Ad post - Hello hello! Those of you who have read my top house buying and money saving tips will know that I believe in a few simple principles when it comes to money: buy less, save more and be smart. Today I wanted to do an updated blog post about how I have been saving money (whilst still enjoying nice food and buying new clothes, hoorahhh!) recently.
Ditch your expensive annual contract - Last year, I got rid my mobile phone contract for a SIM only deal and while this meant paying for my phone upfront, its significantly reduced my monthly outgoings so much that I advise everyone to decouple their handset.
In fact, when I was recently asked to partner with SMARTY, a low cost mobile network that offers SIM-only plans powered by Three, it worked perfectly, because I have done just that: saved money by going for a simple, flexible and cost efficient SIM plan.
If you’re looking to make the switch, SMARTY has simple one-month plans and all of them include unlimited calls and texts plus big data at reasonable prices; including unlimited data for £18pm or 30GB for £10pm.
Checking in on your outgoings - Start by actually writing down all your outgoings, my boyfriend and I do this every 6 months. I remember being shocked when my Mum got a huge list out noting where EVERY penny goes once: I learned that by the time you've paid for your a mobile phone contract, bills, council tax, actual tax, petrol etc... there's not much left, so you've got to closely look at your outgoings to see what you can change or tweak.
Since running my own home, I have honed my money saving skills so that I get the best deals where possible. Let’s face it, life can be very expensive if you let it be!
Shop around for deals - Look around for best offers and don’t auto-renew annual agreements such as house and car insurance. Household outgoings are vast so if you are a home-owner or tenant take a careful look at where you can re-negotiate costs.
If you stick with the same company when renewing, it is always worth calling them to ask if they can give you a better deal - it’s worked so many times for me. My car insurance is a great example of this or when I got my American Express card I got loads of points for signing up.
Look at reward credit cards {always read the terms + conditions / small print: I am not a financial advisor} - I recently got an American Express card and you essentially get rewarded for spending the money you were spending anyway. I wish I got mine sooner! I will be using mine towards flight points. You can sign up for points via my AMEX referral link here.
Make the most out of food - Let’s face it, food is a huge cost to all of our lives but its essential. I use the top deals tab on Ocado for my shopping. As a rule, I only ever buy my favourite foods when they are on offer.
Make the most out of food - Let’s face it, food is a huge cost to all of our lives but its essential. I use the top deals tab on Ocado for my shopping. As a rule, I only ever buy my favourite foods when they are on offer.
I never waste money on good food and whenever we have leftovers we always use them. Soup is my go-to way to ensure my food lasts longer or, just simply freezing things if I've made a little extra (if you freeze fruit it doesn't go off and holds the antioxidants longer!) I always use an app called TooGoodToGo so I can check for food discounts in my area, it saves money and saves on food waste too.
Also, when shopping I always seek out good offers and when I can, I stock up on things that have a long shelf life and non-perishables.
If your bills are high because of your oven, consider swapping to a
Shop smart and sell your old items - In my line of work, I am always hot on the heels of any sale and try my very best to share all the best deals with my wonderful audience. I truly think, in today’s day and age, apart from certain designer goods that never get discounted, or iPhones for example, you should hang on until there is a sale - is there a coat you want or some shoes?
Hang on, as you can often get at least 10% off by signing up to a newsletter or 20-50% off items if you wait until the sales. Believe me, whether it’s food, clothes or housing items I am always on the lookout for the best prices and I have saved lots of money doing this!
Shop smart and sell your old items - In my line of work, I am always hot on the heels of any sale and try my very best to share all the best deals with my wonderful audience. I truly think, in today’s day and age, apart from certain designer goods that never get discounted, or iPhones for example, you should hang on until there is a sale - is there a coat you want or some shoes?
Hang on, as you can often get at least 10% off by signing up to a newsletter or 20-50% off items if you wait until the sales. Believe me, whether it’s food, clothes or housing items I am always on the lookout for the best prices and I have saved lots of money doing this!
I always update my blog post with the BEST promo codes and discounts, so you can always save money on things you were going to buy.
Re-selling your items is a sure-fire way to get some more money in your bank account, you could have hundreds of pounds sat on your bedroom floor. Remember this is also recycling your clothes and giving them a new least of life, your 'rubbish' is another man’s treasure. I use Depop to sell my clothes, it's sustainable and a great way to make extra money too. I also donate to charity every single month, perfect if you can find a way to balance both! If you don't have anything to sell on Depop, try searching for the clothes you really want on there, you can save lots of money by shopping second hand.
Take Out Coffees -
Now I need to practice what I preach here, we bought a really fancy coffee machine to stop us from going out for coffees, however, during lockdown, I really wanted to help as many local cafes as possible so we do go out and get a daily coffee, tea or matcha - it costs around £8 for two, often £10-15 if we throw in some pastries or sourdough: I am torn between loving the kick I get from helping local coffee shops and actually trying to save money, doing things like walking rather than getting an Uber and halting your morning coffee is a quick and easy way to save some £££ though!
Saving money in an expensive world isn’t easy by any means and a few £’s here and there may not seem worthwhile, but save on all the things I’ve mentioned above and those £’s will soon add up to give you additional money each month to save or to treat yourself to something else, so in my view it’s well worth the effort.
Plus, the feeling of a good deal is so uplifting!
Lots of love, Em x
Re-selling your items is a sure-fire way to get some more money in your bank account, you could have hundreds of pounds sat on your bedroom floor. Remember this is also recycling your clothes and giving them a new least of life, your 'rubbish' is another man’s treasure. I use Depop to sell my clothes, it's sustainable and a great way to make extra money too. I also donate to charity every single month, perfect if you can find a way to balance both! If you don't have anything to sell on Depop, try searching for the clothes you really want on there, you can save lots of money by shopping second hand.
Take Out Coffees -
Now I need to practice what I preach here, we bought a really fancy coffee machine to stop us from going out for coffees, however, during lockdown, I really wanted to help as many local cafes as possible so we do go out and get a daily coffee, tea or matcha - it costs around £8 for two, often £10-15 if we throw in some pastries or sourdough: I am torn between loving the kick I get from helping local coffee shops and actually trying to save money, doing things like walking rather than getting an Uber and halting your morning coffee is a quick and easy way to save some £££ though!
Saving money in an expensive world isn’t easy by any means and a few £’s here and there may not seem worthwhile, but save on all the things I’ve mentioned above and those £’s will soon add up to give you additional money each month to save or to treat yourself to something else, so in my view it’s well worth the effort.
Plus, the feeling of a good deal is so uplifting!
Lots of love, Em x
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