Tips On Saving Money Each Month

Learn creative ways to cut pounds from your monthly budget without changing your lifestyle.

Are you looking to be better at saving money? Of course you are, isn’t everyone? These money saving tips will help you put a little more in your pocket each and every month.

Avoid takeaways

You already know that takeaway food is not particularly healthy for your family, but it is also not the cheapest. Learn to organise a meal plan and use it to ensure that there is healthy, affordable food on the table each day. 

This does not mean you cannot enjoy the occasional takeaway, of course, but make sure you limit your trips to the restaurant to an occasional treat. Avoid relying on it for weekly meals and you will find you're making big savings.

Avoiding takeaways requires a plan. Create a list of fast, family-friendly meals you can turn to, and then stock up on the ingredients to make putting meals together a simple task.

Find ways to lower bills

Broadband, television services and even insurance products can all be made slightly more affordable if you shop around for a better provider. Make sure that you're not over-paying for these services.

Take time to routinely check out alternative major service providers. If you find you would be saving money by switching, then switch. Alternatively, tell your current provider that you will switch and watch them offer you a deal.

You can lower other types of bills, too. Cut your grocery bill with regular supermarket price comparison. Reduce your bill for services, like haircuts, by using vouchers or shopping around.

Finally, look for services you can do yourself. Avoid a bill at the barbers by learning to cut the hair of the men in your life.

The point is that you can save money, even on bills you believe to be ‘fixed’. The more bills you can lower, the healthier your monthly budget will be.

Find free or low-cost entertainment

Remember, family days out do not have to be cut out completely just because you're trying to save money. However, you may have to change some of the activities. Disneyland Paris tickets may be too costly, but attending a local festival or funfair may be perfectly affordable.

If you want to spend the money on a bigger family treat, like a trip to Disneyland, then take the time to shop for the best buys on tickets. Discount websites, online booking opportunities and two-for-one vouchers are all common for big ticket entertainment.

Remember, also that a family day out does not have to centre on a big attraction. You can simply take a picnic to a local park and spend the day playing football together. In fact some of the best family memories will often be of the simplest and most affordable afternoons you spend together.

In the end, saving money benefits everyone in your family. You are less stressed and your children benefit from having parents who are not constantly worrying about the state of their finances. This will help make your home a much more pleasant place to be and saving money a pursuit well worth the effort. 

Andrea van Eugen writes for www.myfamilyclub.co.uk the UK's first website dedicated solely to saving, managing and making money for families. The website brings together all the best ways to save money with weekly supermarket price checks, deals and voucher codes