My addiction of filling my mailbox with freebie offers began at an early age. My mother would usually find me cutting out freebie coupons and begging for another stamp to post the letter. The best part of the day for me is the time when the mailman would arrive. In fact, I was so eager to see what I have received as a freebie on that particular day. Even today, nothing has changed much. In fact, I am still a “freebie-oholic.” I am excited when I see freebies in my mailbox and love to share them with my friends and family.
Are you ready to fill your mailbox with hundreds of freebie offers? The latest technology allows you to collect freebies without clipping coupons or mailing the free offers. There are multiple websites that offer freebies – which you can easily sign-up for. These sites will keep you posted on the latest freebie offers on the market.
Here are three of the best places to find freebies on the internet:
“Freebie Empire” is a website that offers a full list of freebies almost on a daily basis – check out their website at https://www.freebieempire.co.uk/
“Shop 4 Freebies” is another great site that is dedicated to bringing the best free samples, products, coupons, and bargains from some of the best brand names in the country – check out their website at http://www.shop4freebies.com.
“Freebies 4 Mom” is a site that gives you free samples using coupons, winning sweepstakes, and giveaways – check out their site at http://freebies4mom.com.
Important Freebie Tips For Beginners
. Never give out your credit card details or social security number when applying for a freebie. It may place you at risk and result in identity theft. Wendi Caetta of TheFreebieBlogger.com says that if the freebie is free, it shouldn’t require any payment at all. Hence, you don’t have to give out your financial information to them. You should also note that there are legitimate websites that offer freebies when you sign up for a trial offer from the company. For instance, there are freebies such as cereal bar samples that you will get when you sign up for a credit monitoring service. Such offers may require your credit card details. Hence, you should be doing your research about the company that offers the freebie before signing up for the offer. Also, if you have to cancel an offer within 30 days to prevent spending money, it is not worth your time.
Don’t use an everyday e-mail address for freebie offers. Even if the offer is legitimate, you will be giving out your email address to a third party. Make sure to create a separate email address for such correspondence. If you create a Gmail address for this purpose, you can forward the messages to your main email account for free. In fact, you can then easily filter these messages into a folder and delete the second account if it receives too much spam.
Filling out copious forms is a waste of your precious time. For example, you click on a link for a sample body wash, and suddenly you are asked to join a movie club to qualify for the free offer. In fact, the best legitimate freebie offers require only your name and address most of the time. The worst ones will want you to sign up with rewards partners for a trial offer that would cost you money if you are not attentive enough. Even though you can cancel these offers before the 30-day period ends, you are more likely to forget that you signed up for them. That way your credit card will be charged the full amount for the product after the 30-day trial period. That is why you need to be careful to avoid such offers when signing up for freebie offers on the net.
* This is a guest post in conjunction with www.freebieempire.co.uk
There happens to be a wealth of free stuff that is available online, which is all up for grabs. This includes tangible items as well as digital goods, including free services and/or software. Companies are always gearing up to give away quality samples of their products, so if you are willing to give up some of your time to request these free goods, you will start to see items showing up in your mail box on a regular basis.
When you are thinking of getting started, it is best that you read this FAQ’s as it will give you lots of valuable information on freebies for newbies.
While working through ukprize.co.uk, you will see that we are completely family friendly, meaning that your security and safety will always be our number one priority. Everything that you find has been completely checked before hand to ensure that it is legit and we will never send out any unsolicited emails to our visitors. You will not even have to put in an email address prior to entry, all you have to do is surf your way in!
It is well worth it to follow us on both Facebook and Twitter so that you will get alerts whenever the new freebies come out.
Think about setting up a free, secondary email address.
Setting up this secondary email address will allow you to sign up for all of the freebies and newsletters that you want, without you having all sorts of emails inundating your regular email box. There can be a great deal of promotional information, coupons, newsletters and more that will come from the companies that you are requesting the freebies from. To easily solve this problem, all you have to do is sign up for a secondary account and it will keep your regular email box from getting completely cluttered. It will be well worth it for you to set up the new account and if you happen to enter a lot of contests and sweepstakes, this will be very helpful.
