11 Frugal Ways To Prepare Your Family for Cold and Flu Season

by Amy Keeley

Don’t let a cold infect your finances. Prepare for flu season the frugal way so you can better take care of your family and your budget.

Nothing breaks finances like illness.

When you’re sick, trips to the doctor, over-the-counter medicines, and comfort foods with little nutrition can quickly knock down whatever plans you originally had for your paycheck.

Though no one can tell how bad an illness will be in advance, by taking these frugal steps to prepare for cold and flu season, you can minimize the damage it’ll do, both to your health and bank account.

Frugal Ways To Prepare for Cold and Flu Season

These steps won’t cost you a lot of time or money to do, but they will certainly save you time and money later.

1. Have easy and quick meals on hand.

Prepare a menu, if you can, for at least three days (preferably seven) of stomach-friendly foods that don’t make the illness worse and keep it in an easily locatable location. Make whatever you can from this menu in advance and store it however best suits the item.

Purchase soups and juices on sale for your pantry (or can them yourself) and freeze bananas and other fruits if your kids like cold smoothies for their throats.

If you like fresh juices, build up a small amount of cash specifically for use during an illness so your food budget won’t suffer too much (cash is necessary if you have to ask someone else to buy the food for you).

2. Keep the towels, sheets and blankets clean and ready.

This can be very difficult with kids, but if you find yourself with three people all throwing up at once, you’ll be glad you did this.

3. Do your best to keep up with the housework as a regular routine.

Learn about sanitary practices in the home and apply them.

If your family is allergic to chemicals, do your best to learn alternatives. Consider making your own natural cleaners with some of these recipes. Or learn how to keep your house clean with just four ingredients.

4. Learn some basic herbal remedies for simple colds.

A favorite for sore throats is a combination of honey, pressed garlic, and cayenne pepper. For the kids, use red raspberry, yarrow, or chamomile tea with a little bit of honey.

Or you can try a few of these inexpensive natural chest remedies.

Sign Up for Savings

Subscribe to get money-saving content by email that can help you stretch your dollars further.

Twice each week, you'll receive articles and tips that can help you free up and keep more of your hard-earned money, even on the tightest of budgets.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

5. Reduce the clutter.

Not only does clutter make it difficult to move around when you’re sick and attracts dust and who knows what else, but it also has a tendency to depress your spirits. (See How Much Is Clutter Costing You?)

6. Keep a section devoted to tips specific to your family in a folder or notebook.

Things like a particular juice your daughter likes, or a food someone has a tendency to crave should be included.

Herbal remedies can also go in this section. Keep them in your recipe book for easy access.

7. Make sure you have a way to pay for a doctor (medical fund or insurance).

Colds and flu can usually be treated at home, but you never know when a complication like pneumonia can show up.

If an emergency does arise, take these steps to make sure your hospital bill is right.

8. Clean the air in your house.

According to the EPA, air that doesn’t circulate can make you sick.

You don’t need a fancy ventilation system to freshen the air. Just open some windows. Make sure you’ve got windows open on both sides of the house so you get a cross-breeze and keep the doors open so the air can easily circulate. Fans also help.

Having plants in a room also reduces toxins and increases humidity. If you decide not to get any plants, just making sure the filter in your air conditioner or heater is clean will help.

9. Have friends who are able and willing to brave the illness to help.

Know who you can call if an emergency happens and you need help. Be prepared in case both parents fall ill, especially if you have young children.

10. Learn how to manage stress.

Though it has yet to be conclusively proven, there is evidence that stress depresses the immune system and makes it more likely that you’ll get sick.

Take a moment each day to pause, breathe, smile and relax. It doesn’t have to be long; just a few minutes will do wonders. These low-cost ways to reduce stress can help.

11. Instill good habits in your kids.

Teach them when and how to wash their hands, keep their bodies clean, take care of their rooms and help out around the house. Cleanliness is the best way to avoid illness.

As you can see, these steps to preparing for cold and flu season aren’t too time-consuming or too expensive.

Will you be ready for the first sneeze of the season?

Editor’s note: Please see your doctor for any serious illness. Never put your health in jeopardy to save money.

Reviewed October 2023

Wouldn't you like to be a Stretcher too?

Subscribe to get our money-saving content twice per week by email and start living better for less.