5 Money Saving Tips

*Sponsored post

Ah that old chestnut, saving money. The rainy day fund. Money for the future. A safety blanket. Emergency pot. Whatever you call it, it all has the same meaning. It’s that one thing we all know we should have, and would ideally like. We often see money saving tips around but probably tend not to take a lot of notice of them, I know I didn’t until probably this year. However, at the age of 30 and having numerous failed attempts at a savings stash I can finally sit back and look at the error of my ways and honestly say I feel like I finally have a handle on it. If you’ve not got any savings it can seem like a near impossible task, and in truth it isn’t easy. Saving takes a lot of discipline and I often have to have words with myself. I love to get spendy and impulse purchase, I get drawn into every sales pitch I see, I’m a complete sucker! I have come a long way over the years and I have really managed to grasp my spending, and have a new-found value for money since becoming a home owner in 2015. Theres nothing worse than the dreaded winter gas and electric bill thudding down on the doormat! Bills are the single most sobering reality about how much money you don’t have!

At the beginning of the year one of my main goals was to start-up a savings fund and add to it when I could so I could end the year being better of than when I started it. I’ve found a few things really useful in helping me to save and I wanted to jot them down to share with you. I am in no way an expect or offering advice, rather sharing some things I’ve found to work well for me and my situation. So without further ado lets get onto some of my top money saving tips.

Emails

My inbox gets bombarded with shopping adverts and offers on a daily basis, all trying to entice me to part with my hard-earned cash! This was probably one of the ways I’d be most likely to make a quick, impulse purchase. As I’ve said it doesn’t take much to sell something to me and I could be convinced I need anything with the right pitch! I’ve ordered many pointless things at the hands of these emails and ultimately it all ends up as clutter around the house. Something my boyfriend knows all to well!

If you want to commit to saving and because I do I’ve found this to be one of the most effective steps I’ve put into place. DELETE DELETE DELETE! Don’t even open them. If you want to save you most definitely don’t need another nude lipstick just because its 20% off. It’s false economy and it probably accounts for so much unnecessary spending, I know for me that was a major issue. Not letting yourself be tempted by emails from companies claiming to have the next wonder product or the biggest discounts is one of the best things you can do for your future self. It’s amazing to see how much can be saved in doing something that seems so small.

Pre-Plan The Weekly Shop

I’m a sucker for wandering up and down the food aisles carelessly adding items to the trolley left right and centre without a second thought. There has been many a time I’ve gone through the fridge ahead of bin day to throw out old food, the amount of waste is awful at times. I find that the more I add to my basket without a thought, the more likely I am of having a lot of food waste. Now before I go for my groceries I plan out my meals ahead of the shop so I will only buy what I need to add into my meals. At first I was convinced I never had enough, but I always did. A list will be your best friend for food shopping and in turn it will save you some hard-earned pennies each time you shop too.

Have a Clear Out

This might not be a good one for everybody, especially the minimalist, but for hoarders like myself it might be a great starting point to drum up some extra cash. Sometimes a good clear out can be such a liberating feeling and there are so many ways to sell your unwanted things. You could use one of the many websites available to market your belonging. If they won’t be worth a great deal you could always weight in bags of clothes and some places pay up to around £20 or so per bag. Maybe you have some old gold jewellery that’s forgotten about in that old jewellery box you forgot all about? If you can get a decent amount of things from around the house to get rid of a car boot sale is also a great to offload some junk. You know what they say, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Old Fashioned Savings Account 

This is my preferred savings approach and it’s surprising how quickly you can build it month on month. I never would have believed it possible because I was so spendy, I never thought I would do it. I began by selling some things to generate a bit of cash fast and added it in to kick me off. I found adding to it easier that way and the more I added the more I would find myself being a lot less willing to spend unnecessarily which really shocked me. I never thought I’d be that person. I aim to put away around 10%-15% of my pay a month where I can, obviously this will depend on things I have going on during that month as to whether I can afford to or not. But I do always put something away out of each wage and it all adds up eventually.

Loans

Saving money can be tough and life can be costly, especially when sudden things happen like the washing machine breaking down, or you need a new tyre or an unexpected car repair. It can be hard to set aside money to save in a world of rising costs combined with other life and family commitments. Fortunately there are options out there to help us out of a sticky wicket from time to time and on a short-term basis also. Companies like Cash Lady offer that safety net to allow us to meet our obligations in a way that suits us on a short-term basis, it’s quick and easy to apply, even if you have been turned down in the past. They offer small loans for bad credit and you can choose to borrow from £80 to £500 online by completing the application form. They offer a safe and secure online application process with no hidden fees with a range of short-term small loan lenders to tailor to your personal needs.

Do you have any great tips for saving that could help myself or others? I’d love to know in the comments section below.

*This is a sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.