great way to relax and relieve stress, they are often seen as unnecessary expenses. So, many tips for budgeting when money is tight recommend cutting or reducing entertainment costs.

One quick way you can improve your entertainment budgeting is to cancel your cable and sign up for a streaming service like Netflix. Look for home internet data plans that work with your income and usage to maximize your family budgeting for entertainment.

6. Visit Your Local Library
Here’s another way to improve your entertainment budgeting: Visit your local library! Most libraries let you rent DVDs and books for free. They also host free events, seminars, and story time for children. Plus, who couldn’t use a little quiet time during their hectic week!

7. Check Out Community Activities
Most families enjoy having their children participate in extracurricular activities, but these activities can be expensive. So, how can you enjoy some outdoor time with the family on a low-income budget?

8. Decrease Expenses Instead of Cutting Them Out
You may be wondering how to drastically cut expenses. However, making large cuts to family budgeting plans can be extremely stressful. Make a plan and stick to it, but be reasonable when making changes to your budget!

9. Reduce Food Expenses

• Look for coupons and check out flyers, and apps like FlashFood. Every little bit helps your family budgeting efforts.
• Shop generic versus name-brands. Most of the time, these food items are near-identical to the “name brand” ones, but cost a lot less so you can get more bang for your buck!
• Always look for cost-friendly stores and those that price match. These stores can help you not only save money, but reduce your time spent shopping and gas by letting you get everything in one place.
• Write down to your monthly food expenses. Take a look at where you’re spending money on food and how much. This can be useful for finding new ways to cut down on your food costs.
• Stock up on non-perishable food and avoid over-buying food products with short shelf lives. While getting fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and other basic food groups in your diet is important, buying too much perishable food at once can waste money when you have to throw it out. It is a great idea to do some meal planning so you do not get too many tomatoes for example, and then not eat them all and they go bad. . Instead, stock up on non-perishables like canned beans and vegetables when they’re on sale can help you save money in the long run.
• When buying fresh produce, you can always cut up and freeze to keep for longer periods of time. This is a great time to buy in bulk or when items you like are on sale.
• Make a grocery list and stick to it.
• Bring a calculator or use your phone, to stay on budget!
• Avoid shopping when you’re hungry. Funny, but it is a fact!
• Don’t throw out food on it’s “best by” date.
• Know the Sales Cycle and Stock Up When Things Are on Sale.