Picture Credit to Stuart Miles
If you are a regular reader of my Wedding Planning Wednesday posts, you will see that I mentioned perhaps starting a spending ban from the beginning of September until the end of November, only spending out on necessities (ie. bills, food, etc) and Jack’s birthday presents (his birthday is the 4th of December and I can’t leave it until the last minute to pick things up for him). Whilst trying to stop myself from spending any money (meeting up with other bloggers makes this very tough!), I have also been scouring various moneysaving forums and bookmarking money blogs in the hope of finding some new ideas for saving or even making money.
*Start food planning – This is something Steve and I always say we will do but never get round to doing and then we spend money we shouldn’t on things we don’t really need and may not get round to eating!
*Make a budget – and stick to it! – I have lost count of the number of times I have asked Steve to work out his average mileage in a working period and then work out how much petrol he will need with a little extra just in case. That way, he won’t be caught short and we will not end up out of pocket halfway through the month.
*Utilise deals – If you know you are going to need to buy something, why not try and get a good deal on it? Search for a voucher code from dealsdaddy.co.uk to see if you can bring the price down a little.
*Check for all old bank accounts – I am pretty sure I don’t have any other accounts but Steve’s mum recently mentioned that they were getting letters for Steve at their address for a bank account he had completely forgotten about. There may only be pennies in them but they are worth double checking!
*Get rid of all things you don’t need – I have a current pile of to-sell stuff which I am planning to sort this weekend! This also stands for any bills for stuff you no longer use (mobile phone insurance etc) – cancel them and have a little more money to play with each month!
*Try to save energy wherever possible – I am sure we could bring our utility bills down a little if we were just a little more careful! Whilst I can’t find a cheaper rate just now, perhaps with a little bit of care we can save ourselves some pennies!
*Utilise your skills – If you can write, try freelance writing. If you can sew, try selling your creations. The options are endless.
*Online surveys & market research – Whilst not for everyone and some certainly aren’t fast earners, these are handy for a little bit of cash or some vouchers at the end of the year! It all adds up if you constantly check but make sure to cash out often as you never know what could happen to the site! I always cash out when I get to the withdrawal threshold and either keep the voucher codes safe or the money in my savings account. It soon adds up!
What do you do to save money?
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If you have any online survey sites that are open to Spain, I'd appreciate some links! I can use just about any extra cash.
The way I manage not to spend any money is… not having it or a steady source of income. I need all I can save up right now for my Indiegogo campaign rewards, so I'm good about not spending it. But here's a tip: if you're going somewhere specific and don't need the safety of a backup, don't carry any extra money (or working credit cards).
Lix have you tried Swagbucks or MyPoints? I used MyPoints when I lived in Japan, but for US- based rewards. Might be worth a try.
Good ideas x
I save money by not having a car. Sure, it's a little inconvenient sometimes, but that's a HUGE expense I avoid every month. That gives me a lot of freedom with the rest of my spending, plus saves me tons of stress from traffic, too.
We need our car otherwise we'd get rid of it. Steve works 45 minutes away and its the first job he was able to get for 18 months so we had to take it x
Great post (; Something I need cause I'm try to save up for a new camera! (:
Thanks Yuen x
I save money by not eating at my school cafeteria! Food at my school is hella expensive for some reason -_- and I use public transportation for going to and from school 🙂
That's not right, your cafeteria shouldn't be so expensive!x
I try to save money by entering online cash giveaways. It doesn't happen often but the odd time I hit a cash prize. I save the money until needed or sometimes wait until Christmas to spend it.
kevin linkie
I do this too – sometimes you might strike lucky 🙂
This is so timely! I just hit rock bottom and have decided to ground myself (except for birthday gifts and already scheduled events). I don't want to become a recluse but I do need to make this a priority.
Glad I could help, Kate!x
Getting rid of stuff you don't need is, I've found, a huge money saver!! These are all good ideas!
That is the current plan 🙂 Thank you!x