Money matters. We can argue the toss that money isn’t the most important thing in the world (which for the record I
agree with), but it’s essential if we want to keep a roof over our heads, be warm and have enough food etc.
I think it’s fair to say a lot of us are feeling the pinch this month after over spending at Christmas and New Year’s, and for a lot of people, the dreaded six week month. And then there’s the added joy of those credit/store card bills landing around now.
With that in mind, I have been thinking about some easy ways to save a bit of money on everyday things. It’s not always easy, especially if you are already on a tight budget, but it’s possible.
Here are my top ways to save a bit of money:
Money Matters 1: Supermarket Shopping
- I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but don’t go grocery shopping when you are hungry. It is so tempting to add things to your trolley that you don’t need just because it looks nice in the moment. Have a snack if you are peckish before you go.
- Make a list and stick to it – only put essentials on the list, and don’t be tempted to browse. If it helps, make a meal plan for the week so you know exactly what you will need.
- Think about the brands you are buying. I agree that some things genuinely are better branded. For me, I can’t drink cheap coffee or coke and I can’t eat cheap cornflakes. Anything else is fair game. Ask yourself if you really need hand cooked gourmet crisps to nibble on when you’re watching TV. Could you get away with a cheaper brand? There are so many things where the cheaper makes are as good, sometimes they are even better.
- Think about where you shop. The likes of Aldi, Netto, Lidl are all so much cheaper for fruit, veg and most tinned/canned goods. Do take into account travel expenses though. There’s no point saving money on your grocery bill if your petrol costs outweigh the saving.
Money Matters 2: How You Shop
- If you use one of the bigger chain supermarkets for your shopping, consider ordering it online. Often the delivery charge is cheaper than getting to and from the shop. You are also much less likely to over spend because you can see a running total without having to carry a calculator around with you, or try to keep track in your head.
- Consider visiting a wholesaler if you have one close enough by to make the journey worth while. Short term, you will spend a little more, but long term, you will save a lot of money by buying in bulk. This is ideal for the likes of loo roll, soap powders etc or canned goods with long expiration dates.
Money Matters 3: Special offers
- Check online and in newspapers and magazines for any money off coupons on items you buy.
- Check out sites like Deals Daddy for discounts every time you shop online – there are hundreds of UK retailers to choose from.
- Check in store and online for any deals, eg buy one get one free or free delivery. It may be worth switching your regular brand if you find something very similar on offer. Some stores may not offer these directly on their online store – you would have to find them on sites like https://www.raise.com/coupons/
kohls in order to apply them to your shop. - Don’t be tempted to buy things you don’t need just because they are on offer. I remember once buying 6 2L bottles of water (I only wanted one) because they were on a multi buy offer and I figured they wouldn’t come in wrong. They did get drank eventually, but when I checked the receipt later, I had saved a grand total of 8p.
Money Matters: Bonus Tips
- An extra way to save a couple of pounds is to have your morning coffee in the house, or in a take out cup on the go rather than buying a cup on your way to work.
- If you usually buy lunch at work, take a sandwich. It might only be a couple of pounds a day but it all adds up.
- If it’s possible distant wise, walk or take public transport to work or on your school run to save money on fuel.
These are just a few ideas on saving a few pounds a week; better in your pocket than someone else’s.
If you are really worried about money, or you find yourself unable to pay debts or household bills, please don’t bury your head in the sand. Seek advice from your local citizen’s advice bureau or a debt management charity (Step Change are brilliant). The problem will only get worse if you ignore it, and the weight you will feel lifted from your shoulders when you take control is more than worth the awkward conversation.
Are you feeling the pinch this month? Do you have any tips on any money matters or how to save some extra money? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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Great tips! January is a very boring month in our house as we always so skint after Christmas. We shop at Lidl now, it is so much cheaper and most of the stuff is just as good as the brand alternatives. I need to remember to eat before I go shopping, I always go when I am hungry and you’re so right, always end up buying loads of extra stuff.xx #TwinklyTuesday
Thank you 🙂 Same here, January is so dull, but somehow February is always worse for me! I refuse to go if I’m hungry now, too many times I’ve bought stuff I didn’t want or need because of it x
Fantastic tips that I really need to use in our house. Thanks for sharing #twinklytuesday
Thank you 🙂 I hope they work for you!
