If you’re still suffering from overspending at Christmas and constantly find yourself without or worried about money, take a look at these few simple steps to start reclaiming your life and getting your finances back on track.
Make your lunch. You’ll save so much money by making your own lunch instead of buying a pricey sandwich at a shop every day.
If your heating is on a timer, set it to come on 15 minutes later and go off 15 minutes earlier. You won’t really feel the difference but that’s 30 minutes of heating saved every day. That’s 3.5 hours a week, 14 hours a month, 168 hours a year which is 7 whole days, a full week!
Use the food in your freezer. Don’t use it as a store cupboard, keep on top of what is in there and use it. You’ve probably got enough food in there to prepare a few meals, think of the money saved from heading to the shops as you’ve got “nothing for tea.” Raid your freezers!
If you’ve got things laying around the house or clothes you haven’t worn in ages, sell them on Ebay. They probably don’t make you happy as the mess and too-many-things-in-my-wardrobe feeling often brings people down. Get ’em sold.
Never accept a renewal cost for insurance. Always do a comparison. Your car insurance company might still be the cheapest but renewals are often higher than what you can get for the same package elsewhere.
Check your direct debits. You might be paying out a few quid every month for a magazine that you don’t really want to continue anymore. A quick look and you can cancel things.
Have a no spend day every week. Spending can get addictive, even more so with online shopping and using contactless cards. Whilst you’re at it, have another day where you only pay in cash.
Don’t worry about next Christmas. It is only one day. Families shouldn’t throw themselves into loads of debt in order to have one day of fun. The best things in life are free and kids would much rather have happy, unworried, unstressed parents than the next gadget which will break in a week or two.
Little savings here and there add up and will help you get back on the right track in regards to your bank balance and money in general.
