Bad economy got you spooked? We know you moms are Secretaries of the Family Treasury. That's why we've put together 101 of our best money-saving ideas to help you cut back on spending without scrimping on living. From saving big at the supermarket to answering your kids' tough money questions, we're here to bail you out of financial troubles.

1. Leave your money at home.
You can't spend it if you don't bring it. Check out 21 other Why-didn't-I-think-of-that easy money tips from moms.

 22 Moms' Money Saving Tips

2. Demolish your debt.
They're living on an annual income of just $27,600, but if Keiko Kasai and Mike Hazekamp can make regular monthly payments of $350 on their $8,000 debt, they'll be debt-free in less than two years.

 3 Real Money Makeovers

3. Cancel your gym membership if you're pregnant.
Because, let's get real, you're not going to have time to go to the gym for a while, and if you're about to become a parent, now's the perfect time to save. Even if you spend $50 per month and visit twice a week, that's still more than $6 per workout. Go for a daily walk instead.

 More in The Get-Real Money Guide for New Moms

4. Pregnant or not, just work out at home.
Nobody has to see how you look in spandex, and you save major cash -- it's a win-win!

 No Sweat Pregnancy Workout
 Easy Exercises for moms
 More Easy Exercises for moms
 More Workouts (Love Your New-Mom Body)
 Home workouts
 Home Workouts

5. Go generic on diapers and wipes.
The quality of store-brand diapers has gotten way better over the years. They're often made by the same manufacturers as the brand-name stuff!

 Easy Money: 7 Ways to Save on Baby Basics

6. Consider leasing a car.
With a lease, you'll pay less per month than you would repaying a car loan.

 Pros and Cons to Buying and Leasing a Car

7. Buy white eggs instead of brown.
They're equally nutritious, and they'll save you about $.40 a dozen.

 Supermarket Savings: Shopping for Breakfast
 Eating Green

8. Don't worry if the neighbors pay your sitter more.
If she didn't like working for you, she wouldn't, right? Don't feel guilty -- you've got a budget to think about, too.

 Reality Check: Less Pay for Equal Work?

9. Use the web's best free financial tools.
Use the internet to figure out how to pay down your debt and how much you'll have to save for college.

 The Best Financial Websites

10. Stock up on toys and save.
Buy toys on sale and store 'em til you need 'em. Bonus benefit: You've got instant birthday gifts and no pre-party panic.

 More Instant Money Savers

11. Or rent toys instead of buying them.
You do it with movies and now you can do it with toys. Clear the clutter (and stave off your kid's cool-toy envy) with this awesome new toy rental service.

 Smart, Fun Finds
 Babyplays.com

12. Send a snail mail complaint when you get a faulty product.
Your letter is more likely to get a response (and maybe a refund).

 The Best Way to Complain

13. Have a yard sale.
Talk about a two-fer -- you can empty your cluttered garage AND get some cold, hard cash.

 Yard Sale Know-How

14. Get coupons for formula and baby food online.
Sign up on Gerber, Beech-Nut, Enfamil, Similac, and other manufacturer's sites for free coupons that go straight to your inbox.

The Best Coupon Sites for Mom
 More Saving Strategies

15. Track where each and every one of your dollars goes for 30 days.
It's a pain at first, but it's the best way to figure out what you can do without.

 How Will I Pay for Everything

16. Set some financial goals.
After you've figured out exactly where every dollar is going, look at your budget and see if anything can be trimmed. Aim to cut back with tricks like brown-bagging your lunch, cutting out premium cable and reducing your cell phone service.

 How to Stretch Your Paycheck

17. The early bird gets the deal.
Start buying your holiday presents before Thanksgiving. Everything's in stock, and you'll feel less pressure to empty your wallet for what's left on the shelves.

 Give More, Spend Less
 Getting the Best Bargains

18. Skip organic bread, cereal and pasta.
Grains tend to have lower pesticide residues than produce does, anyway.

 Are Organics Worth It?

19. Shift your credit card balance.
Moving your balance to a lower-rate credit card can slash your interest payments and reduce the amount of time it takes to get out of debt.

 Beat Your Bills!

20. Teach your child charity
Not only do you counter the "gimme" impulse, you'll also give them a boost in self-esteem when they realize they can help others.

 Teaching Your Child Charity

21. Lead by example.
Show your kid how to manage money by explaining which factors go into your decision to purchase. You'll be surprised at how much they can learn about value and worth.

 Spend Thrifts: Raising Money-Savvy Kids

22. Don't just tell your kids, "We can't afford that!"
You don't want to send the message that you think your kid is greedy. Explain what's realistic and what's not. They'll get it.

 Money messages you're sending your kids

23. If your child asks, "Are we poor?" or "Are we rich?", the answer is always no.
You don't want your child to think you've got bottomless pockets, but you don't want him to freak out about not having enough money for food.

 Answering Tough Money Questions

24. Join the Parenting Privileges cash back rewards program.
CASHIER: That'll be $226.37 for all the baby stuff you buy every week.
YOU: Hey, can I have some of that money back?
CASHIER: Sure.[CASHIER hands some of your money back to you.]

It's kind of like that, only for real. Earn over $1,000 cash back rewards just for buying the stuff you actually need (diapers and burp cloths, anyone?) from tons of stores, like Target.com, Gap.com, BabiesRUs.com, BarnesandNoble.com. If you're a Parenting magazine subscriber, you're already eligible. If you're not a subscriber yet, you can try the program for 90 days for free.

