Saving Money
Being on a low income I have had to find different ways of being able to adapt to making my money stretch, get as much as I can for as little as possible.
Something I am still doing to this day thanks to the prices hikes on utilities we have had in recent years! Currently sat here typing whilst dithering in my old lady slanket! Who need the heating on hey.
But seriously in this country we have so much food waste it can be quite easy to see where a lot of us are quite literally throwing our money away.
So on that note, before I get frostbite š I would like to share with you some things I have learnt and try to put into practise.
- Write a list. Lists are good especially if you remember to take it out with you! Surely Iām not the only one to have gotten to the supermarket and realised itās on the kitchen tableā¦ā¦. Write a menu for the week it will help you to stay on track buying only what you need for your meals
- Donāt shop on an empty stomach, like me who hits Aldi after 6 hour shift that I havenāt eaten on which makes eating that pack of sausage rolls seem like the best meal ever tut tut
- Stick to your budget, if you donāt need it donāt buy it, yes Tracey that means that large bag of chocolate peanuts under all that salad!
- Choose where you shop for what you need, look around for offers and go to which ever store has the best offers
- Look out for reduced items, a lot of fresh meats can be frozen if they are still in good condition, ie not that pack of browning steak, but if it still looks good then buy it and freeze it. This is better done later on in the day as things get cheaper the closer it get to closing time, donāt leave it too late though.
- Check your āoffersā. If you werenāt buying it in the first place itās not really an offer is it! Although if its chocolate any offer is a good offer. Check package sizes against goods on and off the offer and supermarket price labels have the āprice perā on them so its really easy to check if you are buying by weight.
- Buy in bulk. If it is something you need frequently consider buying more when it is on offer. The soap powder I use goes on offer saving me Ā£1.50 a bottle so i end up getting 3 for 2 bargain!
- Consider buying or trying supermarket own brands products. Now I donāt recommend this for everything but on some things you can be quite surprised at the quality
- Use discount sites like Groupon or Wowcher for purchases even Approved Foods there are some amazing offers to be found. Oliviaās birthday party last year was courtesy of Groupon in a soft play area with 10 children and food for just over Ā£30.
- Stores like Home Bargains, B&M, Poundland all sell branded products at just a fraction of the price so itās always worth checking in them before shelling out elsewhere.
- I also shop in sales for birthday presents and other things I need like replacing appliances. Plan ahead look around there is a lot of money to save by doing this. In January I got Olivia a Monster High playset and 2 talking Barbie dolls for Ā£32.50 before Christmas they would of cost me nearly Ā£80!
- Use site like Freecycle, ebay and local groups on facebook to find bargains especially good if you donāt mind preloved goods, I have done really well of my local Freecycle site.
- Know the difference between āuse byā and ābest beforeā. Best before means it can still be used after the date but āuse byā doesnāt. You canāt eat or drink it after that date.
| Daily Mail |
I hope these tips help you out and if they do I would love to hear how they helped you. What tips do you have for making your money go that little bit further, I am all for bargains, freebies, coupons honestly if I could I would totally be an extreme couponer, hitting Tescoās with a big pile of vouchers now thatās a way to save some money!
Comments
They can be sneaky these supermarket offers always worth checking
Love the 'check your offers' point… so true!!
Thanks I thought i would share in case someone needs some help x
Some good advice, I always look for overs /x
Thank you so much. Hope it helps someone
There's some fantastic advice that would help a lot of Mum's or anyone on a low budget. Your so right about an offer not always being an offer!
http://zenas-suitcase.co.uk/
Thank you I like to try and save where I can
Wonderful and practical ideas. I always shop at sale too š
http://www.driftingtraveller.me/