I would love to share with you today 30+ everyday tips and tricks that helped us save over £5k last year! (family of 5)

 

Do you realise how much money you can save by planning ahead, buying on deals, negotiating and bargaining every single day?

Someone once said

Look after your pennies and your pounds will look after themselves.

It’s so true; every little saving you make helps to improve your financial situation. Why pay more if you can pay less for exactly the same things.

My Motto:

You don’t ask- you don’t get!

I have sectioned my tips by Areas of savings and here is my 30+ everyday tips and tricks that helped us save over £5000 last year.

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Shopping/Food

 

When it comes to food, eating 3 meals a day plus snacks in between can add up to a pretty impressive monthly expense. So here are my tips and tricks that helped us save money on shopping and food in general:

1. Write a list of what you need a day before (or even a few days before) you go shop

I like to keep a Shopping List on my iPhone Note’s and add to it as I think of something. Having a list means you buy everything you need and also

2. Shop in advance for things you can stock and take advantage of “2 for 3” deals or “buy one get one free” offers or discount and promotions

3. Don’t always go for branded products

I’m not sure if you know this but few big know brands for which you pay top price produces the same product but under different supermarket’s own brand. So shop around.

4. Don’t go shopping on an empty stomach

You’re likely to pick more things when you feel hungry (especially snacks).

5. Shop at Aldi and Lidl

These two shops are taking a significant share of the market and there is a good reason behind it- their products are much cheaper in comparison to the biggest supermarkets like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s or Morrisons. So if you have one close to you this is definitely where you can save a lot on your weekly shopping.

6. Check the expiry date

Especially for short-life products. Or else you will end up wasting products if you don’t use it before it goes out of date. Some shops do discount the products towards the end of the day and you can save a fortune buying those over longer Use By dates. These products, however, are likely to be expiring very soon hence need to be used quick otherwise the whole point of saving money is out the window here.

7. Try to reduce the consumption of meat (especially red meat)

This will save you a lot of money long term and also help The Planet Earth.

There seems to be a fashion now for veganism. I think those that jump straight from being meat lovers to no meat or dairy are not thinking this through properly. There is a lot to learn about nutrition and the substitutes of the important sources of Iron, Protein, Fibre, and vitamins. I have found this interesting source of information about the veganism that I recommend to all those that would like to try to go Vegan.

We have already been cutting down a lot of meat as a family and my husband has gone fully vegetarian some time ago. I found a little challenging at first to ensure we eat enough nutrients and also what to cook. But I have found many websites that helped me find the alternatives to meat dishes- YouTube being my favourite source (I have learned A LOT from YouTube -not only about cooking).

8. Reduce the number of take-always/ eating out

We all know that homemade food not only is much cheaper but most likely also healthier (fewer fats, sugars and artificial taste enhancers). And we always make homemade food (from scratch most the time).

Every time you eat out you easily spend a minimum of £15 per person (excluding drinks and desserts) – comparing to around £3/ per person when you cook it yourself (depending on what you eat and how many you feed). Also, you are less likely to eat desserts and have sugary drinks when eating at home.

9. Try cooking a portion or two more

That is so that you (and your partner) can take leftovers for lunch to work the next day.

Or prepare lunch at home- it only takes a few minutes. Sandwich or a salad plus a fruit taken from home will cost much less than (minimum of) £3 meal deal you get from the supermarkets. £3 x 5/ week =£15 x 47 weeks (assuming 5 weeks of annual leave) that’s staggering £705.00 a year. No brainer.

And don’t be afraid to say NO to the team bonding lunches at work (unless your boss is paying). Let them call you names behind you back – work is where you make money, not friends. Lunch at cafes cost much more than £3 and can top the food spending significantly. When you are trying to save up, that’s probably one of the best tips I have for you!

10. Stop smoking/ boozing

I don’t think smokers realise just how much money they spend on cigarettes.

Say one 20 pack (circa £12) lasts 2 days. That’s staggering £2190/ year!!! This can be a little less or even more depending on if you’re rolling tobacco or smoking much more than 10/day. Either way, this is a huge expense! If you are serious enough about saving you should definitely give up smoking. It will also reduce various health risk that smoking increases.

Alcohol too is very expensive and although people are not likely to drink it daily, once they do, the few pints can add up quickly and spirits are even more expensive.