There must be some kind of a catch. How is all of this stuff free?
There is a catch to this, but it is something that is not bothersome in any way. The catch will be that you will usually have to opt in to get information sent to your email box, which will put you on a mass mailer list. If you want to be able to get a real life freebie sent to your home, you will also have to give out your address for delivery of the sample products. For the most part, people who sign up for a lot of freebies will not have a major issue with getting all sorts of junk mail at their homes after the sign up process. Keep in mind that not all websites are going to be fully safe, even if they say that they are. It is always best that you remain cautious. If an offer looks like it is too good to be true, it probably is.
Will you be getting spammed? Probably not, especially because the websites that we list are vetted before hand and swear off spamming. Spam is basically unsolicited email contact and none of the sites that we list do this.
How long is the wait time? Well, it will depend on what companies are sending out and if they have a set schedule for sending out their freebies. For the most part, you will see that the normal timeframe is about 28 days, with some occasions that may call for a bit longer wait time. Some samples will even arrive as early as one week after submission of your request.
There can be some instances where you and someone else that you know signed up fro the same samples, yet only one of you received one. This could be due to any number of reasons. Some companies will only have a certain supply of samples to send out. Once they are out, they will not be able to send anything else out, even if they had requests. The key here is to keep trying, as a lot of companies will replenish their supplies and then the freebies will start getting sent once again.
Following on from last week, I’ve managed to list a few more things on Vinted and have had a few sales this week. I keep seeing Vinted hacks on TikTok and one of these is not to list everything at once, but to drip feed your listings so that they nudge the app towards you as and when you list new items. This feels much more manageable anyway so I’m going to give this a go.
Money Savings Challenges
I’ve been putting money into the #365DayPennyChallenge but would like to start some others maybe for holidays and other bits that we want to do.
Swagbucks
I signed up for this a little while ago, but haven’t really done anything with it. However, this week I’ve downloaded some of the games. It makes a huge change from surveys which I’ve got really bored of doing.
I’m still on the waiting list for Prolific for surveys but still haven’t heard anything back.
Mystery Shopping
I signed up for www.proinsight.org which is a mystery shopping site, and straight away a task was available.
There’s a huge big building development close to me and the assignment is to make a phone call to book in an appointment and then make an appointment to visit the show homes. This job would pay £55 and it sounds great, but I was a bit nervous to take it in case I forgot the questions that I needed to ask. I’ll keep an eye on it to see what else is available and will let you know. If you fancy signing up for this
This Blog
I feel like there’s so much more that I can do with this blog. It has a good steady stream of traffic even when I feel like I’ve neglected it for a while so I’m sure that there are some opportunities that I could explore to make some additional cash.
Tracking my Side Hustles
I’ve set up my spreadsheet for this year and will update the tracker at the end of each month with any earnings I may have.
So it seems that everyone loves a little challenge so why not try the #365daypennychallenge with me.
I’m hoping that 2022 will be the year that we finally buy a house, but I also think that we really need and deserve a family holiday after the last couple of years which have been pretty shitty for most of us.
So what is the #365daypennychallenge?
Essentially you save a small amount of money each day starting off with 1p and increasing it by a penny each day. The best way to do this is by buying one of those tins that you can only open with a tin opener to save you from dipping into it for car parking change or similar.
I’ve created a #365daypennychallenge tracker sheet which you can print off and mark the days as you save.
We don’t stick to the chart as such, we just pick an amount each day and cross it off. So, for example, one day I might add in £3.65 and the next I might choose 10p. This works also if you’re a bit short of cash say towards the end of the month.
If there was ever a time more in need to set up an Emergency Fund with Chip, a global Pandemic would tick the box. I’ll show you how to set up an Emergency Fund with Chip, the easy to use, goal setting, saving app!
