9 Forgotten Family Savings Goals – How to Save as a Busy Mom!

One of the top ways to stay out of debt and learn how to budget is to learn how to save money strategically through Family Savings Goals. If you are a busy mom like me, you may have great intentions to save money but it slips your mind by the time you get around to it.

Getting to the bank to put money in savings can be difficult, so let me let you share with you my favorite way to save money on the go. The new SmartyPig Savings App is like a piggy bank in your pocket! It helps you save money right from your phone, making saving money easier than ever!

Today I want to talk to you about those last minute family savings goals that you should be saving for as a busy parent and how to use the SmartyPig App to help!

Here is how you use their new app:

If you’re an existing SmartyPig customer:

1. If you already have an account, simply download the SmartyPig App in the Apple or Google Play Store (the app is currently available for Apple and Android devices).
2. Accept the Terms and Conditions. Read and scroll all the way through the conditions before you hit “Accept”.
3. You’ll see all your SmartyPig goals in the mobile app!

If you’re brand new to SmartyPig:

1. First, visit www.smartypig.com and open a new account.
2. Then, download the SmartyPig App in the Apple or Google Play Store (the app is currently available for Apple and Android devices).
3. Accept the Terms and Conditions. Read and scroll all the way through the conditions before you hit “Accept”.
4. You’ll see all your SmartyPig goals in the mobile app!

It really is THAT easy! There are so many ways to save money on the go. One tip is that when your kids ask you for something, open up the SmartyPig App and create a goal for that idea. This will help jog your mind when you sit down to write out all of your personal savings goals.

Family Savings Goals:

I talked about how to budget and save money in a previous post, but I want to talk about those last minute savings goals that you may not think about.

1. Kids chore money – Do you ever forget about budgeting your money for chores? I don’t pay my kids a weekly chore amount but do pay them for larger tasks around the house. 
2. Sporting Expenses – New Cleats, Sports Pictures, mouth guards, travel, etc. When a child plays sports, it can get pricey. Look at what you spent last year in sporting expenses and create a savings goal in the SmartyPig App to help budget for it all year long.
3. Report Card Bonuses –  We like to give our kids a gift if they do well on their report card. This can get pricey because we have 6 kids, so we like to plan ahead.
4. Family Vacations –  I talk about saving for vacations all the time, but what about those weekend trips away that are last minute? If you find yourself doing this a lot, start saving for them so you don’t go into debt. This will also help you not disrupt your budget.
5. Haircuts – This can go in the budget too! It seems to be one of those last-minute expenses that we know is coming up but don’t plan for it. 
6. Vehicles – We have 6 kids and that means a lot of used car purchases are in our future. We do have a deal worked out with them where we will match the money that they put in.
7. Cash to give the kids to go out to eat/movies with friends – This is something that is becoming more frequent since we have 2 teenagers in the house. This can get expensive, so set aside money into a Kids miscellaneous goal.
8. Last minute birthday party gifts – If your kids are like mine, they get invited to birthday parties often. Sometimes we can get hit with 4 of these parties in a single month, so setting up a savings goal and putting money into that goal every month will really help you save!
9. Clothing – I am specifically thinking about back to school clothing. Since we have so many children, back to school shopping is expensive. We usually give each kid under 10 $200 to spend and if you are over 10 you get $250. That is around $1400 for back to school. That doesn’t even include school supplies! We have a Savings Goals in our Smarty Pig account for Back to school clothing. 

There are so many different savings goals that you can create to fit your lifestyle. You should sit down and figure out where you typically go over budget. Forget to save for kids clothing? Do you not plan for vacations but take them anyway? Using the SmartyPig App can help set you up to save in seconds! This will help you stay on task, saving easily, and stop the debt cycle.

Sign up for the free SmartyPig App and put the piggy bank in your pocket today!

If you are interested in a blog post that walks you through how to use Smarty Pig, check that out my Smartypig Review.

DISCLOSURES:

SmartyPig Accounts are offered through Sallie Mae, Member FDIC.

Please note, Lauren Cobello was compensated by Sallie Mae for this article but the views and opinions expressed herein are her own.