What great tips! We also find that Aldi and Lidls are better for fruit and veg, you get more for your buck! So true about not going shopping when you are hungry! Made that mistake!! #TwinklyTuesday x
Thank you 🙂 Me too – got home, ate, unpacked and I was so annoyed at myself for the amount of rubbish I had impulse bought! x
My husband bought me a stack of take out cups and would make me a take away tea in the morning as a very romantic way of saying you are wasting our money on hot water 🙂 #TwinklyTuesday
Aww, what a lovely way to say it! 🙂
After years of being married to someone who ran up countless debts, I am now very careful with money. No credit card bills for me after christmas, if I cant pay for something immediately, I dont buy it.
I follow all of your tips here, shopping when hungry really is bad for the wallet!!
I think writing down (honestly) every little thing you spend money on every week for a month is a great thing to do as well. It helped me when I did it to spot the silly things (such as that cup of coffee when shopping, or the magazine I never actually read) that I spent my money on that really could be dropped without any hardship.
Thanks for linking up, Tracey xx #abitofeverything
I’ve been stupid with credit cards myself in the past, so I have definitely learnt the hard way about the dangers of them! I love that idea, I think I’ll do that because I’m sure I waste money on things I don’t really need. Thanks for hosting 🙂 x
These are great tips! I always try to do our shopping online as going with a four year old means we end up with a lot of things we don’t need. Including sweets and chocolate etc, which doesnt help my waistline either!! I often use my phone to calculate deals on nappies too as sometimes they are not as good as they seem! xx
Thanks Claire – I like shopping online too it’s much easier isn’t it. Haha, I can imagine that shopping with a four year old isn’t great! x
Totally agree. There’s so much you can do to save money. I do our shopping online and when I’m buying items that won’t go off, I look for the cheapest by 100g/100ml or similar. That way you can buy in bulk and it’s not a waste.
Sally @ Life Loving
Comparing the prices that way is a good reflection of which brand is cheaper – I often fall into the trap of just comparing pack prices which isn’t the best indicator.
Great tips and so obvious, it’s good to highlight these to people. I’m lucky I’ve 3 supermarkets within walking distance, the perks of living in a town. We’ve worked out when they reduce to clear and make good use of these bargains every day. We call it the swoop! If they don’t have anything reduced we don’t buy anything if we don’t need it! #bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂 That’s great if you can get to them all so easily, a fab way to save money on daily things!
Who doesn’t love a good bargain? Thanks for the tips – I’ll crack on straight away 😉 #BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂
Such useful tips. I definitely find I spend less when shopping online – being able to see the running total makes me more aware of how much I am spending. I often end up taking things out of my virtual trolley whereas if I’d been shopping in store, I would have bought them anyway. Not going shopping when you’re hungry is also a very good tip – it’s amazing what a difference it can make! #bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂 I find it much easier to stick to my list online than in store. I can imagine shopping when hungry would be bad – you’d see all sorts that you wanted in the moment!
Great advice – the online food shop has been my biggest saver as I menu plan and stick to it. When I go the shops I’m always so shocked that I only needed some bread and milk but spend £20 – oh and never take the kids with you to the shops!! #BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 A menu plan is a great idea to help budget your food shop. It’s so easy to overspend and then get home and wonder why you even bought half of the stuff in the first place!
After looking at the christmas spending I’m certainly feeling it this month. It will be a frugal January! Happy New Year #BloggerClubUK
Same here! All the best for 2017
Fab tips and completely necessary after Christmas! Some of these are so simple to stick to but you just wouldn’t think to. #bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂
We’re pretty good at living within our means and we’re only brand loyal to a very few things where we know its worth a little bit extra eg washing detergent that doesnt itch or sensitive toothpaste etc. I always maintain that life’s too short to buy cheap clingfilm though!!! 🙂 #BloggerClubUK
Haha, I love that statement! And it’s so true
Totally agree – thank you for sharing all these tips! I particularly agree with the online shopping one. I know I’ve saved a fortune not actually shopping in the shop but online only (I had a broken leg) – when you’re in the shop you see all these things and pick them up! And another great point is the morning coffee at home – being used to having it at home at the cost of a few pence, I’m often horrified at the price of a latte in most places these days! But for years I spent that money daily (and even twice daily at times) without even questioning it! #UKBloggerClub
Thank you 🙂 I remember working in an office where for some reason, we didn’t have a kettle. We would buy coffee from the café next door. Some days I could easily spend over £10 on coffee!
