Savings At Home

Here are a few additional tips to curb the spending and make savings at home:

Use Your Calendar

Use the calendar to record when bills need to be paid. This way, you wont forget about bills and you’ll not incur fees or a damaged credit rating.

Grow your veg

You don’t need a garden, you can grow lettuce in a window box or potatoes in a old dustbin. The savings might be small but everything adds up and it keeps the mind off spending. Its also therapeutic.

Bake your own bread

As above, the savings might be small but everything adds up and it keeps the mind off spending. Its also therapeutic.

Start composting

This will save in fertilizer and you’ll feel better that any wastage is minimised/eliminated

Sell unwanted/unused items

You might be able to realise substantial funds in this way.

Use white vinegar

This acts as well as or potentially better than many cleaning agents and it is a cheaper alternative.

Use half a dishwasher tablet

For glassware and lightly soiled items, this is sufficient.

Keep packaging

If for example, you sell your old mobile phone, you will get a better price if it comes with the box and supporting leaflets etc.

Don’t leave electrical items on standby

Make sure appliances are fully switched off. This saves £50-£100 per year.

Turn off lights when you are not in the room

Like leaving things on standby, this can save you a modest sum of money.

Go to bed 30 minutes earlier

This cuts on energy spend and you benefit from a better rest.

Keep the windows closed and invest in good insulation

The cost of heating is continuously rising and anything that allows the heat to escape is expensive. There may be grants or subsidies available that will ease the burden of an investment in insulation.

Turn the thermostat down by a degree

The difference in heat will be minimal but the financial savings will be considerable.

Use the oven well

If you are using the oven, use it to cook multiple meals that can then be frozen.

Invest in a slowcooker

This is a cheaper method of cooking.

Keep the freezer ice free

The freezer works more economically and it can hold more items enabling savings.

Don’t take the kids to the supermarket

Its likely that you will hear “I want/I would like” and sometimes this can pull the heartstrings and we can veer off course financially and into areas of the shop, resulting in unplanned and additional non-essential spending.

Use free/open source software on your PC.

Frequently freeware is just as good as its expensive alternatives. At best, before you buy software, explore the free alternatives and their reviews.

Use coupons

Coupons are available online and off-line and over the course of a year, you could save a substantial sum of money.

Walk/cycle as an alternative to using the car

Local urban short distance driving is very expensive and if you can cut down or eliminate this type of driving, you will save a lot of money.