Hands up if you’re finding it harder and harder to add to the savings bucket this year. *THRUSTS HAND IN AIR*
Well, here are some brilliant money saving tips we can ALL use, plus how to nudge ahead if you’re struggling in these tricky times.
It’s not just me feeling the purse pinch, is it? Grocery prices are creeping up and we’re spending a lot more time at home using all of the utilities … ugh. Money. Cue anxious belly.
Alas, hard as it is, remember saving something is better than saving nothing.
Piggy banks at the ready? Let’s GET SAVVY, as we know just how quickly the savings can add up!
41 Clever Money Saving Tips for all Areas of your Life
[mc_block_title custom_title=”SAVE MONEY ON FOOD & GROCERIES”]
- Use leftovers – these can easily become lunches for the next day or another meal later in the week.
- Watch your food wastage. Food in the bin is money in the bin. For less than fresh vegetables left at the end of the week, whip up a veggie bake or spaghetti sauce. Waste not!
- Bulk meals out with lentils, beans and extra vegetables. Think more vegetables, less meat. It’s great for both the budget and the body.
- When something you regularly buy is half price, buy TWO (or three!). This will save you spending full price later!
- Start swapping out products you buy to the generic supermarket labels. You can save over $2,000 a year just by doing this and often won’t notice the difference – see how we did it here.
- If you have a large freezer, bulk-buy meat from the butcher. Buying half a cow can be quite a saving compared to supermarket prices!
- Don’t go shopping while hungry. It never ends well (or healthy).
- ALWAYS have a shopping list.
- Meal plan, AND STICK TO IT.
- Do your homework, scope out the specials in the supermarket catalogue and use them to plan your meals and shopping list.
- If buying meat at the supermarket, look for markdown stickers. Freeze it for later and save on meat next week!
- Tempting as it is, don’t buy the cheapest toilet paper. It’s often REALLY thin and you end up using twice as much. False economy!
- If your local fruit and veg shop have crazy low prices on vegetables, buy a bit extra to blanch and freeze.
- Shop ONCE a week. Y’all know that can be hard, but just start trying to stretch out the time between visiting the supermarket.
- When doing the grocery shopping, always check out the price ticket for the cost per weight comparison. It’s a great tool for choosing wisely!
- Don’t take your partner or children shopping with you if you have the choice. No one likes those trolley surprises at the checkout.
- Don’t just shop at supermarkets for good prices. Places like Officeworks often have amazing deals on coffee, tea and toilet paper.
- Online shopping is AWESOME for saving money. There are online-only offers at Woolworths to take advantage of PLUS not going to the supermarket reduces temptation. Winning!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”YOU CAN MAKE IT (YOU REALLY CAN!)”]
- Eat at home as much as you can. Friday night takeaway can become Friday night fakeaway. It’s often cheaper and better for you. Plus, how good is homemade pizza?
- If you go through a LOT of bread every day, try baking your own. It’s not only delicious, your home will smell AMAZING.
- Yoghurt is expensive and kids power through it at speed. Make your own yoghurt at home (Easiyo or Thermomix) and watch the savings roll in!
- Bake from scratch for kids’ snacks and keeping the biscuit tin full.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”JUST DON’T SPEND IT!”]
- Have a spend-free month! Sounds terrifying but it’s really not. Basically, if it’s not a bill or necessary groceries, don’t spend it. It’s just a month, you can do it!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”SAVE MONEY WHEN OUT AND ABOUT”]
- Be honest with yourself and be real about your needs versus wants. If you REALLY want to save some money, it’s going to have to take a few sacrifices, so nab that impulse shopping habit in the bud.
- No more takeaway coffee! Take a month off of your regular coffee order and see how much money you save.
- Try and use the car less. Sure it’s convenient, but damn, it can be expensive. If you can walk or ride a bike to short distance places, do it. It’ll save on fuel costs plus, the fresh air does wonders for your mood.
- When running errands, don’t buy drinks or snacks – they quickly sap the funds! Take a water bottle or coffee with you and pack a small container of nibbles, or piece of fruit in your bag if you think you’ll need it.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”SAVE MONEY AROUND THE HOME”]
- Switch it off! Get into the habit of switching televisions and computers off. Not in standby or sleep mode, completely off (and at the wall if you can).
- If you can afford it, install solar panels on your HOUSE roof. While it’s quite the outlay in the beginning, your solar set up will soon pay for itself in power bill savings in no time.
- Save on electricity by not using a clothes dryer and not blasting the heater or aircon at full tilt.
- Reduce shower times and save on your water bill!
- Keep a bucket in the shower or sink to catch water to use on your plants. #thinkgreen
- Shop around for the best deals on internet suppliers, phone plans, insurances, power etc. It never hurts to ask your current provider for a better deal, they can only say no.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”SAVE UP TO TREAT YO’SELF!”]
- Save up to treat yourself. All work and no play just leads to resentment, so squirrel away $20 a week for a fun fund. It’s PLANNED treats (aka dinner out / new shoes / a weekend away!) so you can do it without guilt. SWEET, a guilt-free spend!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”TIPS TO FREE UP MONEY FOR THE FUTURE”]
When you start saving, and you can see those small savings add up to bigger numbers, it becomes a little addictive. Aaahhh sweet saving money smugness. Here are some awesome money-saving tips for continuing the saving groove well into the future.
- Use cash over card. You’re MUCH more mindful about what you’re spending money on if you have to hand over cold hard cash compared to just swiping a debit card.
- Round-up! Use a round-up account such as the ING Everyday Round-Up to help reach a saving target. Simply set it up, switch it on and save when you spend. Transactions are rounded up to the nearest $1 (or $5) by the bank. You barely even notice it and coincidentally, you grow savings in another account (or even pay down your home loan) without even trying.
- Save for an emergency. Emergencies (by nature) give you ZERO warning and can be financially brutal. Start saving an emergency fund, chip away at it and rest easy knowing if you had to replace a hot water system or fly to a family member if they were sick, you could.
- When it comes to making sure you always have enough money to pay your bills, on time, planning is key. Gather ALL of your foreseeable bills for the year (school fees, electricity, rates etc), rounding them up to the next round number and add them up. Next, divide that number by the number of pays you have in the year. Round that final number up to the nearest round number and deposit that amount EVERY PAY into a separate ‘bills’ account. Let it accumulate for a month as best as you can before you start paying bills from it.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”HELP! I NEED HELP!”]
If you live week to week or from one pay period to the next, don’t despair. You’re MOST DEFINITELY not alone (even though it can feel like you are). It can feel REALLY overwhelming wondering how you’re going to juggle bills, groceries and other expenses, let alone save some money. But you can do it. #youvegotthis
Good news, help is available! MyBudget is awesome for those who feel overwhelmed and anxious by money management. They offer structure and support to ensure you have enough money to pay your bills on time, set up your budget, start saving and living a much less stressful life. Doesn’t that sound AMAZING?
Perhaps the MOST important money-saving tip is to just start. If you can only save $5 one week, then so be it. Even the SMALLEST start, is still a start! Plus, a year of saving $5 a week adds up to $260, that’s nothing to sneeze at! Do you have a great money saving tip? We’d love to hear it!
