For the first 7 months of the year we don't really have much to pay out apart from the usual bills...I will hold my hands up and say we waste a lot of money on things we don't need and impulse buys.....Then August hits and we have the kids off school for the summer holidays, Stu and the girls birthdays and paying for new uniforms for the new school year....Then there's my birthday and buying for Christmas.....
My new years resolution is to take more care of our finances and prepare more for the back end of the year....This year I am changing things around here.....I am hoping to get some money in the savings account before August rolls around.....
I will continue to Meal Plan.....I will take more notice of what we already have the freezer and cupboard.....
Once a month I will have a week where we don't get the shopping delivered....We will only buy milk, bread & fruit and will eat out of the freezer and cupboards....I tried it in the run up to Christmas and it really helped. Without buying fresh food, treats and chocolate we saved about £60.
Instead of buying cakes and treats I will try and bake more.....The Carrot cake mix from Tesco costs £1.69 and the Chocolate Sponge Cake mix only 99p. A lot cheaper than buying ready made cakes.
I am going to stop buying fizzy pop....I drink far too much of it and I know it's not good for me....Drinking diluted juice would be better and save money too.
I am going to crack down on how much electricity is used here....Things will be getting unplugged when they are not in use and the kids will learn to switch lights out. hehehe I can try.
Takeaways are a no, no unless we're out late and get something on the way home....If we really fancy one we will have a Fakeaway.
I will stop paying for buses or taxis and walk more.....
I am going to start shopping for the kids birthdays now!! If I over buy I can always save it for Christmas....
Instead of buying batteries I am going to make use of the rechargeable one's we have which are just sat in the box with the charger.
When my dad came to visit he brought us 48 industrial size toilet rolls....So I am already saving at least £4 a week what I would usually spend on toilet rolls....That £4 is going to be put in the savings account.
I am going to look at our gas, electricity, phone and broadband bills to check we are getting the best deal because I don't think we are at the moment....
I am going to look into getting a new boiler fitted....Ours is ancient and the guy who did the last gas check said it would be good to get a new one....We private rent and should be eligible for a free one....We've had the free lost and cavity wall insulation done and it has made such a difference to the warmth of our house....
Instead of buying books I will take the girls to the library.....
Instead of phoning or texting people I will make use of Facebook more and private message them....
In the school holidays unless it is something awesome I won't pay for days out.....We will find free things to do.
I will make more use of the 15 or so charity shops we have in town....The girls have so many clothes they've grown out of so I will donate them and shop in there instead of buying new.....
Will you be doing anything to save money in the new year?
Hi Kim, it's an excellent idea to start thinking about saving money already. I love the your fakeaway idea, I did used to do a 'MacDonalds' when the children were small and they loved it. Using FB for messaging instead of texting is a good idea, especially if it's not too important.
ReplyDeleteI have freezers full of food that I keep meaning to get through, but always end up buying the meat I see on special in the supermarket. Just buying the necessities one week a month is a brilliant idea and one I think I will be trying too.
I will start putting the pennies (or cents) back for next Christmas and saving my loyalty points again for next Christmas again now.
Wishing you and yours all the best for the New Year and tank you for supporting the #MMBC.
xx
Great money saving ideas! I really need to clamp down on saving electricity and unplugging chargers etc when not in use. If you have an Aldi or Lidl nearby, these are fantastic shops and you can really save money shopping here. I'm lucky I literally have one just up the road so go in there once a week and either Asda/Tesco once a month for stuff I can't get in Aldi. Definitely helps. We're off to Florida in May for a once in a lifetime holiday courtesy of my parents so we need to do some serious saving before then! Happy New Year xx
ReplyDeleteI defiantly need to bake more,instead of buying cakes and treats, some really great money revolutions x have a great 2017.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Some great ideas here. It proves how easy it is to save money, but also how easy to spend it! The idea of having a week without shopping deliveries is a good one.
ReplyDeleteOur main expense, apart from bills etc, are our kids' activities. We don't have that many days out or meals out, but when we do they really add up!
Lots of great money saving ideas here. I really should meal plan more and try to eat out of the freezer - it saves waste and helps you save money too. Good luck with trying to save in 2017.
ReplyDeleteThere are some very good ideas there, especially about using up what you have before buying more.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas Kim and I need to start adopting some of them. We have a busy January as it's mine and my daughter's birthday, so we always try to have a frugal February. Our downfall is probably eating out, which we need to do less of, or shop around for money off vouchers to use x
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