As I get older saving money becomes more and more of a priority for me. My other half is so great with his money, he manages it well and invests it wisely so that he gains interest and other benefits for saving his money, rather than spending it willard nillard like I am prone to doing... I have never
been much of a saver, money always seems to burn a hole in my pocket if
it's there too long but I really want to begin saving money, investing in mine and my families future. I have already made some changes to
how I spend my money and have put plans into effect to help me be a better saver. I have
learnt to be thrifty rather than wasting money on unnecessary items or
bills and my other half has been teaching me about the importance and rewards of letting your money lay untouched and grow for awhile. Below are some tips which I am following in order to save my money and set myself up for the future.
Be more energy efficient
We are probably overly conscious of how much electricity we use in our house due to Jacek having a bit of a thing
about having too many things on at once. You can save a lot of money on
my monthly electricity bills by simply taking more care about what
appliances and lights you're using at one time. I no longer use the big
lights in our house unless I really have to, the table lamp gives
sufficient light. I unplug and switch off sockets when I am done using
something and I try not to have the television on whilst I'm on the
laptop because I know I can't focus on both at once. These simple
changes have really helped keep our energy bills down and it's great to
know we're being energy efficient too.
Sell items you no longer need
If you're like me and have boxes full of things you no longer use or
need but have very little space in your house why not think about
selling these items? At the end of last year I cleared out our attic of
all my sons baby things and sold them at a local baby market. From doing
this I was able to pay off a lot of bills and have some money to spend
on Christmas gifts.
Manage and invest your money
Sites such as Nutmeg allow you to manage your money efficiently, giving advice and guiding you on how to get the most from your money. Nutmeg offers all kinds of financial products, advice and tips on all money matters from ISA's to personal pensions and lets you invest your money in goals and risks tailored to your own specifications. This is how Nutmeg describe themselves - ‘Based on your
information, we build and manage a portfolio for you, diversifying your
investments to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Our
experienced investment team monitors your portfolio, adjusting the asset
allocation appropriately and rebalancing every month — at no extra
cost. In this way, we aim to produce our best return, at low cost, for the risk level you choose.’ The Nutmeg website is easy to navigate and all the information is laid out clearly and is easy to follow - even for a money novice like myself! Investing your money with sites like Nutmeg can be very rewarding in the long run (although, of course, investing in stocks and shares is not always risk free, I would advise seeking independent advice from a financial adviser before doing so), if your investments are successful you can build a great little nest egg for yourself and your family.
Make a weekly meal plan before going grocery shopping
Making a weekly meal plan is such a great thing to do as not only will
it help you become more organised when it comes to preparing meals but
it will also help you save money whilst doing the weekly shop. I always
have a list of dinners that we're going to have during the week with me
when I go food shopping, this helps me focus on what I actually need to
pick up instead of buying things we probably won't end up eating and
therefore saving us money. We also stay away from brand name products
when we can which really helps to keep the weekly food shop cost down.
Use discount vouchers when you shop
Everyone loves a discount, especially when shopping for things such as clothes, homewares and gifts that you may not have budgeted for (admit it, we've all forgotten to buy a gift for an occasion at some point in our lives!). Sites such as VoucherBin.co.uk offer a whole host of discount vouchers for a wide range of stores so you can be sure to find a money saving voucher for whatever it is you need to shop for. Some of the VoucherBin stores which I shop at myself are Argos, Argento, Boots, Mothercare, My 1st years and so many more, they literally cover every department and the discounts they offer are amazing - up to 50% for some stores, free delivery on orders, 70% off certain lines, etc. VoucherBin's discounts are sure to save you money when you shop this year and what's better than saving money when you're shopping? You can also like the VoucherBin Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @Voucherbin for regular updates.
Use discount vouchers when you shop
Everyone loves a discount, especially when shopping for things such as clothes, homewares and gifts that you may not have budgeted for (admit it, we've all forgotten to buy a gift for an occasion at some point in our lives!). Sites such as VoucherBin.co.uk offer a whole host of discount vouchers for a wide range of stores so you can be sure to find a money saving voucher for whatever it is you need to shop for. Some of the VoucherBin stores which I shop at myself are Argos, Argento, Boots, Mothercare, My 1st years and so many more, they literally cover every department and the discounts they offer are amazing - up to 50% for some stores, free delivery on orders, 70% off certain lines, etc. VoucherBin's discounts are sure to save you money when you shop this year and what's better than saving money when you're shopping? You can also like the VoucherBin Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @Voucherbin for regular updates.
Follow a saving money plan and stick to it
This year I am doing the 52-week money saving challenge
and I am determined to stick to it. I am actually ahead with my saving
and am on week 7 already as I have put away spare change when I have it.
Having a plan to follow has really helped me in focusing on what I need
to save every week and it's great to tick off the weeks as they go buy
and see your saving stash getting larger each week. If the 52-week money
saving challenge isn't for you there are other templates which you
could follow to be found on Pinterest.
Have a month-long spending ban
This is such a great way to save money and one which is quite popular
amongst the beauty blogger community. Are you like me and have multiple
boxes and baskets full of makeup and beauty products which you have yet
to use? If so why not challenge yourself to a month long spending ban
and resist buying products which you really don't need. I shall be doing
my challenge in February and I think I'll save a good chunk of money by
doing this.
Do you follow any of these money saving tips? Have you found the results to be rewarding on your purse?
Loving the blog
ReplyDeleteThese tips are very useful. Once I tried to keep the receipts and to note what I spend money on and it helped me to see that sometimes I can spend money on unuseful things :))
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, I agree so much about making a weekly meal plan! xx
ReplyDeleteI've done meal planning for awhile now. You are so right in that it helps to be organized but also to save by only buying what I'm going to use. I used to put all of my change into a vase which worked well to save. Lately though, I usually use a debit card so I don't have any change. I'm trying to think of another way to take the place of this method. Thanks for the other ideas!
ReplyDeleteLove the ideas..for me i always do a bit of reading to avoid costly mistakes in my purchases.
ReplyDeletegreat ideas..particularly love the idea of the 52 week saving plan, def gonna try that starting beg April! good idea about turning the telly off whilst on the computer too,as you say you can't concentrate on both at once x
ReplyDeleteBit hopeless with money here too. But we don't use the big lights, just the lamps, except when making dinner then the kitchen light goes on. We have a spare change jar, a jar for the € coins for spending on Dog food (it gets bought every 3 months). We don't buy anything unless we actually need it.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing the meal plan and weekly shop for it for years, saves money and reduces waste. Mostly make double portions and freeze half. Saves time and electricity.