As I have mentioned above, food is the biggest monthly cost you will incur so be wise and if you want to be frugal use the above tips and tricks that helped us save money on food.

At home

It’s easy to get carried away and not worry about the consumption of electricity, gas, water, heat etc. So here are tips and tricks that helped us save money at home:

11. Don’t leave the lights on

In the rooms, you don’t use (hallways, porch etc) turn the lights off. Also switch to LED light bulbs they do take much less electricity, save the environment and last so much longer.

12. Turn the TV off when no one is watching- of the power I mean.

The standby mode (meaning the TV’s light bulb is still on) still takes electricity. It all adds up over the years. During the day it’s ok to just keep it on standby but at night, turn it off the power. Why waste electricity. Same applies to Microwave and other electrical devices that are on standby.

13. Don’t pay for the TV deals like Sky or Netflix.

We have a Freeview only as it has all of the basic channels for free (well nearly free as you still need to pay TV licence if you watch BBC channels).

If you have Smart TV you can also watch lots of documentaries, music and everything else really on the YouTube streamed straight onto your TV screen.

14. Turn the heating off when you leave the house.

We have recently purchased Nest thermostat. It has the AI built-in which learns the patterns of your heating settings. After a few days of use, it remembers the setting and we currently don’t even touch it as the house seems to be always warm. Also, it turns itself off when no one is home. Another cool feature is that it links with your smartphone and you can control it on the app when away from home.

15. Don’t boil the full kettle- they are energy drainers.

Fill up just enough for however many cups you need to make up.

16. Buy A+++ kitchen appliances or exchange old ones for the energy-efficient ones.

I highly recommend investing in an induction cooker. We bought one over 3 years ago and never looked back. You do need induction pans for it but they don’t cost significantly more than the regular pans (you might already have some at home not even knowing). Induction cooker is environmentally friendly, cheaper to run than the gas cooker and much faster to cook. Also, it’s not polluting your house with CO2.

I have actually managed to burn my food a few times before getting used to how quick it cooks.

 

Financials

Although all of the tips relate to money savings, here I listed a few tips and tricks that helped us save money in our financial aspects:

17. Have a Budget Planner Checklist:

This does not have to be a complicated spreadsheet with lots of formulas.

List your incomes in one column. Include all regular incomes coming into your account plus any cash if you have some side hustles income.

List your expenses in the second column. The best thing is to go through your bank account statement and list all of your direct debits. It’s also a good opportunity to revise what you are paying for as we tend to just let it slip.

Now add all other expenses such as fuel, food, outings, MOT’s, services, insurances (house, etc) and subscriptions you might pay.

Sum it up and look at the difference.

Any leftovers are your “Disposable Income” that you decide what to do with. Save it up or treat yourself and save the leftovers. Or invest – if you have a lot of leftovers.

Here is my free download of Budget Planner Checklist so help yourself to one.

 

Relating post :

5 reasons why you should become frugal during lockdown time.

18. Avoid loans, credit cards and buying on finance at all costs.

Back in the days’ people used to save before buying things. This meant no debts. Debts can be very easy to get trapped in- especially if you used the ones with super high-interest rates (yes, I am talking about loan sharks).

Debts can quickly mount up and a lot of people get very stressed and even depressed over it. As a matter of fact- the financial struggle is one of the most common causes of depression in the UK and worldwide. So stay away at all costs. If you have to take a loan, do your research and go for the one with the lowest interest. Use comparison websites.

A mortgage is a different matter as it’s nearly impossible to buy the house upfront (especially in London). Besides, that’s the only debt (despite being the biggest of them all) that people don’t mind having or even aim to have. But should you make overpayments to reduce the number of years and interest to pay?

 Well, there are two ideologies about the mortgage overpayments:

A) Do make overpayments as not only you will clear your debts quicker but also you will save money (we’re talking thousands of pounds) on the interest that you will save by paying the debt quicker. This is what those that want to become Financially Independent believe in. There is growing popularity in FIRE (Financial Independence Retiring Early) ideology and you can read about it on thehumblepenny.com where Ken has a lot of tips on FIRE if this is of interest to you.

B) Don’t make any overpayments- You never know when you are going to die so instead of trapping your savings in the long term commitment, save up for a short while and reinvest them. This is a typical investor and business-minded people point of view.

