Top tips for making small/medium savings?

[Analysisandparalysis]

I‘d really like to make this the year I overhaul general spending / outgoings and make a real effort to have more saved at the end of the year than spent (for once!).

I’d love to hear tips from anyone on how to save, even in small ways that add up over time.

Currently it feels like I am overspending all over the place - food shop, various subscriptions, Amazon random stuff ordering(!) and that sort of thing. We don’t drink much alcohol, probably eat out once a month, but end up getting take-aways every couple of weeks, so I don’t feel that’s a huge expense.

Have been trying to source kids clothes from Vinted etc, but can’t seem to get my shit together to sell the piles of stuff that don’t fit etc.. To be fair, I lack time with work, kids, housework, husband with ADHD (he really tries, but needs constant direction/reminders) etc..

Anyway, ramble over! Send tips 💗🙏🏻

1. Everything gets separated into pots - spending pots, and sinking pots, using an account like Monzo or Starling.
2. Savings get treated as a bill. They get removed day after payday by standing order into an account barely ever touched or seen, ideally not convenient to withdraw from (once you have a rainy day stash).
3. Any purchase gets subject to Martin Lewis questions - Do I need it? Can I afford it? Will I use it?
4. Longer term financial education occurs through dedicated study of blogs and podcasts by personal finance experts such as MSE, Dave Ramsey (slightly US based) and so on - on money overhauls, pensions, savings, mortgages etc.

Food shop - swap to cheaper supermarket, downgrade to own brand/basics ranges, meal plan to avoid buying stuff you don't need, use common sense instead of BB/Use By dates to avoid waste. freeze stuff that you won't use before it goes out of date.

Packed lunches for you? DH and kids rather than buying stuff out and about. Hot drinks in a flask rather than takeaway coffees etc

Amazon - remove payment cards from the account so that you have to enter payment details every time you buy something - makes it much more obvious when you are spending and gives you time to think.

Have a really close look at the 'random stuff ordering'..Did you buy it because you were bored, needed a little pick me up? Next time, leave it in the basket for 24 hours and see if the urge has passed by then. Try cutting down to one takeaway a month, or do a fakeaway instead.

Go through all your subscriptions and pare them down to the essentials, and then have a detailed look at your food shop. Are there lots of little treats every week, prepared food which saves a bit of time but costs more?

Start tracking your spending on an Excel spreadsheet. Put in every transaction as you go, along with the shop/what it was for, and put it into categories (groceries, transport, etc., depending on what your spending is on).

This in itself may motivate you to spend a little less, so that spreadsheet totals are lower, by providing a sort of accountability to yourself. It may also help you to identify where you can cut things down.

What are your subscriptions for? How much use do you get out of them? What sort of 'random stuff' are you ordering from Amazon? This seems like an obvious thing to cut out.

I have saved a fortune batch cooking which also has health, time and sustainability benefits

Packed lunches save a fortune.

Can you cycle places? It's easy to make small savings on petrol add up to a tank or so of petrol a month.

Make sure you're efficient by planning ahead - one trip instead of two, bulk order to save on deliveries. Try and get caught out as little as possible.

Never look at the middle height aisles in the supermarket. Look at floor or ceiling height.

Pad out meat dishes with red lentils.

Leave all on-line purchases in your shopping basket for at least 48 hrs and go back and halve.

Declutter and organise your house so you can see what you have, take care of it, and use it appropriately.

Whether in a car or on public transport get out, or off, a distance away from your destination and walk.

Buy a man’s wool jumper from M&S and start wearing it in the house and turn down the heating a couple of degrees.

Stop buying lots of different cleaning materials and laundry products which are extortionately expensive! Buy Nancy Birtwhistle’s books and learn to make your own with washing up liquid, clear industrial vinegar bicarbonate of soda. That combo cleans and washes most things!

• Set up a standing order to savings each month
• Switch between subscriptions
• Create a separate pocket money account

I tip my council tax for March and April (I’m on a 10 mth payment cycle) straight into a Monzo pot. One month goes to Cmas presents and the other to summer days out.

I also “allow” myself a certain amount of petrol per month - for me it’s one tank. So it’s up to me to try and walk and cycle as much as poss so that I don’t use up all my fuel before the end of the month.

Cut out the takeaways. You can make better, quicker and cheaper food at home, with a bit of planning.