Are you feeling the pinch? I know I am. I know January is over but we are hurtling headfirst towards birthday season. Aside from Christmas, March and April are the most expensive months of the year for us. This is due to us having 7 birthdays, Easter and Mother’s Day all within 49 days. This means we have a celebration on average every 5.4 days.

In reality, everything is on top of each other – Olivia’s birthday is the day before Mother’s Day this year and 4 days after one of my sister’s birthday! Timing apparently isn’t our strong suit. So with presents, meals out, parties and lots of chocolate buying, it is safe to say things can get really expensive at this time of year. We need to be clever about how to get more for our money at this time of year.

Luckily, for the first time in a long time, I have been able to budget and plan ahead this year. Last year, I bought all of Olivia’s gifts the day before. This year, less than 3 weeks into February, I am all done for Olivia, card, wrapping paper, everything. Except for decorations, but her cake is ordered, gifts bought and I am relaxed knowing everything will run smoother this year.

I thought I would round up some ways to save money, get more for your money or even just helpful tips for when you have more month at the end of your paycheck!

Sign Up Offers!

I have taken advantage of many sign-up offers ahead of birthday season. I got some fabulous items on offer online and got even more off thanks to a new email sign-up code. Bargains galore! I got over £70 worth of items for around £25 including delivery.

So check to see what sign up offers are around before you hit purchase to save yourself some more money you can use elsewhere. Sign up for the emails if required and then get your offer and save as you spend (it works trust me!)

Use Cashback Sites to Get More for Your Money This Year.

Cashback sites are a great way to get more for your money and get money back on your purchases. Not in the short term, but if you are happy to wait to accrue a decent amount of cashback, this could be perfect for later on in the year.

It is so simple to use. All you need to do is to find an offer on the relevant cashback site for the retailer you are looking at spending with, then click through the link on the cashback site and shop normally.

The sale will be tracked and qualifying spends will then be credited for the correct offer or cashback after the holding period is up. So for me, spending in February to April could give me extra money to spend come Christmas time and vice versa! It is a really handy way to save money.

Shop For Vouchers

There are many different voucher sites you can use to help you save on your purchases. Personally, I love a good voucher code and if you are clever you can maximise the vouchers to get a great cost. However, always read the T&Cs to ensure validity and make sure you can get the discount you expect. For example, some stores allow multiple voucher stacking, while others limit it to one voucher per sale and exclude sale items.

The good news is you can find vouchers for pretty much every brand, I know I will be looking for one for Olivia’s request of an Apple iPad this year

Loyalty Points Will Help You Get More For Your Money.

I regularly use bonus cards and loyalty cards to help me ‘save’ and accumulate points throughout the year. Thanks to my coffee habit, I can often get myself a free drink at certain high street coffee chains.

If you are a frequent shopper or consumer in your favourite stores, then it is worth your while signing up for loyalty programmes. Again, if you are looking for instant savings, this may not always be the case. But sometimes if you have a loyalty card, you may get extra discounts or offers others won’t if they aren’t signed up.

Eventually, you will be able to exchange your points for vouchers or cash taken off your next purchase. I have a little Superdrug problem and can spend upwards of £20 – £30 per shop each time. Over the year, I can add some serious points to my beauty card membership and then redeem them off a spend closer to birthday season or Christmas. Or even a rainy day when funds are really tight.

Shop Out of Season.

An absolute favourite of mine is taking advantage of the sales. Especially that post-Christmas Boots sale. With birthday season being so close to Christmas we can stock up ahead of time and get some items reduced that make great gifts. Or even put them away for next year – who doesn’t love a good Soap and Glory gift set for Christmas!

Stores on and offline have sales on pretty much all year round. This makes it easier to save money. S.A.L.E. are my four favourite letters of the alphabet after C.O.F(x2).E (x2)!

Buy it, put it away and feel slightly smug you have given yourself a head start and gotten some bargains in!

What tips do you have for cutting the costs and to get more for your money when it comes to seasonal splurges and birthday presents?