Practical ways to cut household costs | Money saving tips
Do you ever find yourself trying to survive from one payday to the next, or would you love to have more disposable income to spend on luxury items or fun days out? If you’re like me and you’re constantly spending money – here are some practical ways to cut some of those household costs.
Spend less on food
Food is, obviously, an essential item – but do you find yourself filling your trolley with stuff you don’t need ? I definitely do. Steer clear from those middle ‘specials’ in Aldi and never go shopping when you’re hungry! Supermarkets do employ clever marketing tricks to encourage us to buy items we don’t need, and this can bump up the bill a lot. If you tend to spend more than you’ve budgeted for your grocery shop, make sure you shop with a list or switch to shopping online. Shopping online gives a running total, and I find that it eliminates the temptation of offers and ‘yum they look nice’ displays!
Another thing I’ve started doing this year is meal planning for the week; I did this partly because I started Slimming World but also to save us throwing away so much food that I would buy then not eat.
Use less energy and save water
Do you dread your energy bill arriving every month, or wonder how on earth you use as much water as you do? If you’re looking to save, there are some simple ways you can reduce both energy and water consumption. Save water by spending less time in the shower, avoiding regular baths and collect rainwater to water the plants. If you don’t have a tank already, take a look at poly water tanks online.
When it comes to energy bills, we’ve replaced traditional bulbs with LEDs, we don’t leave appliances on standby, and we’ve made it a thing to turn lights off when we’re not in the room. If you’ve been with the same energy provider for a long time, it might be worth comparing prices online to see if you could save by switching to another company.
Comparing prices
Shopping around for better deals has never been easier; you can save on everything from TV and broadband to car insurance, holidays and birthday presents by using comparison sites and exploring different offers online. It’s particularly beneficial to compare prices on things like car, travel, pet and home insurance if you’ve been with the same company for a while. Many providers offer new customers incentives and discounts, which you might miss out on if you renew your policy automatically.
