Looking For Creative Ways to Save Money

Broomstick

Do your family pay for haircuts? If so, can you do their hair instead? Mine is in a really simple style and I'm now cutting it myself and getting a bit of help from one of my sons to get the back horizontal. I dry it so that the bottom edge is curved under a bit so that any unevennesses are kind of hidden! If your OH goes to the barber, can you go with him next time and watch really carefully to see how it's done then have a go yourself? The worst that can happen is that any of you have to grow the cut out a bit and pay for the hairdresser again. (All this is assuming you aren't a hairdresser by profession anyway! )

You say you don't have expensive holidays abroad but do you spend any money on them in this country? Is there any way you could cut those costs a bit eg. doing a house swap with a friend elsewhere in the country or just doing family days out in the summer?

It's hard when you've already cut back a lot. I wrote a list of essential things I'm allowing myself to spend money on this year (which doesn't include haircuts ) and I'm keeping another list of any purchases that fall outside this and making myself justify extra spends written down on paper. I've only slipped up a few times and usually only by a small amount but I find it really helps to make myself accountable for this sort of stuff in a visible way.

B x

superrhinos

Try shopping in Aldi / Lidl if you don't already do so. I converted to Aldi towards the end of last year and have been impressed with the quality despite it being significantly cheaper.

Its also worth using mysupermarket.co.uk to compare prices at local supermarkets. Prices can vary significantly and some items are cheaper at one and some cheaper at another.

JIL

Make an extra portion of each meal freeze in a container, then one night have a choose your own tea meal from the stocks you have saved.

go through your old sheets and coats, bag them up and take to cash for clothes.

Look into the Santander 123 account, pays cashback on bills, even council tax! and interest on the balance (loads of info on the savings and investment thread)

thriftwizard

This may be totally impractical for you, but quite some time ago I was in a similar sort of situation. I did a few cat boot sales, offloading excess stuff, & couldn't help noticing what sold particularly well. So I picked up a few more of that sort of thing when I saw them ridiculously cheaply, cleaned/mended/did them up, did more car boots, sold on Ebay (eventually progressing to my own website) and eventually tried my luck at doing a market stall, which just took a few hours a week & the kids could help with. Now I'm a "full time" trader, doing something quite specific, and one of the kids, now grown up, is running her own small business alongside mine - similar but different, and she sells online too. I also do workshops teaching other people some of the skills I've picked up on the way.

I still have "domestic responsibilities" and I don't earn a fortune, but I can pick & choose when & how much I work, thus freeing me up to shop carefully, cook from scratch, grow stuff, preserve, help elderly parents etc. and it pays for my car and keeps the assorted offspring in hobbies, pays the vet & dentist etc. So I'd say, look at what skills you have and what interests you, see what's in demand at the moment - proof-reading, book-keeping, soap making, card making, translating, dressmaking, upholstery, restoring/painting old furniture are all things that various friends make a bit extra doing from home - and see if you can build on that somehow to earn a bit extra without taking you from your home & family.

ETA: another thing we do, now we have a spare room, is hosting foreign language students. Given OS shopping, cooking & child-entertainment skills, it pays well & the kids have really enjoyed having them. Other people host the older students who are "language assistants" in schools & colleges, which is a longer term commitment but probably easier emotionally!

janb5

I`m pretty similar to Thriftwizard but I have lodgers. currently have two and they are great and really feel like part of the family. there is a good site called Spare Room.com which I recommend. I make cakes for my son`s work(paid) and that has been a huge help. Now quite able to buy a car yet but certainly can stay solvent.

Spendless

Earn more money? How is the £33k earned split? If you work part-time can you increase your hours? What ages are your children? Ahhh ignore ^^^ just browsing through some threads and realised you are the poster about to adopt, so working longer hours isn't going to be an option for a while. I've given a reply on your other thread.

storytime

I adopted my 3 children and stepped on a treadmill of ferrying them from one activity to another. Then one day I had enough and decided that I wasn't a bad mother if I restricted each child to 1 activity that they really liked. Saved money on the different activities and on petrol. They could then have a friend round to play one night and then they are asked back another night and all friends lived nearby. The week ends were then taken up doing something the whole family could do. As we live near the sea it involved free beach type activities,I guess what I am saying is children just need your attention not lots of expensive activities and toys. On wet days we had games weekends getting the monopoly, twister etc out.
Also home improvement unless you are planning on moving don't bother as the house will get wrecked. Kids rooms don't spend a lot on themes with everything matching. The best bedroom I ever did was an underwater scene on the walls. Blue emulsion sponged on the walls with waves on the top. The kids and I made stencils of fish and sharks to stencil on the walls using tester pots of bright colour emulsion. Plain blue duvet and curtains which lasted into teens. Very cheap and effective.

Tink_04

Hi just found this and im in a similar position with NRAM and doing a few things differently to save some money.

Saving £2 coins
Doing the GC and meal planning
Or cinema does cheaper tickets on a Tuesday so visits with the kids are cheaper these days/ or £1 kids films on a Saturday if there little
Using up all toiletries/ Xmas sets before buying new
Popcorn & dvd nights in


Probably stuff your already doing but just wanted to say good luck xx

Winter_Phoenix

Change to an interest-paying current account.

Join Freecycle and request anything you need.

Try pound shops for goods instead of supermarkets.

Sell things.

Make a no-shoes-in-the-house rule to keep carpets cleaner and make shoes last longer.

Offer your skills (clothes alteration, typing, cake baking, whatever) in the local paper or newsagent's window - things you can do at home when the children are playing or asleep.

Car share with work colleagues or friends.

Cut out any non-essentials - give up smoking, stop buying newspapers or magazines.

Cut electricity usage - switch off lights, use washing machine as little as possible, dry clothes outside instead of in tumble dryer, put less water in the kettle, etc.

CurlyTop

Hi

How about feed a family of four for £40 from frugal queen's website:

http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2014/03/feed-family-of-four-for-under-40.html

Really good nutritious meals and if there's someone who can save a penny or two, its the Froog Queen herself.