How would you pay the bills if you lost your job tomorrow? Or if you became too ill to work?
It’s amazing how many people have very little or no savings and living month to month is the norm. Being able to or setting aside a decent chunk of money each month can seem daunting and not doable, and that’s where Chip could be the perfect solution for you.
Start saving with Chip and get a £10 Bonus
What is Chip?
Chip is an App that you download on your phone that analyzes your spending habits to determine how much you can afford to put away in small unnoticeable chunks.
There are two ways you can link to chip, either through your debit card or your bank account. if you sign up with your card, the App will analyze your spending via your card and work out amounts to transfer to your Chip account every few days. You can also set up automatic payments which you arrange through the App.
The most effective way to sign up is through your bank account so that Chip can gain a full analysis of your spending habits including mortgage and direct debit payments.
Whichever way you choose to set-up, you can manually increase or decrease the amount saved giving you full control of your savings.
A little bit about Chip
Where does the money go?
Good question, and one of my first thoughts.
Chip is not a savings account and doesn’t have FSCS protection, your money is stored as e-money. They work in partnership with electronic-money specialists PFS (Prepaid Financial Services FRN: 900036) to store your money.
PFS store the money with a major retail bank (currently Barclays) in a ‘ring-fenced’ account, which means it’s never used for any trading activities.
You can also withdraw your money whenever you want. Just put in a request before 5pm and it will be actioned the same day. Any requests made at the weekend will be back in your account the following working day.
Adding your personal details in a few simple steps
Setting a Goal
It’s so nice working towards a goal whether its for a Family Holiday or a Deposit for a House.
You can set up three goals, a short, medium and long-term goal which is great. Any payments that you make are spread across your goals making them much more achievable.
Setting up your Chip account
Setting up my Account
You can download the Chip App on Android and IOS in a few minutes.
Next you will be asked to pop in your mobile number and a verification code will be sent to you.
You will then need to fill in your personal details.
Once verified you will need to connect either your bank card or bank account. A payment of £1.01 will be taken by Chip and then refunded within 3 working days.
Assigning your bank details is easy to do
Setting my Goals
You can set up three financial goals with the Chip App so I’ve set mine to:
A house deposit (60%)
A family holiday (20%)
An Emergency fund (20%)
A goal can be set for any amount up to £5000 so I set the house deposit to £5000, and both the holiday and emergency fund to £1000 but I can adjust along the way.
Since setting up my chip account I’ve saved £17.83. I get a notification on the day to let me know the amount and if, for whatever reason I don’t want it to be taken I can decline the deposit for that day.
Setting up easy to reach goals
Making a Withdrawal
This is simple through the app. If you put in the request before 5.50pm on a week day, the amount will appear back into your account the same day. Otherwise it will be the next working day.
My Thoughts
So far so good. I love that random amounts are being taken rather than making a conscious choice to put away a chunk of money into a savings account. It’s nice to be able to pop onto the the app and see the amount saved going up. I love the fact that its an app on my phone that i can check whenever I want as well as still having access to my money should something unexpected happens.
Set up an Emergency Fund with Chip and receive a £10 bonus by using my promo code BABY10.
Money Saving on your Christmas Shopping – It goes without saying that we’re all after the best deal and the most for our money at this time of year. You should never just settle for the first price you see when buying Christmas Shopping, whether it be for Christmas presents, Party Clothes or the Festive Food. I love a bargain and whenever I buy something I always have a bit of a search to make sure that I’m not paying over the odds. Here are some of the tips and sites that I would recommend to get the most for your money.
Plan
And stick to it. Make a list of everything you need, and who you’re buying for and stick to it. The amount of times we’ve left some of our shopping to last minute and had to spend more than expected and bought gifts that we may not have otherwise bought. Keep a little notebook in your bag or make a list on your phone and tick off as you go. It’s also a great place to store all your receipts just in case.