Ooops! #BloggerClubUK rather!
I look out for deals on meat, cook it and freeze it in batches so I always have something to throw in a last minute meal and am, hopefully, less tenpted by takeaways.
What a great idea! It is so tempting to order takeaway when you have nothing easy to hand
There are some great tips here! I used to waste so much money on takeaway coffee and lunches but trying to make areal effort to make my own lunch and avoid coffee shops. It’s small changes in habits that really help and once you kick the habit, you start to see the savings. Thanks for sharing #BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 I really noticed the difference when I started working from home!
Fab money saving tips. I do a lot of these myself and find shopping online is so much better! #BloggerClubUk
Thank you 🙂 it’s so much easier to stick to the essentials when you’re not walking around seeing things!
Meal planning all the way! I’m going to cut down on buying food out. Taking food with me or having a coffee when I get back instead.
#BloggerClubUK
It can run really expensive eating/drinking out. In the moment, it doesn’t seem much but over a month it can make a big difference
Love this and there’s a lot on here I’ve been trying to do this new year – meal planning, not buying coffee to go when I’m out and never going to the shops when I’m hungry! xx #bloggerclubuk
It all adds up! Better in your pocket than a store’s.
These are all excellent tips. It never fails, I always end up at the store starving. Do I get credit for always making a shopping list but forever forgetting it on the counter at home?
Thank you 🙂 Haha, you get points for trying 😉
Great tips on helping to tighten up the wallet!!! I never thought about online grocery shopping and seeing the running total (and not getting distracted by the other things wanting you to buy it.). #BloggerClubUk
Thank you 🙂 I swear by shopping online to save money!
Some really handy tips! I’m pretty good with maths but sometimes I just round the numbers up whilst Im shopping so I don’t overspend. #BloggerclubUK
That’s a great way of doing it – always a bonus when you get to the checkout and save on what you expected to pay!
Great tips! I need to learn to save money and be more thoughtful with my shopping. Thanks for the seeming easy tips!
#bloggerclubuk
There is always a pinch in January isn’t there! 🙁 … My biggest mistake is forgetting the list at home.. I really need to work on that one! #BloggerClubUK
Definitely, January is scrimp month lol! Oh I’d be lost without my list!
Great tips. We shop at ALDI and only get the bits from other supermarkets that we can’t get from ALDI. I also gives us a weekly spending budget to stick to – separate from the shopping budget. Thankfully I saved for Christmas this year so I’m not feeling it too bad. Budgeting is the only way I find you can do this. I feel a post brewing….! 😄 #BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 I so need to read that post – I’m terrible at budgeting!
This is so helpful! I am trying really hard to save money this year, I’m going to save these tips and put them into practice! #BloggerClubUK
Thank you, I hope they help!
Some great tips here, I have recently started using Aldi for my main shop and have found it to be so much cheaper and I tend to buy less processed meals as well so it is even healthier x
That’s fab, a great bonus that the meals are healthier too!
great tips 🙂 I love aldi for fruit and veg. so much cheaper. haven’t herd of dealdaddy so will have to check it out! #bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂 Me too, they’re such a bargain. Do check it out, it’s brill!
Some fab advice here. We always meal plan & write a list, it makes such a difference. I also worked out that if I took my lunch into work everyday and parked 5 minutes further away from work I could save £80 a month! That’s bonkers and I’m so doing it. #BloggerClubUk
Thank you 🙂 Wow, that’s a fantastic saving!
You have some good tips here. It certainly sounds like some have gone a little crazy over Christmas. #bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂 I think it’s that time of year when rational thought takes second place lol 🙂
I have spent way too much lately, I find if I steer clear of shops then I can’t be tempted! #bloggerclubUK
Good idea! It’s too easy to spot things and just buy them without thinking!
Great tips! I always love finding new ways to save $$$! These kids are freaking expensive! haha
Haha I can imagine!
woops! forgot this #BloggerClubUK
Great tips – I started shopping for most of my stuff in Lidl last year and really noticed a difference in the price of our main food shop. There are still bits I can’t get in there but I will start writing those in a list and taking that shopping with me to Tesco (I’m a nightmare for just wafting about panic buying!) #BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 It’s amazing the amount you can save just by changing the store you go to – and a list really is the way to go to stop those impulse buys!
