We all work hard for our money and for many of us it’s still a squeeze to make ends meet as the price of living continues to rise. With outgoings continually rising and wages unable to keep up it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find the cash for those luxuries that make life that little bit happier. One solution is to is make cuts in your budget without making too many compromises in terms of your lifestyle. So, I have put together 5 super simple ways that you can save your family some money without making any drastic changes to your lifestyle.
These Boots Are Made For Walking
Petrol prices only seem to be going in one direction and that’s up! As a car owner this isn’t news to me and it’s an area of spending that is easy to shave a few pounds off simply by considering your usage. There are of course those journey’s where a car is a necessity, however if you consider leaving the car at home for shorter, walkable distances you will soon see a difference to your fuel spend, every little counts! A bonus is that you will be increasing your activity and helping to improve your health at the same time – winner, winner!
Another way to save money would be to consider car sharing if friends or family are travelling to or past your destination. Perhaps you could share a lift to work with a colleague and offer to pay towards the cost or try to coincide your journey with a neighbour?
Ditch The Contract
The majority of us now own a mobile phone of some description and costs vary greatly depending on your usage and price plan. To save money it’s vital to shop around and ditching your expensive contract can be a great option to save a tonne of money. The yboo app* offers an easy, hassle free way to find the best SIM only deal at no cost to you. Their app is free, simple to download and by monitoring your phone usage including call, texts and data it’s able to offer tailor made plan suggestions based on actual statistics.
Usage can be viewed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis on clear, easy to decipher charts and graphs enabling you to see exactly what you use. Statistics can be viewed as early as 24hrs after the app is downloaded, however it’s advisable to wait a minimum of a week to gain a proper overview and more accurate figures. As well as cost yboo also compares signal strength for your locations including home, work and other regularly used places ensuring you get a fully rounded analysis.
Once your information is collated, yboo searches the best deals for you from all the major networks including Three, O2, Vodafone and EE and provide links to the providers website. The deals vary in price giving you a fantastic range of options which could save you a packet on your phone costs.
Make Your Own
Hands up, how many of you pop to the shop to buy Lunch or treat yourself to a brew on the way to work? If this sounds like you then you are literally throwing money away and spending hundreds of unnecessary pounds a year. A couple of pounds even every other day soon adds up so why not set aside a few extra minutes in the morning or the evening before to make yourself a tasty lunch to take with you. It doesn’t have to be boring sandwiches everyday, let your creativity run wild – my personal favourite is Tuna Pasta Salad.
If like me, you NEED a brew in the morning to help you face the day then don’t waste your money in expensive coffee shops. Instead treat yourself to a reusable cup and some fancy shop bought coffee and make your own! Not only is it great for your pocket, but you’ll be doing your bit for the environment by helping to reduce the huge number of disposable cups that end up in landfill every year.
Shop Around
We’ve all been there; you need to make a purchase and have opted for the quickest, easiest option for an easy life. However, by shopping around before you buy you could save yourself hundreds of pounds a year.
When making a purchase always do your homework and research online to see if you can find the product cheaper elsewhere, it’s surprising the vast array of prices you can find for an identical item.
It also pays to browse several stores before deciding, especially when it comes to those bigger purchases like white goods or electricals. However, if this requires travel be sure to factor this into your saving as there’s no point in spending the money you would have saved on petrol or bus fares!
Whilst the biggest savings are usually found on higher ticket items this theory can be applied to your food shopping. It’s simple to compare item prices online and you may find it’s cheaper to switch from your usual supermarket. It’s also a good idea to check out the special offers at different stores and stock up on staple products when the prices are lower.
Compare And Switch
If you don’t regularly compare the prices of your household bills you could be paying way over the odds! It’s so simple nowadays to compare and switch your utilities and insurances via online sites like Go Compare and Money Supermarket and with prices due to rise in the next month now is the time to see if you could be paying less.
In years gone by the process to switch entailed reams of paperwork and time that most of us just don’t have enough of! The process couldn’t be simpler now as most companies handle all the paperwork and communication with your current provider meaning you just need to sit back and relax knowing you are saving money.
When you receive your insurance renewal it is so easy to file the paperwork away and let the policy renew automatically, but it’s always worthwhile getting an online quote to see if you could be saving money. I have even found in the past that my current provider’s rate was lower online than the price they sent in the post. By making a quick phone call and quoting the online price they honoured it and my cost was lowered. Even if it’s £2 a month cheaper it’s still worth switching, over a year you would save £24, enough for a Saturday takeaway treat!
Fraser’s Fun House 
Loving all of your tips. I agree with saving money by walking to your nearest supermarket instead of taking your car especially if the shops are just 5-10min walks. It can also be a form of exercise. 👍 another thing is that comparing and switiching does work and hells you save a lot more money than you think. I’ve switched car insurance and was able to save £400 🙈🙊👍 keep on sharing. I do post this type of money saving tips. Would love to collaborate with you sometime.
