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Life can be expensive! There’s always something to pay for. If you’re a homeowner there are all the regular bills to sort and of course the maintenance of the property. We have some work we want and need to do on our home this year, and like most families, we need to plan in that expenditure. We manage on one income, and I thought I’d share some of my top tips for making the most of your available finances.
Shop Around For Renewal Deals
One of the BEST ways to be savvy with your cash is to shop around for deals when your various contracts are up for renewal. If it’s your utilities then there are plenty of websites that we help you identify and switch to a cheaper provider. Damian keeps on top of this for us and ensures we are on the best tariff available for us. Keeping on top of the gas and electric bill means we don’t get any sudden surprises.
It’s the same for your TV/Broadband deals as well as insurances. It really does pay for do 10 minutes research to see what other deals are available and ask your current provider to match them. More often than not they will and you have saved yourself a decent amount.
Check for Freebies
My phone contract provides me with regular freebies. I downloaded the app and it alerts me to when there’s a new offer. I’ve had a free Tesco meal deal, free savoury snack from Greggs and a coffee and cake from Costa. These are all treats that we wouldn’t normally buy but having them as a freebie means that its a double treat! There’s plenty of websites that will help you to locate the free deals out there. There’s a lot of great offers about so it’s well worth having a look.
Look for Free Family Events
Facebook is fantastic for helping you to locate free or cheap family events. For us, a big family day out can easily be more than £75. I don’t mind paying it, but sometimes we just don’t want to be spending all that. Keeping an eye on things like the Kids Cinema Club for weekends or school holidays can mean a cheap morning at the cinema for a few pounds each. Early bird deals at bowling alleys are good value and keep an eye out for events in local libraries, museums or churches.
I’ve found some fantastic events that have been free or very cheap that the children and we have really enjoyed. There’s usually plenty of things going on for families and it’s just a matter of having a browse for local events on Facebook.
Buy second-hand
Children go through things so quickly that it’ rarely worth buying things new. We have had bikes second hand, wooden train track and all manner of things that I’ve found on eBay. The wooden train track cost me around £15 and we have two huge boxes of it. It’s played with regularly by the children and it’s been an absolute bargain. We will be able to keep it for the future or sell again online – easily earning back the money we spent on it. The same for bikes. Both the older two have bikes that we picked up on eBay. They both look brand new and cost no more than £30- £35 for the two of them – a fraction of the price of them new.
Surviving on a single income isn’t always easy, but by being savvy it IS possible.
