There are so many different ways to save money that it can all feel a bit overwhelming sometimes. Here are 10 simple changes that you can make that will make you richer than you are right now!
1) Meal Planning
OK, I know you’re probably bored of me telling you how much money you’ll save by meal planning but if you’re talking about how to make you richer then this is the place to start. If you don’t already, start meal planning and if you’re already on the meal planning bandwagon then look at your weekly spending and see what you can do to cut that down by 10% (or more if you’re feeling ambitious).
2) Waste Less Food
Even if you meal plan already, there’ll still be times when there is food in your kitchen cupboards, your fridge or even your fruit bowl that’s going to need to be thrown away if you’re not clever. Make sure you know what you have in and when it needs using by so you can make last-minute changes to your planned meals to use up anything that’s about to get past its best! Freeze anything you can before it goes bad or use it up in a recipe – we often make fridge bottom frittata to use up any veg that’s looking past its best but there are plenty of other things you could do with it.
3) Save your small change
Check your purse or wallet at the end of every day and take out all of your loose change! Add it to a savings jar (we have a vase on the kitchen window and a homemade savings jar) and watch it build up over time. Depending on how much money we have at the time we’ll usually save anything 20p and under but if we’re getting close to something we’re saving for or we have more money than usual (like that happens often!) then we’ll save 50ps and £1 coins. I did try saving £2 in one of those jars from the pound shop that you have to use a tin opener to get into but my willpower wasn’t strong enough and I ended up opening it way too soon and spending the money!
4) Don’t buy ANYTHING without shopping around
If you’re planning on buying something then you really need to shop around to see if what you’re buying is the best deal you can get. I always say to use cashback sites to get money back on your purchases but I know a lot of people are a bit confused by cashback sites so have a look here for my cashback FAQs.
5) Reconsider what a ‘treat’ is
Often people (myself included) will treat themselves to a new handbag or a cheeky pair of shoes every now and again and that’s not wrong at all if that’s what you want to do and you have the money to do it. But if you were to reconsider what a treat is then you might save yourself some money and still get as much enjoyment out of your treat – a treat could be a bubble bath and some time to yourself or a child-free afternoon that you can spend doing absolutely nothing.
6) Turn your heating down
Honestly, I say this all the time but just turning your heating thermostat down by 1 degree could save you £80+ a year. I bet you won’t even notice the change in temperature but you will notice the difference in your bank account.
7) Pay with cash
I have a cash envelopes system that I use when I need to get back on track with my spending and it always works really well as it helps me focus on what I’m spending more than when I pay with a debit card. If you want to have a try you can read about it here. I know cash isn’t the preferred option for payments these days but it’s the best option to keep track of your money!
8) Never renew anything automatically
Don’t ever just renew insurance policies or utilities like your phone and broadband without shopping around first to see if you can get a better deal. Always use a price comparison site where you can and again, use cashback sites to get the best deals around. Honestly, using cashback sites to get a better deal and get money back will make you richer than you think. 😂
9) Ditch the branded products
This is something that I’m still trying to master if the truth be told. I try and buy things from the supermarket that are own brand or even the value version and sometimes it goes well and the rest of the family is happy with whatever it is but sometimes I have a mini-mutiny on my hands so this one is a work in progress for me.
10) Rethink your routines
Have a think about whether your daily or weekly routines are costing you money that you’re not even really aware of. I tell this story all of the time but basically, I realised that my once a week shopping treat at Costa soon added up and over the course of a year were costing me a pretty penny. Again little treats like this are not an issue but my weekly Costa was as I headed to the Costa in our local Tesco after my shopping each week more out of habit than because I fancied a Costa if you know what I mean. I started it years ago because I’d usually left the kids at home with Mr Frugal and an extra half an hours peace with a cake and a cuppa was my idea of bliss at the time. 😉 Fast forward years later and I was still doing it – except sometimes I was even doing it WITH the kids as they often come shopping with me these days!
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