I have once watched an interview with some wealthy investors who said not to get a mortgage. They say a mortgage is trapping your money for a long period of time that you could instead invest to multiply your fortune. Once you multiply, keep investing. Almost like never buy a house to live in as you could otherwise invest this deposit and multiply- where is the stop to it? I don’t know. I guess I don’t have the investor’s brain 😉

My ideology

Do get a mortgage if you can. Renting is very expensive and can be twice as much as mortgage instalments. If you have savings and you know how and where to invest- go for it! Multiply your money!

Once you are comfortable with the money you have saved- pay off your mortgage or start making the overpayments. Everyone’s circumstances and cultural believes differ and this will have an influence over their financial decisions.

Also if you do happen to get some debt on a credit card and your interest rate is high, look for a zero % balance transfer. Many credit cards providers do offer up to 29 months 0% interest with a very little transfer fee

19. Switch your current bank account once a year or so to take advantage of cash backs.

It’s a bit of a hassle as you do need to look around for the best cashback deal and there are certain conditions to be met, but it can save you a few hundreds of pounds. Every little help!

20. Don’t pay for the Gym Memberships-

Not so much of a financial-related matter but couldn’t really fit it anywhere else.

Anyway, you don’t need a gym to stay fit. There are so many ways on how to stay fit which doesn’t have to cost you a penny on and NHS has just a list for you here.

And I have my guide on How to Keep Fit too 😉

You can save up anything between £180 to around £2k per year on those fees. –

21. Book your holidays well in advance

Take advantage of comparison websites and lookout for the best deals on flight and hotels. We personally never book through travel agents with all-inclusive holiday packages as they are very expensive. We plan ahead with the use of the internet on what to see and what to do in the country we are going to visit and pre-book them online. We have been so far to India, Mauritius, Jordan, Israel, Germany, Canada BC, Spain, Portugal, and Scotland in the UK and Poland. Not once we have booked them through an agent. I can’t even put a figure as to how much we have saved over the years.

22. Cut down on the pampering sessions.

Beauty salons charge extortionate amounts of money for the treatments. With so many How-To tutorials on YouTube, you really can learn a lot from make-up, hair, nail and many other things like DIY which will help you to learn to fix basic things at home as opposed to calling out for aid help.

23. Get a SIM Only Deal.

Once your contract expires- why upgrading to a fancy new phone which further entices you to a minimum of 24 months at the cost of at least £35/month(£420/year). Instead, keep your phone for a further year or so and negotiate a Sim-only deal with a rolling contract or 12 months deal. I did this few years back and I’m paying £6/month with 8GB of data. I have changed my phone last year to a second-hand model, sold my first one with Mazuma and this way I save at least £300/ year.

If your network provider does not want to give you a better deal- threaten to leave and if this won’t help, do so. There are so many network providers that you are sure to find a better deal somewhere.

Car

Obviously the best way to save here not to use the car at all, instead use public transport, cycle or walk. But for those that do have a car (or considering getting one or changing the existing one) here are my tips and tricks that helped us save money:

24. Before you buy a car- do your research.

Check its reliability, the insurance cost, and overall running costs. If you don’t know much about cars, ask a friend or relative to help you look for one. Car is usually quite a major expense so take your time choosing one. Also, don’t get tempted with the Car dealers that offer the finance and want you to “drive away today”.

Finance is another type of loan that is an expensive choice and you might be better off getting the loan instead of a finance deal. It’s best to sleep through the night and make sure you have made your mind up before committing to buy (financed or not).

25. Don’t buy a brand new car- buy second hand (or third, fourth etc).

The thing is- it’s not wise to get a brand new car (unless you have won a lottery). As soon as the car comes out of the car dealer’s shop floor it loses its value. A lot of value. So you can really get a better value for money buying second hand/ used car.

26. If possible get an electric or a hybrid car

You can apparently save tons and contribute towards the greener environment. Also, there is no road tax to pay. Having 3 kids an electric car is not an option for me as they are normally very small and not family-friendly (pushchair & shopping space). But they are definitely budget-friendly and as soon as my kids grow up a bit, I am going to be switching over.

27. Pay your insurance annually instead of monthly payments as this is a much cheaper option (interest can be really high on those instalments).