Loyalty Cards
Loyalty cards are a great way to get a bit of money off at Christmas time. Save up your points all year round and wait for the special offer emails that get sent around October/November time.
Boots Advantage card send out loads of vouchers where you can get extra points and of course the 3 for 2 offers are great at Christmas time.
Sainsbury’s and Tesco points are best saved up and spent on non-food items such as restaurant vouchers, days out or use towards the kids Christmas presents in the toy department.
Cash Back Sites
Get cash back on things you were going to buy anyway by going through the relevant cashback sites. These are the ones that I’ve used previously.
Top Cash Back – Always check to see if the retailer your buying from is listed and take advantage of money back and promotional codes
Swagbucks – You can earn cashback on your shopping as well as taking part in short surveys.
Quidco – Again, another one to check out before making purchases to see if there are any savings to be had.
Comparison Sites
Actually, before you hit the cashback sites make sure you compare the prices of the items you want to buy, particularly on big purchases. This can also be done for alcohol if you’re planning on having a party or need to stock up for Christmas.
My Supermarket is the only one that I’ve previously used but there are lots available including:
Some shops such as Boots and Debenhams have special card holder evenings where you get additional money off if you buy on the night. Have a look out for these which are usually sent by email.
Online shopping baskets
This one I’ve blatantly stolen from Martin Lewis. Go onto the stores that you intend to buy from and add the items that you want to the shopping basket and then leave it………Some retailers send an email reminding you that you have items in your basket, and some will offer a discount code to entice you back. It doesn’t apply to all retailers but definitely worth a go.
Last Minute Shopping
A lot of retailers start the January Sale early and start dropping their prices just before Christmas to capture as many Christmas shoppers as possible. Take advantage of this, but anything that is likely to be at the top of the kids Christmas list is unlikely to be still available if you hang out for this.
Mobile Phones
If like many parents, a mobile phone is at the top of your kids christmas list then make sure you hang out for the best deal possible. A contract phone may seem the best option, since you get a free phone, but do you? Nope. If you were to work out how much you would pay over the contract period versus a pay as you go phone you may not be getting as good a deal as you think. Take advantage of this Contract V’s SIM Calculator before you make a commitment to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
Alternative Presents
Not sure what to buy the kid that seemingly has every shape of plastic know to man then why not buy an alternative Christmas present such as a magazine subscription or sign them up for a class. This is an old post that I wrote but still worth a read.
Vouchers
If there really isn’t anything that you can think to buy for a friend or relative, then consider buying them a voucher for somewhere that you know they like to shop so that they can put it towards something that they want. This is also useful for teenagers who will get more for their money in the January sales than if you were to buy a load of clothes before Christmas. You could go one step further and make it a shopping day with a bit of lunch in between shops as well.
I’d love to know your top tips for saving a bit of money or getting the best deal when Christmas Shopping. Pop me a comment below x
5 Ways to Raise a Family on a Tight Budget – Saving money is hard work these days. It seems like the cost of living is constantly going up, while things like wages remain frustratingly static. When you’ve got a family to look after, figuring out how you’re going to make ends meet becomes even tougher. It’s no wonder that so many parents spend most of their time printing out coupons and counting pennies.
If you’re one of the many families that need help making the most out of their cash this year, don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place. Here are just some of the ways that you can raise your family on even the smallest shoe-string budget.
1. Remember that Less is More
Since the cost of housing is one of the biggest expenses that today’s families worry about, it’s worth thinking about whether you’re over-spending on your mortgage or rent. Maybe you started off in a bigger house when you had two large incomes to help pay for the bills, but something in your lifestyle changed, and now it’s getting harder to keep up with the expenses.
Switching to a smaller house and asking your kids to share a room for a while might be a great way to lower your costs monthly. On the other hand, if you love your home and would rather do anything but give it up, then you can always consider re-mortgaging to see whether you can get a better price from a different lender. Financial comparison sites like Readies.co.uk can go a long way to helping you find the right deal.
