If you were to ask the average homeowner if there’s one thing they could do more of having, it’s money.
Whoever you are and whatever your background or social class, it’s safe to say the cost of living crisis has affected us all.
With more and more of us terrified of turning the heating on and fearing our energy bills, you’re bound to be looking at ways to cut back on day-to-day living costs.
Thankfully, we can help you with this. There are plenty of small changes you can make that won’t have too much of an impact on your quality of life but could end up saving you hundreds if not thousands of pounds a year.
Ready to find out more? Read some of our handy hacks below.
Eat Out Less Often
We get it – eating out is fun! Going for a swanky meal with your partner or friends can be a great way to get out of the house and indulge.
However, if you’ve noticed your bills are rising, and you’re struggling financially, now may be the time to eat out less often.
While the odd Wetherspoon meal isn’t going to cost a fortune, those who like the finer things in life may need a rain check.
There are plenty of tasty meals you can cook in your kitchen instead that are going to be the fraction of the price you pay in a restaurant.
If you’re a foodie and like cooking, you can whip up something yummy in 10 minutes!
Before long, you’ll be amazed at how much cash you’re saving from dining in, rather than dining out.
Opt for Second-Hand Clothing
Calling the fashionistas. Do you like to keep up with the latest trends? Are you always adding new pieces to your collection?
If so, you don’t have to buy brand-new garments to look the part. Instead, why not head to a charity shop and look at their rails?
You could end up scoring many a bargain which come at attractive price tags too.
More and more people are opting for second-hand clothing. The sustainable benefits go without saying.
But, when it comes to your purse or wallet, you’ll be happy to keep your notes firmly tucked away, rather than splurging a fortune on designer pieces.
Speaking of the latter, you could find some high-end pieces in your local charity shop that are as good as new!
Give Up Expensive Habits
As human beings, it’s normal to develop habits. Some of them are good like exercising regularly or getting enough sleep.
However, there are bad ones that can become very expensive! This includes drinking alcohol or smoking.
Regarding the latter, have you thought about giving up? If you’re not quite ready to pack them in, you may benefit from vaping.
In fact, many ex-smokers move on to vaping as part of their stop-smoking journey. Check out Grey Haze who sell a wide variety of vaping products.
These include the likes of Elf Bars and vape pens that can make the quitting process easier.
Bad habits can be broken. You just need to give yourself time. Bad habits can stop you from accomplishing your goals and be more of a hindrance to your life, rather than a blessing.
It can take months to break a bad habit, so hang in there, and we promise you’ll get to the other side!
Buy Own Brand Food
When at the supermarket, are you the type to stick with Kellogg’s for your cereal or Heinz for your soup or beans?
If the answer is yes, no wonder your balance isn’t booming! To be a savvier shopper, it’s wise to start picking out own branded products, rather than relying on the ones you know and love.
The reason for this is simple – the former taste just as good! What’s more, you may not even be able to tell the difference.
It may be time to swap where you shop too. While we don’t doubt M&S food hits the spot, if you’re really serious about living more frugally and want to cut back, why not look at alternatives like Aldi or Lidl?
Many of their products are cheaper, and we’re positive they’ll become staples in your kitchen cupboard soon enough.
Forego Your Gym Membership
Do you consider yourself a fitness buff? Are you always at the gym running on the treadmill or lifting weights?
If so, have you thought about working out from home instead? There are financial benefits to doing so.
Provided you’ve got space to create a home gym, you can equip it with the essentials and save a fortune in the long run.
This is because gym memberships can run into triple digits which isn’t good news for your bank balance!
Even if you believe you get good use out of your membership, it’s far more convenient to work out from home.
You don’t even need to spend a penny if you don’t want to! Those wanting to do a bit of cardio can stick on a YouTube tutorial and get moving.
If you miss the social element of the gym, why not join an online fitness community?
There, you can engage with likeminded individuals and spur each other on.
Grow Your Own Produce
It’s drilled into us to eat our 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
Whether you love snacking on strawberries or enjoy cooking a roast dinner, rather than buying your greens from the supermarket, why not look into growing your own produce instead?
You could save a fair bit of money from going down this route.
Growing your own fruit and veg can bring plenty of eco-friendly benefits. Knowing you’re eating produce from the ground will give you the reassurance they aren’t filled with pesticides.
Simply find a sunny spot in your garden, get the right soil in place and you’ll soon be on your way to growing tasty fruit and veg.
You can grow your own herbs indoors too which are the perfect accompaniment to many dishes.
Shop for Vouchers and Discounts
The world wide web is your best friend when it comes to living more frugally.
We all like to get a bargain where we can, so if you resonate with this, why not do some digging online and seek out vouchers and discounts?
Whether it’s for your local supermarket or clothes store, you can find plenty of offers that could save you lots of money.
There’s always going to be an enticing voucher or discount you can use. If you look hard enough, you could even find free stuff too!
No one is expecting you to spend hour after hour searching either. There are platforms like VoucherCodes or Wowcher who do all the hard work for you.
Using these websites can help you find the best working discount codes for all your favourite stores.
As we’ve shown above, there are plenty of ways you can cut back on day-to-day expenses without making huge lifestyle changes.
If you want to be savvier with your money and keep more of it in your back pocket, living a more frugal way of life will mean you’ve got cash set aside for a rainy day that can be put to more important things.
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