Saving money and setting certain amounts of money aside each month can sometimes feel impossible. Life gets in the way and we can be met with unexpected expenses. But there are little things we can do and changes we can make that will help us put a little aside, and before you know it you will have enough to buy something special you have been saving for!
Make Your Own Lunch
This is something the majority of us could do a lot more often then we do. Many of us often forget our lunch, or don’t bother to make lunches for each day of the week. Instead, we end up spending a few dollars here and there. But those dollars add up, and in a year you could have saved a lot of money had you have hit the grocery store at the weekend and planned and bulk made lunches for the week.
Try it for a month and see how much you could save!
Upcycling Furniture
Changing up our homes and giving some rooms a new lease of life is something some of us like to do every so often. And this isn’t cheap! Buying new tables, chairs, side tables, lamps etc can add up.
But how about up cycling your existing furniture? Painting tables or chairs, recovering couches or adding new cushions, even changing the lamp shade are all little and cost effective ways to completely alter the look of a room without having to replace all your furniture.
Clothes Swap
This is something that has become more popular in recent years. A clothes swap involves getting your friends together with a selection of clothes that you have all grown bored with or have worn too often, and you simply swap your clothes. Make an event of it, get some wine and nibbles in and really have fun with it.
Just because you have fallen out of love with an outfit, it doesn’t mean that someone else might not love it and make a whole new outfit. This way, you are saving yourselves a lot of money on buying a whole new wardrobe. And if you get bored again, host another clothes swap! There are also sites like Thred Up where you can send your unwanted items and get money back to buy new clothes!
Own Brands
Treating ourselves to the big brands is something I think we have all been guilty of at some point. Whether it is groceries or toiletries, we have our favorite brands and often stick to them even with a hefty price tag.
We are missing a trick by not changing to own brands. If you look at the ingredients of toiletries, for example, there won’t be much difference between the branded products the store’s own brands, however, there is a great difference in the price!
Even with groceries, often the items some from the same manufacturer so why spend more money than you need to?
Sell Unwanted Items
We all have items around our house that we no longer have any use for, or we have never even used. So why have them taking up space and collecting dust? Head to a car boot sale, or even list them online for people to bid on and buy. Just because you don’t use the items, doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Not only will you get these items off your hands and free up some space in your home, but you will be surprised how much money you will be able to get back from these sales. You can put this money aside and save it up for something you need.
These are just a few ideas and little changes you can make that will help you save and get some extra cash for the things you want, but there are plenty more ideas from the Money Advice Service.
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