With the current economy as it is you’re probably looking to make big savings wherever you can.
It seems that the cost of living is going up, but salaries aren’t adjusting to match. So you might find money’s a little tight. If so you’ll be looking for ways to save where you can. It’s most likely you’re already doing things that involve cutting costs. Perhaps you’re buying cheaper fuel at the petrol station, for example.
But you can always do more to make savings in your everyday life. You want to put measures in place for long-term savings, as well as instant ones. Here are some awesome ideas for your home, garden and daily life that will make you significant savings.
Grow Your Own Vegetables
One of the most awesome money saving tips for you is to grow your own vegetables. You can dedicate a section of your garden to growing your own vegetables. If you have space, you might consider doing fruit too. But vegetables will be more practical as you grow them in the ground. You may not have space to grow loads of veg, but you’ll be able to do some and every little helps. Try out something you eat a lot of like potatoes and carrots. Not only will your garden look great as a result, but you’ll also be able to enjoy the freshest organic produce. You’ll also save yourself a heap of cash as you won’t have to buy vegetables.
Eat Cheaper
It’s time to start eating more cheaply. The recession hit people hard and as such it’s become more difficult to make ends meet. For this reason, you’re going to need to cut out luxuries, or at least cut down on them. Instead, you should target the offers and promotions. Try to get reduced stuff if possible too. You’re already sorted with your vegetables so now it’s time to cut costs elsewhere. If you buy in bulk, you’ll find yourself making savings over a long period. Try to get membership or loyalty cards that will offer you money off.
Compost Bin
Put a compost bin in your garden so you can decompose your green waste. This means nothing goes to waste in your home. The food waste gets thrown in the compost bin where it decomposes and adds valuable nutrients to the soil. This makes the soil rich and healthy and ideal for planting. You might even think about using this soil to plant your vegetables. So you’ll reap the financial and environmental benefits of using a compost heap.
Eco Energy
One of the biggest savings you can make is by embracing eco energy. This will involve startup costs and a little work at the start. But after that it pretty much takes care of itself. Get solar panels on the roof to use the sun’s energy for power. Change all your regular light bulbs for Philips GU10 Led Bulbs to enjoy a more energy efficient light source. You might also want to think about putting a water tank in the garden to catch rainwater and cut down on your water bills.
Budget
One of the simplest ways to save yourself money is to sit down and make a budget and expenses list. You need to know how much income you have and the individual costs of what you’re spending. This will help you identify areas where you’re overspending. Or even areas where you’re spending on things you don’t need. If you also record your expenditure on a spreadsheet each week, it’ll make things clearer. Because of the budgeting you’ll be paying closer attention to what you spend, and so you’ll be more thrifty.
Use Free Seeds and Plants
A great way to get your garden looking pretty as a picture, and filled with plants is to take advantage of free packs of seeds. These are the pouches that get given away with magazines. You could make a collection so you’ll have many plants and flowers in your garden, and they won’t have cost you much. Some magazines will provide several free packs to get you started. This is also a good idea if you’re struggling for stuff to fill your garden with.
Use Cheaper Transport
In your day to day life, you can cut your expenditure quite a lot by using different forms of transport that aren’t your car. Petrol is expensive and seems to be on the rise each year. You need to cut out this cost by using other means of travel. You could think about walking or cycling everywhere. This is the cheapest means and has the added benefit of keeping you fit. If you live in central London, you might want to think about using the underground system as much as possible. This is quick, cheap and efficient and can get you almost anywhere.
Keep Savings Jar
An awesome way you can save a lot of dosh at home is to keep a savings jar. Put it somewhere like the kitchen or living room where you can fill it on a regular basis. Put any loose change you have daily into the jar. You might also want to agree on a certain amount of money each week or month that you’ll add to the jar. There can also be incentives, such as each time you have a bottle of wine you have to add five pounds or something. You can keep this jar as an emergency fund or maybe use the money at the end of the year to go on holiday.
Cut Out Alcohol
One of the biggest expenses in daily life is alcohol. You might be shocked by how much the average person spends on alcohol. You should think about cutting it out or at least cutting down on it. Too much alcohol consumption isn’t good for your health anyway, not to mention your bank balance. Try to cut out alcohol during the week apart from on special occasions. Instead limit your intake to weekends, and try not to binge. You’ll find you make quite a considerable saving at the end of each week or month.
