Bargainofthemonth

Money saving tips – how we survived January

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For me and I’m sure for most of us January is the hardest month financially.  Having obviously just had the huge expense of Christmas, with presents, gifts, cards and even the wrapping paper and crackers the price bumps up.
On top of this we have Emmy’s birthday at the start of February and many of my insurances are up for renewal, while renewal can often mean a saving I do like to shop around still to ensure I’m getting the best deal, this is when it gets a little expensive as if you change companies you will need to pay out the deposit, and lets face it we don’t always have it.
OK, we are almost out of January now but it will come around again and again, and it may be a good thing to be prepared.
I’ve been  taking part in the January Survival guide with The Money Advice Service, here are my top tips for surviving the pinch of January:

Eat before you go food shopping.  It’s a no brainer really, if you shop when you are hungry you will add extra food into your weekly shop, the treats will creep in and if automatically bumps up the cost of your shop.

Write a list and take it with you – if you’re like me then you may have a list but then it gets left at home.  Why not type it into your phone, that way you will have it with you.

Check out the discount aisles – I do this in our supermarket and then meal plan from there – remember you can always put that lump of beef in the freezer for another day for either a roast or stews, casseroles or even pies.

The same goes for toys and other sale items – think ahead to birthday’s and if you see a bargain which is too good to be true, snap it up and put it away (but remember where!) – I’ve done this with Emmy’s birthday presents, last Easter I saw a LeapPad Ultra in Tesco reduced down to £25 so I snapped it up and put it away for her 5th Birthday, and only a few weeks ago I saw the LeapBand Activity watch reduced down to £13 so I grabbed one, it scanned through at just £6 so I went back for another 3 – Emmy is getting one for her birthday and the others are for upcoming birthday presents for her friends.

Bargainofthemonth

Push back the day of your weekly shop by 1 day every week.  If you shop on a Monday try stretching it out to Tuesday the following week, you’ll be surprised at what you actually have lurking at the back of the cupboards to make meals for that extra day.  This helps you to waste less food and to be creative as well as needing to shop a little less.

Shop around for better insurance deals when it’s renewal time, save the best quotes and then call your current provider to see if they can better that deal – you will be surprised at how much you could save.

Do you have any money saving tips which help see you through the harder months?

“This is a collaborative post”

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Clare

Hi, I'm Clare (Emmy's Mummy). A former Nanny and Mother of 2 - Emmy (born February 2010) and Harry (born October 2012). We are Essex based and share our adventures and misadventures of a busy crazy life.