Also, shop around for the best deals. Many comparisons websites give you quote in a few seconds and it can save you hundreds of £££ if you just invest a few minutes to do the questioners.

28. Use points from club cards to fuel up.

I fuel up at Tesco as each time I do, it adds up point and I use them once a while to reduce the amount I pay.

29. Service your car regularly

It’s best to keep the car healthy than fixing things when they get broken. Obviously car’s do break tend down and it’s not preventable so make sure you do have a break down cover at least as towing the car is not cheap.

Clothes/ Shoes/ Handbags/ Cosmetics

Don’t bother having the latest fashion clothes when you’re saving up. Clothes can get very expensive and especially when you have kids you go through a lot of them. Please read on my tips and tricks that helped us save money on things like shoes, clothes and cosmetics.

30. Buy on sale.

But be careful though not to get carried away with how much you buy, just because it’s a sale. A lot of people buy clothes on major sales day not even trying them on, only to later realise they don’t like them or they don’t fit.

31. Don’t try to keep up with the fashion – there are many more seasons than just 4 as it used to be.

There is growing popularity of Influencers who through social media encourage people to buy the latest clothes, shoes, handbags or cosmetics. This has contributed to the massive problem that you might not be aware of.

Nowadays we have a Fast Fashion that is one of the 5 topmost polluting industries in the world. The statistics show that in the UK alone, the consumption of new clothing per head is 26.7kg! This is the highest consumption in Europe!

So think twice next time when shopping, whether you can do without this new dress, handbag or shoes. Not only you will save yourself some money, but also you will have a positive impact on the Earth.

32. Charity shops- this is where you can really get yourself a bargain.

And you can bargain! Charity shops just want to sell as much as they can and the volunteers that work in the shops are more than happy to reduce the price for you if you ask nicely.

I should get my mum to write a guest post for me on the tips and tricks that helped her save buying from Charity shops as she absolutely loves shopping there and knows how to recognise good brand and bargain for it.

33. Don’t buy designer stuff.

I know how beautiful they are and how lovely they would look on you, but the truth is- they cost a fortune! You can spend anything between £150 to like few thousands for just a handbag!

That’s crazy money!

Why spend hundreds of pound on a handbag or new shoes where you can get a similar thing just without the tag for a fraction of a price. I do own very few pieces of designer stuff (one handbag from Guess and one pair of sandals from MK- both bought on sales) and I doubt I will be buying any more anytime soon. I don’t need it. I am happy to buy cheaper alternatives.

34. If you can’t do without designer things – go for second hand.

Many people sell their own designer stuff on Shpock, Gumtree, eBay or look in Pawnshops or even Charity shops. Most of them are in a mint condition and no one will know it’s been pre-owned.

35. If you have kids and planning on having more, keep the clothes to pass on to the younger kids once they grow up.

Also if you have family or friends that have kids older than yours, ask if they could pass on their unwanted clothes and baby stuff to you. Also, Sunday Markets is a place to get a bargain and so much can be found there. From baby clothes to baby accessories and cosmetics etc.

36. Buy cheaper Make-up and cosmetics.

I love makeup and I can appreciate how hard it is to resist buying new HUDA BEAUTY eye shadow pallet (£67) or MAC brushes (£28/each). But have you ever consider the cheaper alternative?

I have done my research a few years ago and found out that there are much cheaper (like- WAY cheaper!) brands which produce very good quality makeup. My favourite one is NYX professional, ELF, Loreal, Rimmel and Maybelline. I also love Sleek (£3.95/pallet) and MUA (£12.99/pallet). They are so cheap, yet I love how pigmented they are. And I got these superb brushes set from NOIR for £32 per set only! Now, that’s a deal!

I might actually create a separate a post soon on cheaper make-up alternatives alone as I can talk about it for hours!

At last, I just wanted to add that the most obvious way to save money is… to actually save them.

You can either do it an old fashion “piggy bank” way or set up a direct debit for the payday to transfer £X amount to your savings account. Leave it there for some time.

At the end of each month if you have any money left over, transfer it to your savings account. It soon adds up and helps lots when the “rainy days” come along or just when you going on holiday and need some cash etc, etc…

So here I have covered I think most of our tips and tricks that helped us save over £5k last year. I hope you find them helpful and I would love to hear your opinion in comments

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Thank you