2. Make Meals at Home
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that you can save a lot of cash by making sure that you don’t eat out at takeaways, restaurants, and fast-food joints as often. Planning your meals in advance allows you to prepare for the week ahead more frugally, by stocking up on the food you need. For instance, if you know you’re going to have chicken twice in one week, you can buy a bulk amount and split it up into two portions.
The great thing about making meals at home is that you can also improve your healthy habits by ensuring you only stock up on good ingredients. Though it’s important to have a treat from time to time to make sure you don’t go off the rails, you can ensure that the majority of your food is low-fat and nutritious.
3. Cut Your Childcare Costs
If you’re a single parent, or both you and your partner work, then you might have a hard time finding someone to affordably look after the kids. The good news is that the government will help with this to some extent, but even their support only goes so far. Try to look for people in your friends and family circle who can handle babysitting for you a few times a week.
If all your network is busy, then you could discuss your options with your boss. A larger number of employers are starting to embrace concepts like flexible working. If they don’t let you change your hours, then they may allow you to work from home now and again.
4. Make the Most of What You Have
When you’re worried about money and bills, it’s easy to get so caught up thinking about what you don’t have, that you forget to prize what you “do” have. If that sounds like you, take a step back and try to take stock of your situation. For instance, if you have a backyard then you also have something to keep your kids entertained. A garden can be a place your children can run around, explore new hobbies like gardening, and more.
Additionally, there are plenty of local places to visit in almost any neighbourhood. Simply look your city or town up on Google and enter the phrase “Things to Do for Free” and you’re sure to find a handful of exciting ways to keep the kids entertained.
5. Remember that Experiences Trump Possessions
Finally, although it always seems to be the people “with” money that say it doesn’t matter, the truth is that cash really can’t buy happiness. Although it helps to know that you can pay the bills at the end of every month, don’t get so caught up in feeling like you have to have endless supplies of cash to keep your kids happy. It’s easy for negative thinking to lead you into dark places as a parent, and it’s your job to stay positive for your youngsters.
The things that matter most to your children – like spending time with their parents – don’t cost any money at all.
Family Friendly things to do in London – London is the capital of our country and also a really interesting and fun place to take the family. However, like most days out in the UK it can be a costly business so I thought I would have a bit of a rummage around to see how you can experience London as a family which won’t break the bank.
Museums
The National History Museum – This would be one of the top things on my list of things to do whether it was a paid admission or free. Meet a T-Rex, experience an earthquake and take a trip to the centre of the earth. For a really special treat (not free) you can stay the night at the museum and experience a torch light tour which sounds absolutely amazing.
The Science Museum looks like it would be a really fun place to visit with loads of interactive activities. Some of these are paid and need booking in advance, but if you pop over to their website there is more than enough to keep the little ones and the big ones busy.
London Motor Museum – If cars are your thing then this is a must see exhibition. They even have the likes of Herbie the Volkswagon Beetle, the original Batmobile and the Ford Gran Torino used in the Starsky and Hutch TV series.
The V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green houses the UK’s national collection of childhood objects, all dated as far back from the 1600’s to the present day. There you will find toys, dolls and games. They also run lots of events and workshops so make sure you check their website before your visit.
Horniman Museum & Gardens – They have lots to see including animals (real live ones), an aquarium, butterfly house, 16 acres to run around and discover wildlife, a hands on base where you can touch and experience various things, a music gallery, a natural history area packed full of taxidermy, skeletons and fossils, a nature base and nature trail. There is a small entrance fee for this but it’s definitely up their in the budget friendly category.
Take a trip to Grenwich to see the Royal Observatory, the Astronomer Royal’s house and stand on the Meridian Line. The best way to see all of these is by getting a Day Explorer Ticket where you will have access to all sorts including The Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark, the Meridian Line and Museums.
