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Money Saving Tips at

your Finger Tips

Welcome

Hi there, I am Teresa and I love to help people to save money!

I was brought up in a family where we were always being told to turn the light off! Or switch thisoff or that off! My parents did not believe in wasting money. I am the same now and I hear myself

telling my children to turn the light off, or shut the door so it stays warm in winter!

I have been in situations in the past where money was very short and everything had to be cut backto the bare essentials only. I am still careful with money and think carefully about how and where it

is spent. Keeping an eye on your money situation means you aren't caught out by spending morethan you realise, or more than you have coming in.

I hope you find some of these tips useful and look out for the meal planner and budget planner, bothgiven at the end. Print them off as many times as you like!

Love Teresa xx

My Top 5

1. Subscriptions

Check what subscriptions you are currently paying for. Are there any which you don’t get full useout of or ANY use out of?! How about gym memberships that you aren’t using or subscription

boxes you don’t use any more? Get them cancelled and save the money.

2. Direct Debits

Do the same with direct debits as with subscriptions. Which ones don’t you need any more but arestill paying? Some will be essential like your utilities and other bills, are there any others that you

don’t need any more?

3. Set a Budget and Stick to it

Set yourself a monthly budget and stick to it. Plan as much of your monthly outgoings as possibleand allow a little extra for unexpected expenses. Budgeting is hard and it may take you a while to

get all your income and expenses worked out. It will help you to identify areas where you arespending too much and could cut back to save money.

I have attached a budget planner to help you get started. If you have trouble budgeting look out formore information on my Budgeting for Beginners course coming soon!

4. Pay off your Debts

Always pay at least the minimum payment on your debts to avoid charges being added. Pay offyour debts as quickly as you can, without leaving yourself short for your daily living. This is hardwhen it means you have to cut back elsewhere, but it will be worth it when you no longer have to

find the money to put towards debts each month!

If you are struggling to pay your debts then please seek help from your providers or Citizens AdviceBureau.

5. Want Versus Need Mindset

If you are thinking about buying something, think about whether you actually NEED the thing oritem or whether you just WANT it! If you cut out some of the things that are bought because of

want rather than need then you can save a lot of money!

Saving Money on Food Bills

Food is one of the biggest costs in my household, so it’s one I am always keeping an eye on! We allknow that cooking from home is cheaper than eating out or getting takeaways. So why am I talkingabout it here? It's obvious right? Think about it for a while......how often do you pop to get asandwich while you are at work, or a coffee on the go? It is surprising how all of these add up!

With some planning and preparation you could save lots of money on your food bills. Here are mytips:

6. Cut out takeaways, or make them an occasional treat not a regular option.

7. Reduce eating out, make going out for food a special treat.

8. Prepare lunches to take out with you to work, or when out and about.

9. Take a bottle of water (or even a flask of coffee), better for your wallet and better for theenvironment!

10. Cook in batches and freeze for some quick meals when you are busy.

11. Plan your meals for the week, have a menu on the wall or fridge! I have attached a meal plannerto help you, just print it and fill it out each week.

12. Shop with a list of everything you need for the weeks meals and stick to the list!

13. Shop around for your food and use discount supermarkets. Branded food will be moreexpensive than own brand food, for essentially the same thing!

14. Shop yellow stickers, many reduced items can be frozen for when you need them.

15. Use your local market stall holders. I used to have a fabulous fruit and veg stall which I visitedonce a week in my town. He has sadly stopped trading due to the long hours. I used to save lots ofmoney on my fruit and veg every week, easily saving me £10 a week and quite often more thanthat, compared to supermarket prices.

16. Reduce your waste by freezing leftovers or using them the next day. Cook only what you need.Have use up meals to use up all your leftovers, you get some random combinations but it can befun!

17. Make your slow cooker work for you if you are out all day. You then have a meal ready for youwhen you get home, making it less likely that you will reach for the takeaway menu!

Saving Money on Kids Days Out

Here are some of the things I do with my kids on a budget. Hopefully it will give you some ideas onhow you can save money on days out too.