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Thank you so much for reading and commenting, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Drop me an email I’d love to chat
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Loved this post! I use GiffGaff sim only plan for my phone and it’s such a great purchase. I’ve always found buying phones up front cheaper if you have enough to make the initial spend ❤
https://www.chloexlizabeth.com
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I’m glad you enjoyed the post thanks for reading and leaving a comment 😊
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This is a really great post. Saving money is something that we should probably all focus on a little more. Since working full time (3 and a half years now) I’ve made my lunch myself every day and it’s honestly saved me so much money!
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Thanks for taking the time to read, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I think it’s so easy to get sucked in my meal deal special offers thinking its only a few pounds but it soon adds up when you can make your own for a fraction of the cost.
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I use literally all of these to make money! Esepically making my own food as opposed to eating out all the time. Such a simple money saver! Cool post 🙂
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Thanks for reading and leaving a comment Gary! It’s so simple to make your own food isn’t it!
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Such a brilliant post, I definatly need to start saving money and these all sound like great ways to save. I don’t use the car very often so that saves me a lot of money.
Melissa 🌙 | http://www.moonlightmel.co.uk
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Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. I’m glad you found it useful and good luck with your money saving 😊
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These are amazing tips that I’m sure all of us will find useful! Especially the one about checking your household bills, we’re planning to move out soon so will definitely keep this one in mind! Thanks for sharing
Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
xx
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Wow good luck with the move Jess, it’s well worth comparing regularly to make sure you are on the best deal possible. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment
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These are some really great tips! I know that taking a lunch instead of buying one has been a huge help in lowering our monthly costs. Sure the grocery bill to stock up on said items might go up a little bit but it’s far cheaper then eating out!
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Thanks for taking the time to read and comment Kristin I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
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This post is so useful! I can only agree with everything you wrote about. The “Make your own” and “Compare and switch” parts help a lot in our household.
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I’m glad you found it useful Rita. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
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Great post! I like to save money by meal planning. We don’t eat out at all. I cook and prepare all the snacks. We also don’t have cable we stream. We stick to a super strict budget in order to save and it really works if you just look for little ways to save.
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I always plan meals too as before I started we spent an absolute fortune and always seemed to be popping to the shop for extra stuff! Now I take a list shopping and stick to it, it really makes the difference to our spend ! Thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment
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This is a really useful post Mel, I don’t drive (although I am hoping to learn at some point). I switched my oldest to packed lunches after I was spending 10 pound a week on school meals and found out he was having sandwiches nearly every day anyway. You have also reminded me about comparing my electricity and gas supplier x
Emma x http://www.bookinggoodread.com
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Thanks Emma! School dinners are so expensive aren’t they, luckily the little man gets free dinners at the moment but will swap to packed lunch when he is no longer eligible.
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Yeah my youngest gets them free as well but not oldest. Think youngest will stay on school dinners because I will get money’s worth with him, he will eat anything and loves school meals. My oldest is quite picky and would rather have sandwiches x
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Great tips Mel, espeicllay in the run up to Christmas! Lift sharing is one I like as it’s so simple to do. Xx
Rebecca | http://www.rebeccasreviews.com
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Deffo Rebecca we all need to tighten our belts before Christmas it’s an expensive time! Thanks for reading 😊
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Fab post xx
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A huge thing that helped me save this year was moving money into my savings every time I spent money, even if it was just a few dollars or so. I usually round down to the nearest ten at least, but I’ll move more over if I spent quite a bit as I feel guilty. It helped me hit my savings goal of the year, but I hope to do even better next year!
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This is such a great idea and I have done something similar myself in the past with great success. Any way of saving money is a great idea and I love hearing them! Thanks for sharing 😊 happy saving!
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These are fantastic tips Melanie, thank you for sharing. Walking is such a great way to save money and stay fit and healthy too! The yboo app sounds brilliant. I’m on a contract but now I’m curious if I can get a better deal. It’s great that it checks signal strength too, I live in a ground floor flat with an often dodgy signal so that feature would be very handy. Thanks for the recommendation lovely! 💖 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
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Thanks for reading Bexa I’m glad you found it useful! The yboo app is a really useful tool and gives so many options without you having to do anything!
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Some great ideas here! I love how some really little things can save you so much money in the long run! I always walk to work, and everywhere to be honest… I do struggle with making lunch everyday but that is purely down to laziness on my own part and then get annoyed at myself when I have to spend money on lunch
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Very true, it’s often the little things that make the most impact! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment
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A very useful post 🙂 I completely agree with the ‘Make Your Own’ especially with lunches for work.. I’ve so much money by making lunches.
Emma – http://www.lifeofemmax.co.uk
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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment I’m glad you found it useful😊 it is amazing how just a few pounds here and there add up and making lunches saves a fortune
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These are such useful tips! I just need to cook more to save money instead of shelling out on takeaways or eating out! Xx
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I’ve been guilty of that too, it’s so easy when your tired and had a long day! Thanks for reading lovely
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Love this! Also the idea that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix/ replace it” has probably saved me a lot of money. I’ve had the same phone for 3.5 years and I’m on a SIM only contract, only payed a tenner a month!
Rachel || anotherstationanothermile.com
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Def a great tip one which I also use! Also mending items that can be fixed instead of buying new, I think we are all have such a disposable mentality
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