The Royal Academy of Art – Run free family workshops and activities so do check their website to see what’s on. Once you’re done you can go and have a play in the fountains outside!
London Zoo – Meet the Majestic King of the Jungle, enter the Gorilla Kingdom and get up close and personal with the Lemurs in their walk-through exhibit. There’s loads of things to see and do at the Zoo. If you’re lucky you may get to experience Zoo Nights on selected dates.
Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace – It’s definitely something you don’t see everyday and is a definite must-do if you haven’t already done so. Once you’re done it’s nice to take a walk through St James’s park.
Spot the Deer at Bushy Park near Hampton Court Palace before wandering through the gardens of Hampton Court Palace. There is a fee to enter the palace but you can wander through the gardens free of charge.
Clapham Common – There is loads of open space to play and run around as well as three ponds, a fishing pond, a duck feeding pond and a model boat pond. There are also two playgrounds, a huge paddling pool and a bandstand café for refuelling.
Film on a Farm – Watch a film across many venues and dates.
Visit Vauxhall City Farm which is completely FREE where you can visit Ducks, Rabbits, Pigs, sheep, alpaca and more. They also have an ecology area, herb and dye garden and a picnic area.
Staying on the farm theme you could also visit Madchute Farm which is also FREE – spread across 34 acres where you can meet farm animals, horse ride and stop in at the tea rooms.
Hackney City Farm – Entry is Free although they do appreciate donations. Here you can meet all kinds of farm animals and they also support lots of community projects and workshops.
Visit the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and climb aboard the Pirate Ship in Kensington, complete with it’s very own beach.
Timber Lodge and Tumbling Baby Playground at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. There you will find rock pools, sand pits, treehouses and wobbly bridges as well as slides swing and plenty of space for running around or having a picnic.
Coram’s Fields – In Central London is a definite pit-stop. They have Playgrounds, a small Farm, a Café and Sports Pitches. Lots of room for the littles to burn off some energy.
Brockwell Park – Apparently one of the best parks in South London it has a great playground with zip wires, climbing frames and tunnels as well as a sandpit and paddling pool (be warned with water jets).
Centre for Wildlife Gardening – Here you will find mini-habitats, ponds to explore, a chalk bank, woodland copse, herb gardens and lots of bug sanctuaries and hotels.
Golders Hill Park Zoo – Hampstead Heath. Explore and visit their collection of rare birds and animals before heading off for a splash in one of the swimming ponds and lido.
Dukes Meadow Park, Chiswick – With it’s own beach and adventure playground! There are also lots of sports that take place, a kiosk for food and it also hosts the Fine Food Market.
Tours
Open Top Bus Tour – A must do when you visit London, but do look out for deals as these can be particularly pricey. Groupon are currently offering a family Open Top Bus Ticket for £49 which may seem pricey, but it’s definitely one to tick off your bucket list.
Windsor Duck Tours – Am I the only person that wasn’t aware these things even existed. Basically it’s a boat with wheels so you start the tour on land, and then it drives into the water and becomes a boat. So cool!
Camden Town Market, Spitalfields Market and Portobello market are definitely worth a visit. Be warned though as it will be extremely busy.
City Cruises – Down the River Thames for the ultimate London sightseeing experience including Big Ben, The London Eye, Tower Bridge and more with various pick-up and drop-off points along the way.
Markets
Borough Market – near London Bridge where you can find an array of fresh and organic produce including fruit, veg, meat and cheeses as well as baked treats, condiments and scrummy street food.
Brick Lane Market – Have a good old rummage through vintage clothes, shoes, furniture and bric-a-brac with Sunday being the best day to visit.
Broadway Market, Hackney – here you will find local artists and craftspeople selling unique and unusual clothing and gifts as well as locally produced foods, furniture and more.
Maltby Street Market near London Bridge Station is a foodie heaven with lots f street food on offer including New York Style Sandwiches to authentic Mexican Street food.
