Christmas is looming and we all know it can be a struggle
with the old bank balance. All of the gifts you need to buy, the special food,
clothes and all of the additional funds you need for the special events that
come with it like your Christmas party! It’s never easy especially when you throw
children into the mix. I have done posts like this before but I wanted to write an updated one with a couple of new additions:
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These are my top ways of saving a bit of money to help
lighten the load a little this year.
1- Meal plan. I’ve talked about this before and how it
really does help us a family to not only be organised and know what we are
doing each evening for food but it also cuts down on waste and trips to the
shop. We try to go for dinners that we can bulk and stretch out to at least two
days, sometimes even three. For example if I’m doing a chilli then I’ll throw
in some extra veg (what ever is lurking in the fridge) or an extra tin of beans
or lentils to bulk it up and make it go that bit further.
2- This is more about utilising what you’ve got to free
of funds rather than dipping into your bank account. Start working your way
around the house room by room and minimalise. Do you need everything, love
everything or have a use for it all? If not, sell it! That way you not only
free your house up of unnecessary clutter but you also make some £ to spend on
things you do need to buy or to put away for a rainy day!
3- Think free! At a weekend it’s so easy to pop out for
the day with the kids and before you know it you’ve bought lunch, a coffee,
parking, a present the kids have begged you for and so on. Instead go for a
walk or a bike ride, visit the library and take some snacks with you or aim to
be back home by meal times. It may not feel much of a day out to you but the
children will barely notice, or at least mine wouldn’t who are just 2 and 4
years old. All they want to do is be out and about. Basically if you avoid
opportunities to spend then you won’t! A prime example of coffee shops for us,
it’s so easy to spend way over £10 on two coffees and a snack so I try to avoid
it where I can because they all add up.
4- Sleep on it. With this I am talking about impulse
buys. The internet is a wonderful yet very tempting place, it’s makes shopping
that bit too easy! Instead of clicking buy now on that new pair of boots or
what ever it may be leave it in your basket for 12-24 hours and then have
another look, is it really necessary?
5- Be a bit thrifty. Not everything you buy has to be
brand new. I know some people will stick their nose up at this but what’s
really wrong with looking around a charity shop or eBay for that particular toy
your after for your son? Or maybe you’ve a thing for Joules clothing, then
there are a ton of Joules pages on Facebook where people are selling either
brand new or almost new items every single hour and you could pick up a
bargain!
6- Voucher codes. I used to be the person laughing at
those others who would scour magazines and things for coupons to save that bit
of money on their shopping. Now I’m not as In to it as that but if I’m buying
online then I do a simple Google searching for vouchers for that particular
store and quite often I’ll find a voucher of some kind such as free delivery of
20% off if you spend £20 etc. It’s always worth a look.
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