To ask what you do to save money?

[time4change2020]

DP and I are gonna go try to overhaul our finances next year. We currently have no savings behind us and I would like a bit of a safety net to fall onto if we need to.

This year has been particularly hard financially and I've finally said that it's time to change.

What do you do to save money?

This is such a great thread.

We swapped to Aldi/Lidl as much as we can despite the nearest being a 25 min drive.

Use the Lloyds save the change.

Use Now TV and cancel when not using to get better offers to entice you back.

Sell lots on Facebook or eBay - toys like sylvanian families or Playmobil can make you a lovely pot of cash!

I've had to take over the finances and that has helped us a lot.

We changed banks to one with a much much easier banking app (Lloyds) it's so much easier to keep track.

A family member paid something off for me as I was near paying it off but the interest was ridiculous, I pay them the same amount but now only have two months left because with no interest I've been able to pay it off quickly.

Still work to do here, but threads like these are incredibly helpful.

Good luck OP.

So much good advice here. I run my washing machine and dishwasher on the "shoulder rates" as they call them in Australia. Cool washes on minimum temperatures until machine signals a hygiene wash then in go the whites and tea towels.

Line dry.

Close doors and only heat rooms used.

Turn off non-fridge related devices at the power outlet, save on standby.

Shop at Aldi and go online for bargains on stuff they don't sell, e.g. my dog's dry food, as they don't like changes.

Buy meat when cheap and freeze (though I can't believe how much kangaroo has increased in price).

Laborious, but download your bank statements for last 12 months into Excel.

That told me I need to cut out the coffee/hot snack at the station.

Also by far the biggest saver has been meal planning.

Switch to cheapest deals- broadband, mobile etc.

Quid Co is worth using, I made about £20 last year.

Cut toiletries- I switched from shower gel to lovely organic soaps.

Also creating an annual budget in Excel, saddo that I am.

I have my salary paid into my current account where all my fixed bills and direct debits are paid from and then I transfer a set amount to my Monzo account.

The Monzo app is brilliant as it updates your balance in real time, you can set budgets for different things like groceries, transport costs for commuting and entertainment etc.

Bulk buy, bulk cook, bulk batch cook. Saves loads.

Costco card : a pp mentioned theirs, it really helps to buy stuff in bulk.

Always take a picnic/snack/water bottle when out and about.

Pack up for work lunch.

Look out for online offers on stuff you fancy doing I. E. I just got zoo tickets at %50 off.

Sign up for emails from companies you like, they'll often send you a discount coupon.

Look for vegetarian alternatives to meat, for example cooking with lentils and chickpeas.

Save at the start of the month.

Meal plan

Don't buy takeaway coffee or lunches

The small stuff adds up

Loads of good tips here.

Not read the full thread so apologies if this has already been suggested but quite honestly the thing I've found most useful when money is really tight (and when I'm not housebound so likely to be spending more) is to use cash

Wherever possible!

Seeing it spent and reduce in clear physics terms really makes an impact

I've even done separate purses for separate budgets at points - a purse for groceries, a purse for clothes and shoes, a purse for dds needs, a purse for personal stuff...

And when that money for that budgets gone it's gone!

It's so so easy to spend now with cards and transfers and contactless - in a way that we're psychologically distanced from our spending I'm sure it contributes to the level of personal debt incurred.

But yes I also do all the things like review utilities and other services regularly (although I'm finding it very hard to leave my gas & elec supplier) and get rid of subscriptions when I'm no longer using them enough.

And when planning infrequent purchases I try and find the best quality for the price I can afford. Make use of special offers and sales periods.

Not just wait until sales but use sales for "pre-emptive" buying eg when dd was little I'd buy her summer gear in the jan sales and her winter gear in summer sales - until they're teens they're not that fussed about fashions and the styles actually don't change that much in a 6-12 month period!

At one point I bought 3 winter coats in a great sale in mothercare that did her the next 3 years for less than £5 per coat!

I also do spreadsheets and balance them with my actual spending - if anything I've a bad habit of trying to set myself too strict a budget that's impossible to stick to and stressing myself out

I also struggle to remind myself inflation exists and find myself trying to stick to the same budget for a category for years on end!

So it's good to review and occasionally actually increase a category as is realistic.

Anyway hope the thread and my post are genuinely helpful to you op and maybe others too

Switch from shower gels to soap. You can get a 4 pack in wilko for a £1 which will last months.
Use washing powder instead of pods and use half the amount stated to use. Makes no difference as the clothes still come out clean.
Line or aired dry where possible using the dryer as little as possible.
Go through your waldrobe, sell or donate anything you dont or won’t wear again. Then mix and match for outfits with what you have left. Don’t impulse purchase clothing and only replace items as needed.
Do the same with shoes and trainers. Don’t go to the shops to fill a Saturday afternoon.

Stay out and of Costa coffee, Starbucks or any other coffee shop.
Go food shopping after you have eaten so hunger doesn’t tempt you to buy stuff you don’t need.

No one needs gel stuck on their nails. Buy a pack of £1 nail files grow your own nails and shape them yourself.
If you have an expensive hair dresser habit that you don’t think you can drop completely try adding a couple of extra weeks between appointments.