Hamley’s Toy Store – Here you will find over 50,000 toys spread out across seven floors to indulge your inner child. Whilst it’s free to go in, you may not be able to get out without spending a penny or two.
Take a stroll along the many areas where you will find some pretty cool Street Art including Banksy. Head to Camden Town where you will be in for a colourful treat, and Shoreditch is up there for ever changing artwork, and there’s even an organised Street Art Tour you can take to ensure you get the full experience. The tours aren’t free but you could navigate through the areas yourself.
If street Art is something that you’re interested in then head to The Rise Gallery in Croyden where they house an array of cool artwork. They also do organised tours of the local Croyden Street Art.
Lewisham hosts over 60 public artworks which you can find listed on the Council Website or you could follow The Line which is a self-guided walking tour linking The O2 and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Part where you will discover artists such as Damien Hirst, Alex Chinneck and Eduardo Paolozzi.
Take a walk along Regent’s Canal where you will see an array of colourful narrowboats overlooked by the aviary of London Zoo you can take in the scenery and chill away from the hustle and bustle.
London Stadium Tour – Take a walk around this fantastic multi-purpose venue which is home to West Ham United and UK Athletics. The tour includes panoramic views into the stadium, a look around the changing rooms, visit the indoor running track and walk down the Players Tunnel. You could also pretend that you’re the Manager from the Managers dug-out.
A self-guided Treasure Trail – Discover a local area and all it’s hidden gems. Either downloads and print or have one sent to you in the post. The trails are full of clues, facts and information on lots of areas including London. Pack a picnic and off you go.
This is just a handful of the fun things that you can see and do in and around London BUT before you go booking or paying for any attractions, have a look at sites such as Groupon to see what Family Friendly things to do in London you can take advantage of.
This also applies to where you stay when you go. If you have children below school age, I would recommend visiting outside of the school holidays as these times will be less busy and you may get off-peak prices as well. However, school holiday deals are also available so it’s always best to check beforehand to make the most of you money.
Easy Money Saving Tips Mums Need to Know – If you’re living from paycheck to paycheck, then you may already know that saving can be a daunting task. If we can be honest, money is a touchy subject. From taking care of children’s needs to paying your monthly bills, being frugal can seem like a hopeless cause. However, there are simple ways to save for a rainy day and Alpha Car Finance has you covered.
Create a budget
This may seem obvious, but a lot of families do not take the time to create a budget. If you’re not setting a budget, there’s a good chance you’re throwing away your hard-earned money. When you create a budget, you can easily track where each dollar goes thereby giving you absolute control over your finances.
If you need some guidance in creating a budget, you can do some research and find useful information and advice from finance experts and real moms.
Pay yourself
Speaking of advice, many finance experts will tell you that the first thing you should do before anything else is to pay yourself. No matter how much amount is left after paying all your monthly bills, do your best to save at least 10 to 15 percent of your discretionary income.
While it may seem difficult, this is an effective way to get into the habit of saving. Over time, it will become second nature, and make a big difference when you need money for a rainy day. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Map out your meals
No matter how busy life gets, find the time to plan out your meals at the start of the week. Doing this will not only help you save money but also time. Once you have mapped out your meals for the week, you can efficiently organize your grocery list. This will help avoid buying items out of impulse when you are at the supermarket.
Also, take advantage of coupons or reward programs that are being offered at your local supermarket. If possible, you can also save money by buying sale items in bulk. Just be mindful when you buy items that will spoil quickly, like milk or produce.
Avoid wasting water and electricity
Sometimes, a huge portion of our budget goes to hefty utility bills. However, we can easily cut down these bills if we teach our children to conserve water and electricity. Remind them to always turn off the lights, the TV, or other electronic devices when not in use.
The same can applied to your water consumption. Always check your faucet. Some of them may not be fully closed or have a leak. It’s these small but effective changes we do that counts.
