Maria Menounos Shares Tips on Saving Money While Raising a Family (Exclusive)

Maria Menounos's family has grown now that she and her husband, Kevin Undergaro, welcomed a baby girl in June. And because of that, the 45-year-old host and actress is doing what she can to save money while raising a family. PopCulture.com recently spoke to Menounos about the things she does to enjoy parenthood while on a budget. 

"Yeah, it's really hard. As a new mom, you're marketed to in such a big way, and it's hard to know what you really need," Menounos told PopCulture. "So I relied on my friends to tell me what I really needed and I didn't get sucked into buying a lot of clothes. We know they're going to grow out of them. I just had enough to know that she's going to spit up and we're going to have to throw it in the laundry, so we know we're going to be committed to doing laundry throughout the day. I just got enough things that we could recycle and keep using, so she's wearing the same outfits. I don't care. I don't care about what she's wearing. I just care about her. She doesn't need to look so cute in every picture. People get so caught up in all of these things. For me, it's her face lighting up. That's all I care about."

But Menounos isn't just saving money as a parent. The former Extra and E! News host also has done her share of work on her home without the help of professionals. "So the way I've done it, first of all, we're Greek, we DIY," Menounos explained. "We don't hire anyone to do anything that we can do. So my dad, my husband, and I, and my mom before she passed, we've always done our own work. The way I love doing it is I love getting inspiration from TikTok and Instagram and Pinterest because you're seeing so many innovative people that are doing things on budgets. So many Apartment DIY people that are figuring out how to change things with a coat of paint."

Menounos's knack for saving has led to her partnering with Straight Talk Wireless. As a VIP (value-interested person), the Emmy Award winner encourages Straight Talk Wireless members to upgrade or switch their unlimited gold or platinum plan to get a free Walmart+ membership. 

"A Walmart+ member is saving about $1,300 a year. It's really big savings for families, especially now," she said. "And what this package includes, for example, is free deliveries on your groceries to your doorstep. So you're running around, you're busy, you're going to make dinner, you realize you're missing some ingredients and the kids are screaming. Walmart will deliver your groceries to your doorstep for free. That's amazing. 

"You also get free shipping on things that you order through there. You get free Paramount+ streaming. Maybe you didn't have it before. You have a favorite show like Bar Rescue, a show I've frequented and love. Now you get that for free. You get savings on gas, which Thanksgiving, a lot of people are traveling. You're going to need that savings on your gas. Then, or just in general because they're so high, the prices right now, they'll have early holiday access to deals and so much more, so it's a really big value for people. It's a really big deal that they put together with Walmart+, and I'm really excited to share it with everybody."