OK, I absolutely have to mention this one although I considered leaving it out because I go on about it all the time but I can’t write a post about how to reduce your outgoings without mentioning it! Mealplanning is THE best way to save money because by being organised and planning what you’re going to eat in the week ahead, you can write a shopping list that covers everything you need for the week ahead and you’ll cut down on food waste as well as last minute trips to the shop.
Plan your meals based on the food you already have in so you need to buy even less.
A well stocked store cupboard can really help with any last minute changes to your meal plan.
Use your slow cooker as often as you can as you can buy cheaper cuts of meat to use and it costs less to use too.
Make snacks rather than buy them – a big batch of muffins can cost pennies to make but will cost you pounds to buy!
Drink water instead of fruit juice or fizzy drinks.
Batch cooking will mean that you always have meals in the freezer to reheat which will reduce the temptation to order a takeaway when you’re pushed for time.
Always pick up the free magazines that you get at supermarkets as they’re great for inspiration and often have money off coupons too.
Try a shop’s own make of a product and see if you can tell the difference in anything other than the price!
Unless clothes are particularly dirty then you can usually get away with a 30 c wash which will save you money and water as well as time.
If there’s something you want to treat yourself to, see if you can make your own version first. Miss Frugal makes her own version of the Lush lip scrubs for a fraction of the price!
The same goes for food and drinks – if there’s something you like, have a go at making it yourself. I have a great recipe for Nandos spicy rice that I make because Master Frugal loves Nandos!
When you’re decorating, consider making your own wall art and revamping pieces of furniture you already have rather than shelling out for new.
Use things up before you buy something else that’s just going to do the same job. This applies to everything in your house and not just cleaning products but seeing as the cupboard under my sink us usually overflowing I thought I’d put this one in this section!
Reconsider the package you currently have with your provider and decide if you could get rid of any of the channels to save money. Even better go down to the basic package and just watch Netflix!
Don’t buy books for your Kindle or eReader anymore – just read my quick guide to finding free books for your Kindle or at the very least consider a package like Kindle Unlimited which costs £7.99 a month and gives unlimited downloads of thousands and thousands of books!
Save any Tesco Clubcard points you might get for when they have a boost event on and exchange them for days out or meals tokens.
If your children are constantly using batteries for all of their electronics then invest in some rechargeble batteries or even better for the games console controllers you can buy a plug and play battery pack for about £8 that will recharge the controller directly from the console and save a fortune on batteries!
Get free XBox games if you’re an XBox live member.
Buying presents when you see them on sale will save you a fortune if you have school aged children who are always at Birthday parties. I often buy girly presents in the Claires Accessories sale when they have 5 for £5. I buy about £15 worth and then for each Birthday where we need a girls present I’ll wrap up two or three and make them look all pretty with a homemade bow!
Phew, that’s a lot of money to be saved! 😉
And if you want to save even more, read this post for 50 more things you should be doing if you want to save money….
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Image Credit: Shutterstock, Degtiarova Viktoriia