 Parenting Privileges

25. Help your child develop a simple plan for her allowance.
A good rule of thumb:
60% of her money goes into a savings jar
30% goes into a "quick cash" (spend freely) jar
10% goes into a giving to charity jar

 Raise a Money-Smart Kid

26. Ask for a moratorium on fund-raising.
Instead of breaking your niece's heart by refusing to buy peanut brittle from her, talk to the adults about keeping the solicitation to a minimum.

 Fund-Raising Overload
 Reality Check: Pushy Fund-Raiser

27. Open up the Bank of Mom.
Improve their allowance skills by teaching basic banking. If they have to write a check to Mom to pull money out, they'll think twice about spending their savings.

 Open a Kiddie Bank

28. If your hours at work have been cut, tell your kids the basic facts of your family's finances -- but spare them the details.
If you approach the changes in an upbeat manner, your kids will too.

 Reality Check: Tell Kids Money's Tight?

29. Don't give out monetary rewards for good grades.
You'll fail to provide the right motivation for working hard in school: the self-satisfaction that comes from doing your best.

 5 Worst Money Mistakes

30. If you lose your job, get a grip on your emotions.
It's frightening for a child to see a parent upset, so vent privately to other adults.

 Explaining a Job Loss to Kids

31. Empower your girls to be good with money.
Nine out of 10 women will be solely responsible for their own finances at some point in their lives, but by their early teens, they're only half as likely as boys their age to feel confident about their financial skills. Build their financial confidence by getting them involved with their allowances early.

 How to Help Your Kids Live as Well as (or Better Than) You

32. Take your kids to work.
Having a hard time explaining the extra hours you're putting in at work? Show them your office -- it'll help them visualize.

 Explaining Your Job to Your Kids

33. Leave your kids at home when you shop.
They'll avoid temptation; you'll avoid the "But I WANT it!" tantrums.

 Financial Growing Pains

34. Consider an Education Savings Account.
They'll help pay for kindergarten-through-12th-grade expenses, as well as college and graduate-school bills.

 The Best Way to Save for College

35. Write wills.
You may not want to think about it (who does?), but it's the best way to insure your children's future security. These days, you can even do it online.

 Wills: What Every Parent Needs to Know
 Money Makeovers

 Safe and Secure

36. Spend 15 minutes a week talking with your partner about money.
Money has to be a couple thing, and two heads are always better than one.

 Money Lessons for Mom

37. Get the right life insurance policy for your family.
Both of you should get insured whether you work or not. If the unthinkable happens, your partner would have to pay for childcare, and there would be less money available for the essentials.

 Easy Money: The Best Life Insurance Policy
 How to Get a Deal on Life Insurance
 Reality Check: Guardian Angel

38. Learn about 529 plans.
Your money can grow tax-free in this state-run investment account for college.

 Saving Toward a College Fund
 Ways to Save for College

39. Buy your baby's current size and the next size up when clothes are on sale.
You'll be ready when she grows into the next size.

 Expert Money-Saving Tips

40. Replace your lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs
They use two-thirds less energy and last ten times longer, and they're only a buck or two more than regular bulbs.

 Bright Ideas

41. Attach lower-flow faucet aerators.
They're cheap (a couple of bucks each) and can save money on your water bill.

 Save Water, Save Money!

42. Seek professional help for compulsive shopping.
Take charge of a destructive shopping habit by its possible causes.

 Becoming a Postpartum Shopaholic

43. Eat in.
You can use paper plates and prepared food so it's less work, and it'll still be cheaper than going out.

 The Mommy Money Diaries
 8 Heat and Eat Recipes: Make-Ahead Meals
 Kid-Friendly Recipes

44. Calculate whether you should work or stay at home.
Tabulate the costs -- your childcare savings might offset your lost paycheck.

 Should You Quit Work?
 Foolproof Finance

45. Reduce surprise expenses.
Sign up for no-cost "even-pay" budget plans with your gas and electric companies. Voila: no more surprise $400 heating bills in the middle of the winter.

 Ease Your Money Worries

46. Bank what you resist spending.
Every time you talk yourself out of an impulse buy, like a pricey pair of shoes, transfer that amount into your savings account. You'll be amazed at how much you'll have in the bank by the end of the year.

 Save (at Least) $1,000 a Year

47. Drive down car payments.
Financial planners say that car payments should be less than 5% of a family's pre-tax income. If you've got two nice cars, consider selling one and replacing it with an older, used car that you can buy outright.

 Family Money Makeovers

48. Haggle over a new car.
If you're trading in your old vehicle, don't mention it until you've already settled on a price. Otherwise, the dealer will take that into account when he makes you his "best" offer. Better yet, use the Parenting.com Cars for Moms website to find a great deal.

 New Baby, New Car

49. Find out if your company offers benefits for adoptive parents.
Your company may offer similar benefits to those given for pregnancy, including paid leave, unpaid leave and reimbursement for adoption fees.

 Benefits for Adoptive Parents

50. Leave the stress of work at the office.
With e-mail, phones, Blackberrys and home computers, it's becoming harder to separate work and family lives. But unless you set boundaries for yourself, you may risk burning out on stress. Fight the frazzle by setting some ground rules on work and home.

 How to Leave Work at the Office

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