Great tips, I especially agree with the online supermarket shop. I do this every week. In addition to this, I just used a voucher for a year’s delivery pass, it cost £30 but over a year with 2 deliveries a week where I usually picked inconvenient times for £2 this will save me loads over the year! #bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂 That’s a great bargain and it will definitely save you loads over the year!
Some great tips, thanks for sharing X #bloggersclubuk
Thank you 🙂 x
A great post considering the time of year. I like the idea of shopping online and will definitely be giving this a try.
#BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 It’s a great way to save both time and money!
These are some very good points, sometimes Tesco have slots where it’s free delivery and when i was on maternity leave it was perfect as i was in anyway!
ive made the mistake of food shopping when hungry and oh my life how much rubbish that we didnt need was bought!
When it comes to work lunch, I usually take a loaf of bread, spread, multipack of Crisps and pack of chocolate with a bottle of squash to last me the week. People at work used to laugh at me; but when you’re in London and just a sandwich is £5 minimum. Thats what my week cost me to eat! (however pret a manger do a filter coffee for 99p so every friday and payday i treated myself -it only cost me £5 per month but it was something to look forward to!)
#bloggerClubUK
returing from #anythinggoes
Wow, that’s a fantastic saving – surely it should be you laughing at the people who didn’t do that! There’s nothing wrong with the odd treat and for 99p you really can’t go wrong 🙂
These are great tips. I work in a cafe/coffee shop and we have regulars who come in 5 days a week for their lunch. They spend at least £5 a day, which adds up to at least £25 a week, every week, that works out to over £1000 a year!!! That’s a holiday or a new car or new sofas etc! On lunch!!
#bloggerclubuk
Thank you 🙂 It really is a lot of money when you look at it that way! I would definitely rather have a holiday than a bought lunch every day!
Great tips! After Christmas is really a time to be crunching numbers and watching your wallet.
Thanks for sharing!
#BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 Yes, it sure is!
We’re really feeling it this month, and the food bill is a good place to cut back. I agree with you, online shopping stops you getting tempted to buy things you don’t really need. #BloggerClubUK
I love shopping online – it really saves you money and you get to avoid the shops – win/win!
Great ideas for a budget tight month! Thank you. #anythinggoes
Thank you 🙂
Great ideas and I’m proud to say, I follow quite a few from your list! And it really makes a difference! Especially making a list and sticking to it;) #AnythingGoes
A list can make a huge difference!
Such great tips here Debbie! I do my grocery shopping online & love to keep an eye out for good deals & vouchers! #BloggerClubUK
Thank you 🙂 I love a good discount code!
I have been meaning to try Aldi out for sooooo long. I think I need to really look into that considering how much money we spend on our weekly groceries.
#anythinggoes
There’s some great bargains, especially on fresh stuff 🙂
I never go into a store without a list, but that’s so I can get in and out in a hurry! Great list #anythinggoes
Best way – the quicker, the better!
Great tips, we’re really bad and always end up going to do the food shop when we’re hungry….opps. #BloggerClubUK #TheListLinky xx
Thank you 🙂 I do it too – and it ends up costing a fortune lol x
An Aldi has just opened up opposite my husbands work so we have started to try things from them. I must say to date I am very impressed, now it’s convienet I can see us using it more! Love the other tips too. #BloggerClubUK
There’s some fab bargains to be had, especially on the fresh stuff 🙂 x
Having a family of 6 almost 7, it sure can be pricey just trying to feed everyone. I have gotten into online shopping and really love it! I can browse different products, see what’s on special and delete and recheck other products if I go over budget. So happy that some stores have this option! #anythinggoes
Wow, I can imagine! Online shopping is fantastic for saving money and with a big family, that’s even more important
Popping back from #AnythingGoes 🙂
Great tips! Being money savvy is so important these days, and let’s face it, we can all use more ideas how to do it!
Definitely feeling the squeeze this month and have been spending too much lately. I’m always shocked at how much I spend at the supermarket, I need to plan more inexpensive meals. #BloggerClubUK
I am always on the lookout for ways to save money! I am in France and one thing you have to watch is that big isn’t always cheaper – sometimes big or multi packs of products are actually more expensive per kg/litre than smaller ones – work that one out?! And I so agree about not heading miles out of your way to get one item because it is cheaper in another shop as you have lost that bit of money “saved” on fuel. #BloggerClubUK