If you have young kids do more free stuff with them. The park is free and dressed appropriately it doesn’t matter if it is a bit cold and wet. You don’t need to spend pounds going to soft play so they can wear off some energy. Nor do they need 24 hour entertainment. Does them good to be left to entertain themselves for a while rather than continuously paying out to keep them entertained.

I never pay full price for shoes or clothes except for essentials that are rarely on sale e.g. underwear, leggings etc. - it's so easy to get most things you need in the sale because they seem to happen multiple times a year.

With food, I always write a list before shopping and usually take lunch to work rather than buying out.

We don't go on holiday a lot - if we have time off work we'll often go on days out locally instead of staying away.

Go to money saving expert and get started.

Stop spending on stuff yo7 don’t need ..it really is that easy.

Go through bank statements and work out where your money is go8ng.

Sort out essentials.

Then don’t spend on anything but essentials for a month, that top, skirt, whatever will still be there or something v similar.

We are no longer broke, but we were.

Our top tip was to have a takeaway every pay day Friday, BUT you do the main course at home, chicken in garlic sauce with rice or whatever and you just order the starters from the Chinese/Indian etc so you still feel you had a treat but it was twenty pounds not fifty or sixty. They have to be for sharing or the all in it together feeling is lost.

Ditto washing powder not pods, mix and match Finish dishwasher tablets with Lidl or Aldi, if it doesn;t quite come up clean use a Finish one on the next cycle, on the ones that didn't hit the mark.

Decent heat source in the TV room, and heating off a 9.00 everyhwere else, extra blankets on the bed and hot water bottles in beds.

Echo what some pp have said. Cut back on non essentials like coffee etc and take a flask of nice coffee with me from home. Less frequent take aways, meals out, take lunch to work, batch cook.

We also have lots of separate savings accounts which money goes in to the day after pay day, one for car (servicing, tax, tyres etc), kids activities, holiday, house essentials/rainy day. We also put money into regular savers for us and the kids which can't be touched until the end of the year. We didn't start with huge amounts in each account but as wages have increased we have gradually increased it by small amounts. It means nothing is a shock, eg when all the subs for kids sports teams are due in sept we have the money to pay.

Get pregnant

The activity one is a good one to remember, sounds silly but with things like swimming, gymnastics etc you can find yourself having to pay £75 extra that month, and it can throw your budget off. I’ve created pots for each activity and put a set amount aside each month so that when the next fee is due, it’s already been allocated. Monzo also lets you pay a direct debit directly from a pot, which is helpful to keep aside from your variable expenses.

Move your bank account often to those offering freecash if you transfer.

I treat savings like paying a bill. I wouldn't contemplate not paying the Council Tax or utilities, and it is the same with savings. It is budgeted into the outgoings and comes out on pay day.

Nadisel I have a “spare” bank account with 2 direct debits for this purpose..

If you want a food treat then try

To good to go app

They have my local Chinese restaurant on there and we can spend £3.50 instead of £10 on food to good to throw away

Reusable sanitary pads. Much more comfortable and fresh to wear. I just bung them in a 60 degree wash.

Ask your children which activities they really enjoy. My DD does 2 and DS does one a week. No more rushing around after school, stressing out, using extra petrol and paying out on things they don't want to do.

Never use Tesco Club card vouchers in store. Restaurant deals are OK but not as good as they used to be. We tripled ours for a hotel stay which was excellent value and a real treat.

Instead of buying a new lawnmower etc see if there's a neighbour who can lend you theirs in exchange for the loan of something you have. Swap services eg babysitting for DIY.

Let the kids wash the car instead of paying for a car wash - they love it!

Wait a couple of days extra before food shopping and have a freezer and cupboard challenge.

Kids love making jelly, icing biscuits with sweets, making their own sandwiches for an indoor picnic. Cheap and fun.

Have a present drawer (under bed drawers work well). Pop in any duplicate or unwanted gifts. Pick up reduced bits in sales as you see them. Great for birthdays of DCs friends and helps to get you organised. Buy cards for 29p in Home Bargains or Card Factory, a few at a time. Reuse gift bags.

Go out and about after a big cooked breakfast at home or a big cooked lunch. Less likely to snack if not hungry!

Use YNAB (you need a budget). Hands down the best thing I've ever done and I've completely changed my financial position in quite a short space of time. It's incredible

Have a per month budget, record all spending.
I'm pretty well off right now but had debt in the past and that was how I got on top of it.

Regular savings, so save when get paid immediately

Cash back on purchases

Never auto renew insurance, utilities

Bulk buy some items like toilet roll

Packed lunch

Yellow sticker food, last week 2x pastries for 5 pence, similar price bread, vegetables, make soup & freeze

Pay into pension

Buy from charity shops & car boot sales

Use apps for free local food

You need to have a budget and account for every penny you spend
If you have any debt this needs to be paid off and you need an emergancy fund

im on a low income but im starting the 1p challenge. day 1- 1p day 2- 2p etc you end up with £667.95 once completed. if i have £5 in my purse i will use it and mark off higher and lower amounts til its used up. i have the template off google (using the playpennies one). template on this link www.playpennies.com/features/the-playpennies-1p-saving-challenge-169894

Before purchasing anything I ask myself “Do I need this? Or do I just want this?” If I need it I get it, if I just want it I don’t get it.

Savings go out day after pay day but I also check my account the day before payday and move anything extra to savings as well.