Savings tips

No tips but here for yhe comments! I get paid, pay bills, childcare, and clearpay payments due and then broke for the rest of the month 🙈

We use cash for food/groceries. Set a budget and only use cash. If we decide to eat out it has to come from there typically, so it's factored into our food budget. Meal planning/prepping. I don't do a ton of prep anymore but if veggies are going to go bad I chop and freeze them so they don't go to waste. If I make something like chicken breasts and there's extra I chop and throw in the freezer to use later for a soup or quesadillas etc. So just trying to lower waste. Food is our most expensive budget item aside from the house. Buying bulk when it makes sense. But there are certain things that end up being the same price or more expensive in bulk. Wet wipes I figured out one time and buying the bulk box at Sam's, or smaller packs at Aldi and Walmart were all exactly the same price per wipe so I stopped buying bulk so I don't have to store them. As far as not spending, having a detailed budget helps. If it's not in the budget we typically don't do it. We try to do a lot of free or cheap activities.

For small savings I find using cash really helps. Any coins I get go into a savings jar no matter the amount. I also try to put £5 notes away every time I get them. I find using cash I spend less and often have a little left at the end of the month and then put this away in a pot. If I use my card all month I find I spend a lot more because I don’t monitor it as much. Also plan your meals, freeze leftovers and shop about. Doing a weeks worth of shopping across 3 shops might save you 10/20 pounds and that’s a little more you can put in your savings pot. Also for notes I find using a pot you can’t see into when you walk past really helps not to dip into it xxx

Overhaul your finances. Can you get better deals on your gas/electric/water/phone/internet/insurance? Can you drop/alter any subscriptions? Shop reduced sections, meal plan, batch cook, use the freezer. Any local food waste apps, utilise olio or Facebook groups, local food pantries etc, anything to save food from landfill. Search for local activities/days out. Churches, libraries, community centres, children’s centres etc often run at least one free/cheap group per week. Charity shops/vinted/facebook freebie groups for clothing, shoes toys. Sell or donate and pass it on. Plan activities/days out that don’t revolve around spending - think parks, nature walks, picnics, feed the ducks. Stay home and bake something. Mix cornflour and water for a fun sensory experience. Water play, wash bubbles off plastic animals. Get wellies and puddle suits on and go for a walk in the rain.

Reduce your bills and daily spending Sell unused items Set yourself a weekly budget Get serious about saving

I make a list of my expenses and see if there is any way I can reduce them, obviously some things I can't. I also set a budget for weekly food shopping and stick to it! I then say I'll save X amount, which I do as soon as I get paid (well when I'm at work and not on maternity pay) then I make the rest last

Create a spreadsheet and go through and tally every expenditure by category for the past 3 months ( meal out, rent, phone bills etc.) When you see how much you are wasting on certain things each month it changes your perspective! Also review all direct debits. If you have sky TV etc review your package or threaten to leave and they will offer you a better deal, we got £40 of our monthly bill. Take out your savings and put into a separate account on pay day and do not touch it! Review your weekly shop bill ( we saved £50 a week moving from Sainsbury’s to Tesco for the same shop!) Eat more fresh food ( it is actually cheaper than buying prepackaged food) and you can bulk prepare it if needed. Someone already said but Vinted is good to make money - I’ve made about £1.5k in the past year from clothes and home ware items and toys. You can also buy brand new clothes with tags on there for everyone in the family (if you don’t like second hand).