Sell things you no longer use
You might be surprised at how much stuff you have collected over the years that are no longer in use. Clean out your storage or closet and see if there are items that are still working fine but you don’t want or need anymore.
Have a garage sale and encourage your neighbours to buy. A simple post on your social media accounts will get the word out to your friends or family.
Get a side gig
Whether you are working full-time or a stay-at-home mom, it’s a good idea to have a side hustle. This is an excellent way to put your other skills to good use and earn additional income. There are plenty of opportunities for you to bring in extra cash.
If you have a car, you can offer to drive people to the airport or take the elderly to visit their doctors. If you have a laptop and internet connection, you can be a part-time virtual assistant or even become a blogger and write about your experiences in living a frugal life. Not only are you helping other people, but you are also increasing your income.
These are just of the many ways you can do to save, but we’re sure you have your own ideas. If you have some money-saving tricks to share, we’d love to hear them. Please leave a comment so that other people may benefit from your tips.
Great Baby Deals with www.latestdeals.co.uk – It’s not a big secret that when you find out that you’re expecting there is a LOT to buy. I’m currently 31 weeks pregnant with our third child and we’ve got to buy pretty much everything. Shopping around can be a bit of a bore but it’s definitely worth having a look to compare offers and prices.
This is where sites such as www.latestdeals.co.uk come in which offer a huge array of offers and discounts. These are all found by the Latest Deals community rather than a company Deals are updated constantly across everything from Home & Garden, Health & Beauty and of course the current baby deals available.
My Top Baby Deals
Whilst it was tempting to go off course I thought I would look specifically at the Baby Deals. Here are some of the top offers that I found:
Most of the Baby Dove range from Asda has been reduced. This big 400ml Head to Toe Wash has been reduced from £3.10 to £1.50 a bottle. This is the range that we’ve chosen to use this time round so we’ve stocked up on this already. It smells gorgeous!
Did you know that if you potty train your child at two and a half that the average child will have had around 6000 nappy changes. So great news is that there are loads of deals on nappies to make that figure easier to swallow. This one is for Half Price Pampers Nappies so make sure you stock up.
This VTech First Steps Baby Walker caught my eye as it was the one that we had when Ryan was a baby which I know we paid over £30.00 for and this one is available for £16.50. You won’t need it straight away but I find that it’s always good to buy things and put them away to get some of the best deals.
Get a FREE Mother & Baby Mini Mag – This is a digital download and there is also a link to subscribe to the magazine from £15.00 + a FREE Slumbersac Sleeping Bag.
A Digital Baby Thermometer for only £17.45. I didn’t think I would need one of these previously but Isabelle caught everything going and the doctors always want to know if they are running a high temperature so this is a must to get an accurate reading.
This Nuby Natural Touch Microwave Steam Steriliser for £15.00 is perfect for us since I’m going to breastfeed my baby, but like last time I may need/want to express some milk so having this inexpensive steriliser to hand is going to be perfect.
This stylish Bebe Style Modern Swivel 360 Highchair which should have been £70.00 is now only £50.00 and is fully adjustable so that your baby can sit alongside you at the dining table for dinner.
I could go on and on with the deals so I’ll just add in one more which I think is just as essential as all of the above, and that’s 30% Off Domino’s Pizza’s for those nights when everything goes wrong, the baby won’t sleep, you haven’t had a shower and cooking is the last thing on your mind.
Total Savings
So based on all of the deals that I’ve selected, if bought it works out that at full cost it would have come to a grand total of:
£245.47
By finding these offers from Latest Deals the cost would be:
£124.09
This is a total saving of:
£121.38 by going through the Latest Deals Website.
So the moral of the story is, that before you make any future purchases check out www.latestdeals.co.uk and search for what you want to buy to see if you can find a great deal or offer. Or if you find a great deal then share it with the rest of the Latest Deals community.
I’d love to know of any deals that you’ve made a great saving on. Leave me a comment below.
Lisa x
*This is a collaborative post but all thoughts and views are my own.
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