18. Free days out are always my first choice!

There are so many examples, here are a few: park, bike ride, picnic, visit family and friends, visitthe library and keep an eye open for events being run in the library, explore the woods, other localwalks, go to the beach, free places to visit, events run by the local church.

19. Cheap days out, there are many cheap options which will keep your little ones busy for a coupleof hours and could be combined with something from the list of free days out to make it a longerday!

Examples are: swimming, soft play, cinema, outdoor adventure centres, local events, local fairs andfamily days.

20. Pay for an annual pass. Choose somewhere close by that your kids love to go and invest inannual passes. Whilst expensive initially it will mean you can have free access as many times asyou want during the year quite often including special events too.

21. Consider investing in National Trust or English Heritage membership, this will then give youaccess to lots of different places to visit for free.

22. Book tickets for days out in advance online. You can often save up to 20% on entry tickets bybuying them in advance online.

23. Pack a picnic, drinks and snacks as this will be much cheaper than buying food while you arethere. I always have at least some snacks with me as my kids always get hungry at inconvenienttimes!

24. Avoid the gift shop! Or limit how much eachchild can spend.

Energy Saving Tips

Here are some ways to save money by reducing your energy consumption. Great for you as it willsave you money and great for the environment too!

25. Turn it off! If you aren’t using it turn it off. Lights, the TV, computer etc. Don’t leave things onstandby as they are still using electricity.

26. Turn it down! Turn your heating down by just one degree will save you money. Wash yourclothes at a lower temperature and only boil the kettle with the water you are going to use. All theselittle things add up to keep your energy usage down, saving you money!

27. When you need to replace any of your appliances look for the most energy efficient ones. Theappliance should have a rating sticker attached showing how efficient it is. In the picture A is mostefficient, you will often see A+ or A* too.

28. Ditch the dryer! Tumble dryers use A LOT of energy. Instead in the summer dry your clothesoutside. In the winter use a clothes airer to hang your clothes on, they will be dry within a day and ahalf.

29. Get a smart meter. These are free from most energy suppliers and will show you how muchenergy is being used. This can help you to see if things need turning off or turning down, helpingyou to save money.

30. Get LED light bulbs, they use less energy, have a longer lifespan and are more efficientthan other bulbs. They also give out a better light then traditional energy saving light bulbs.

31. Only heat the rooms you are using. If you live in a large house and struggle to afford the cost ofheating it, then turn down or turn off the heating in the rooms you aren’t using.

32. Ensure you have plenty of insulation in your loft to prevent heat escaping through the roof.Guidelines change frequently as to what is recommended so do a bit of research even if you alreadyhave loft insulation, as you may need to add more!

33. If you are a homeowner and you don’t currently have double glazed windows then considerinvesting in them. This will reduce your heating costs considerably as they will prevent all yourheat escaping through the windows. If you already have double glazing check they are still in goodorder. Triple glazed windows are also an available option.

34. Consider having solar panels installed if you are a homeowner. Once installed these willgenerate green energy which will help to reduce your energy bills. Obviously the initial cost has tobe considered as well.

35. If you have day and night rates for your electricity, make sure you take advantage of the nightrate. For example, run your washing machine and dishwasher during the lower night rate of electric.

36. Review your utility bills on a regular basis to ensure you are getting good deal for electric andgas. Many companies offer introductory prices fixed for a year or two years, so don’t forget tocheck when you come out of these contracts as your prices will probably rise.

37. Have a shower rather than having a bath. This uses much less water (saving you money if youare on a water meter) and saving energy on heating the water too.

Other Money Saving Tips

38. Have No Spend Days

Allocate days when you spend nothing at all. It will really get you thinking about not buying thosecoffees, sandwiches and snacks while you are out and about! It is surprising what you can cut outwhen it’s a no spend day.

