Money Saving tips: Don't waste a single £.

 

 

I believe that the saying "Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves" is very true!

My sister & I were brought up by our fabulous mum in a single-parent family. Money was always tight, so we've been taught how to make sure we don't waste a penny!

Now that I have my own home we have bills left right and centre... it's not cheap.

I'm so glad my mum taught us so well with money!

Here are some of my tips for saving those pennies that won't take up too much energy but will work in the long run...

 

1. Don't let supermarkets rip you off.

I've noticed that it is important to double check the size and price of an item before you pick it up. It often seems to be the case that the cereal box straight in front of you is £2.00 for a medium size box... if you take the time to look down a shelf then the next size up (exactly the same product) is often only 20p more...or sometimes the same price, or even cheaper when on offer!  
This is the case with lots of products.
They say that better value items are likely to be placed on the top or bottom shelf...where we are less likely to find them!


2. Turn off the plugs.

A pet hate of mine is when my fiancé insists on charging his phone over night... It means we use electricity for approximately 10 hours when the phone is fully charged after one hour.
It might not cost much each time, but surely over time this would effect the electric bills. So I nag him not to do it and he makes the effort to put it on charge for an hour before bed instead :) 

3. The occasional bulk buy.

Ok so not to sound drastic... but I always buy the family size packets of 16 toilet rolls on offer - even though there's only two of us living here!
It usually works out so much cheaper than buying a four pack.
If it saves us approximately £2.50 every time I buy them then I've saved quite a lot since we moved in!

4. Visit Home Bargains.

Kitchen roll is so much cheaper at Home Bargains, and I find that some of them are just as good as the ones you pay more for at larger supermarkets (some not so much so choose carefully).
Also crisps! Lots of multi packs here are £1 for 6 bags. Much cheaper than bigger stores.
I also like to find toiletries here. The other day I picked up a St.Ives Apricot facial scrub for £1.50... it's £3.40 at Asda & Tesco, and even more at Boots.

5. A Take Away over a night out.

Ok so not every time... but we occasionally get a Nando's take away, rather than eating in the restaurant. We collect our favourite meals and sides and it comes to around £20 for both of us. It tastes just as amazing, and we save money on drinks by having them at home, instead of buying them at the restaurant.

6. Special Offers.

It's great to pick up items on offer - two for £2, buy one get one free etc. I always look out for the best deals and if it's cheaper to buy two lots of washing powder then that's what I do - even if I only need one right now. Storing extras in the cupboard is no problem if its saving you a couple of pounds each time!

7. Taking treats from home to work.

If you occasionally fancy a nice chocolate bar, then it's worth buying the multi packs when they are on offer. You can often find a pack of four bars for a pound, making them 25p each... if you buy one singly in the shop its around 60p each... well worth the mini bulk buy!
Same goes to cans of pop. Around 60p each in a vending machine but you can get 10 for £2.50, again 25p each, if you get the fridge pack on offer instead.

8. Cheaper stores for pretty home accessories.

Some really gorgeous, good quality home items can be found for a great price! To name some of my favourite stores, Asda have some lovely home accessories including photo frames, candles and cushions for a good price. I also find that Wilkinson's have some lovely items!

Ok so some of these things may sound a little fussy! Maybe you wouldn't bother doing any of these? But over the months, the money that you save will really add up, and then you can spend it on something nice :)

These are little changes that won't take up your time but will, over time, save you money so that you can spend it on more important things!

Clothes... make up... nail polish... shoes... beauty products... holiday funds... new dvds...

The nicer things in life :)
 

 

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