Your Money Saving Tips

[lemons123]

I just want to know the little things (or big!) you do to save money!
I've quit my minimum wage job instead of returning after maternity as it would barely cover nursery costs and I'm going to be doing online university instead. My partner works in a restaurant and gets paid next to nothing. It's tough...
What are the things you do to help the pennies stretch?

1. Get your partner on-side . Can't do it if they're out and about splashing the cash

1. Suggest free / nearly free things with friends and family. If a friend wants to go out for dinner, offer to cook at yours. If your mum wants to go shopping, suggest a walk instead etc.

1. Make a realistic budget. Tonnes of apps and free spreadsheets for this. Write down each and every purchase and then at the end of the month see how you've done.

1. Put a ban on buying clothes unless 100% essential (eg your child has no winter coat that fits- obv they need a new one). Buy second hand/ use hand me downs.

1. Use less fuel. Ban short car trips. If you go out in the car, run multiple errands at once. Use a bike if you have one already.

1. Call your providers and get a better deal. Downgrade phone plans, internet speeds etc.

1. Give the dog scraps from dinner

1. Cook from scratch.

1. Meal plan every Sunday, shop for those ingredients only. Have a set amount of snacks that are gone when they're gone. Don't do top up shops no matter what!

10. Stop drinking / smoking / gambling or other vices.

11. Don't use the dryer, esp in this hot weather.

12. Do a game with the kids where they run around switching appliances off at the wall

13. Ditch the gym and go on a run instead. Or do free exercise vids on YouTube.

14. Downgrade your brands. If you buy Heinz usually go for the budget brand.

15. Only have one streaming service, rather than YouTube premium and Disney and Netflix and prime and now tv. Pick one per month! So this month you'll have Disney, next month netflix etc (or just use your friends logins )

Also think about making more money by selling things, getting a side hustle or a second job.

Good luck!

"Give the dog scraps from dinner"

🙄I suggest you eat scraps from dog's bowl.

Haha I'm good ta love.

Honestly - it was staying in work after having ds1, he's 6 now and my salary has increased by £12k in the time from returning when he was 9 months.

When I returned to work my daily rate was £61.50 and nursery was £50 a day, but it's been worth it a million times over now.

Have you looked into where you can save money where you would usually spend it anyways.

I use top cash back - you might have seen it advertised on the TV
I do things like my Tesco shop, utilities, sky, Asda George shopping for uniform ect.. through it and get cash back on those shops.

I save up the money though the year and then claim it to do the big Christmas shop.
I have saved £150 back already this year on things I would have bought anyways.

I have a link of anyone wanted to have a look.
I have a classic membership so it doesn’t cost me anything. I personally find it a really good way of just getting a bit back, it all helps. I even have it as a browsers icon on my laptop so I can see what stores give me the better cash back.

www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/lbucks

Can your partner get a better paying job? Restaurants are crying out for staff so can he look around for one that gives him at least full time hours and above NMW?

Can you do a couple of shifts a week while he's at home to look after DC? Many restaurants close early in the week, so you might be able to find something then? Even a couple of cleaning jobs will make a huge difference to your household finances.

• If you need (or want) anything (and I mean anything, food, clothes, gifts, beauty products), always try to get for free (NextDoor, Facebook marketplace, Gumtree, charity shops, Olio for food) or low cost. Almost all of my clothes (apart from bras) come from charity shop, which often sell things like shampoo, body lotion, soap and nice things you can use as birthday/christmas gifts.
• Food shopping: bulk buy useful ingredients (i.e. oats can be used for breakfast, to make veggie patties for dinner and to bake with, multipurpose, healthy, cheap).
• If you need anything new, always wait till the sale. With nice/branded things, I create a wish list at John Lewis and keep an eye on it, so I can snap it up as soon as it is on (decent) sale price.
• Use soap bar and shampoo bar instead of liquid staff. Better for the environment, lasts ages.
• Take navy style showers; turn on shower, wet hair and body, turn off shower to apply soap/shampoo, rinse. that way you barely need more than 1.30 minute of hot water.
• When you want something, ask yourself if you really, really need it?
• Get your hair cut (and coloured) at local beauty college - I rarely spend more than £30 on cut, colour and blow dry.
• Use dry shampoo to save on washing hair.
• Grown your own veg/fruit if possible, especially cost effective for herbs and salad leaves, which will grown on window sill/balcony and from seed.
• Make the most of free food you can get by foraging (currently there seem to be blackberries everywhere, which freeze well and can be easily turned into jam)
• Use Shepper or other apps for mystery shoppers to create a bit of side hustle.
• Get a (secondhand) bike (depending on where you live - I live in London and save hundreds of pounds by going almost everywhere by e-bike).
• If you already have a bike, get panniers, so it is easier to do (big) shops by bike.
• Charge any appliances at work/in a cafe/library/school.
• Buy a power bank and charge that outside the house too, so you have back up power at home to charge your mobile/tablet/any other device that will connect to USB (lamps for example).
• Buy solar lamps for indoor use (search on google, there are some nice looking ones and especially in spring/summer they should be sufficient for your evening lighting needs. For winter you might need to alternate them to allow for sufficient time to charge).
• Move to cheap sim only phone contract, and use your mobile for as long as it will live. If you need a new one, buy a refurbished one.
• Similarly with any tech, buy refurb (often still comes with warranty) for fraction of the cost.
• Heat yourself, not your home. Buy thermal clothing if you don't have it already, in the sale (M&S and Primark both do nice range) or second hand.
• Hot water bottles/electric blanket/sleeping bag to keep warm whilst watching telly or something.
• Get a water saving faucet (see for example smargreenshop.co.uk) and water saving shower head.
• Be savy about treats: John Lewis rewards almost always includes free soup & bread or free coffee/cake once a quarter. Treat yourself for free that way.
• Libraries/museums etc often have fun, free workshops. If you have time, volunteer somewhere that comes with rewards, (i.e. in a charity shop you might have first dibs on donations, at a local community garden you might get free produce).

Good luck!

Keep them coming….

shower gel bars last ages
look out for free/second hand things
shop in sales
cut down on meat
swap if you can

Please be aware what you can’t give your dog before giving it scraps, or you’ll end up with a vets bill.