39. Buy Pre-Loved or Second Hand

You can save money and help the environment by re-using what you can. Some examples of thingsI have bought pre-loved in the past include children's clothes, children's toys, furniture, shoes,books, jigsaw puzzles, games and of course my car!

You can buy many pre-loved items on Facebook selling pages, at charity shops, eBay, car boot salesand pre-loved children’s markets.

40. Make use of Vouchers and Reward Points

If you regularly shop at the same places and they have a reward card, make use of it to collectpoints. This will help you save money there in the future. I recently found £14.50 worth of vouchersfrom supermarket points I had saved!

41. Use the Library

I am guilty of buying too many books when the library is really close. Make use of the library andsave money by borrowing the books instead!

42. Pay off debts with the highest rate of interest first

Pay off your debts as quickly as you can, but if you have some that are taking a while, pay off thosethat have the highest rate of interest on them first. If you can, make use of interest free periods somore of the money you are paying off goes towards paying off the capital.

43. Find Free PC Software

For example there are free alternatives of word and excel which are compatible. It’s definitelylooking around to see what free alternatives there are.

44. Cashback

Take advantage of the cashback options that there are available to save you money. I have a UtilityWarehouse cashback card that I use everywhere, so I never pay full price for anything! Some bankaccounts have cashback options attached to them and there are cashback sites such as Top cashbackwhich are available too.

45. TV Costs

Are you paying too much to watch TV? Do you use all of the services you are paying for? It can beworth reviewing this on a regular basis as there are many cheap or free options available.

46. Do Your Research!

Research and compare prices if you are buying a more expensive item. It’s very easy to do this nowso make sure you do!

47. Reduce the use of your Car

Walk or cycle if you can or car share, for example if you are doing a regular commute.

48. Saving on Fuel Costs

Make use of fuel vouchers when they are available at supermarkets. Don’t keep stuff in your carthat you don’t need as this will increase the amount of fuel you are using. Ensure your tyres are atthe correct pressure for better fuel economy. Reducing the number of short journeys you take alsohelps to reduce fuel consumption.

49. Childcare Costs

Childcare costs can be massive for some families and finding a way to reduce them is a verydifficult issue as there are so few options available.

Some options to save money on childcare are to rely on family support, sharing childcare withfriends and taking it in turns, juggling yours and your partner’s holiday times so someone isavailable for childcare, working opposite times to your partner.

50. Do it Yourself

Where ever possible try and do things yourself rather than paying someone to do it. For examplewindow cleaning, gardening, other household cleaning, painting. Or do a skills swap with a friend,for example some cleaning for some painting.

I hope you have found some things here that will help you. Lots of these are small changes whichwill help you to save money. I am sure you can think of other ways to save money too!

Get in touch and let me know how your money saving journey is going! I can be contacted atteresahaddrell@hotmail.co.uk.

If you have trouble setting a budget, look out for my Budgeting for Beginners course coming soon.

For ways to earn some extra money visit www.diaryofaworkathomemum.co.uk for some optionsand tips.

Love Teresa xx

Other Resources

For debt advice: Citizens Advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk

More information on LEDs:https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/led-lighting

More information on Solar Panels: https://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/renewable-energy/electricity/solar-panels

Budgeting for Beginners Course coming soon at:https://www.diaryofaworkathomemum.co.uk/

Learn more about my Utility Warehouse business or request an appointment:https://www.diaryofaworkathomemum.co.uk/utilitywarehouse.html

Recommended reading for money mindset: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

OUTGOINGS

INCOME NOTES

MY MONTHLY BUDGET

Mortgage / RentElectricGasWaterPhone & BroadbandCouncil TaxTVInsuranceGroceriesFuelOther Car CostsKids ClubsSchool TripsCredit CardsClothes & ShoesHolidays

PensionBus / Train TravelSubscription feesDays OutDIY & GardenEating OutGiftsHealth & Beauty Other Outgoings TOTAL OUTGOINGS

Salary / WagesBonusesChild BenefitOther Income TOTAL INCOME

Diary of a Work at Home Mum

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Diary of a Work at Home Mum