5 tips for frugal living

I’ve written a few posts on saving money and living frugally and like many things, the more you do it the easier it gets. We live in a consumer society where we spend, spend, spend but if you’re careful and do some research you can save £££ on your monthly outgoings. Here are five tips for frugal living.

Go sim only & look at broadband deals

After years of being tied into phone contracts I finally switched over to a sim only deal this year and can’t believe how much cheaper it is! Being on a sim only deal means I only pay for the sim and not the phone and I can cancel at any time. Obviously, I will have to buy any new phone outright but even so it saves SO MUCH money compared to the high costs of a monthly contract. Sim only deals start at as little as £5 per month. Look at unlimited data sim only deals online to see the best deals. Sky are currently doing a 2GB sim only deal at £6 a month which includes unlimited calls and texts. What a bargain! Likewise, cut your monthly broadband cost and look for the cheapest deals! The cheapest unlimited broadband currently advertised is just £15.90 per month with the Post Office. If you want to add TV to your broadband package prices start at £22.99, wow!

Save on days out & travel

Travelling to exotic destinations or even a local day trip can end up costing a lot! But it doesn’t have to be. I’ve written a lot about travelling on a budget and how to find cheap last-minute holiday deals. There are many ways to save and afford family holidays and take advantage of sites such as Days Out Guide in association with National Rail where you can save 50% or more on many of the top attractions in the UK if you travel by train!

Cancel/monitor direct debits
A couple of years ago I cancelled all of my direct debits I no longer needed. This included cancelling my membership to subscriptions such as Apple Music and the monthly version of Microsoft Word. They were small expenses but they all added up and by cancelling all of these unnecessary expenditures I ended up saving a small fortune across the year. I also changed my broadband provider to a much cheaper tariff and cancelled my expensive contact lenses plan. The next thing I need to do is change energy providers! If you want to cut down on your spending look at all of your outgoings and keep only those that are absolutely essential and switch to cheaper alternatives.

Charity shops & Freecycle
I’m a big fan of the freebie swap website Freecycle and included it in my previous post on ways to save money. The Brighton group of Freecycle is particularly great for finding things people no longer want. I’ve received a stroller, freezer, toddler bed and carpet from the site. I have also donated many items and it’s nice to feel part of a community who constantly reuse and recycle and keep things out of landfill. I’m also a big fan of charity shops where you can find so many cheap items and save £££ on bigger pieces such as furniture.

Set a food budget!
My biggest chunk of money goes on food. Pip has a huge appetite and sometimes eats more than me, no wonder he’s so tall! It’s nice to eat out but of course it all adds up. I find if I set a food budget for the week it’s much easier to keep within my planned expenditure and get creative with the shopping list. Going to the bigger supermarkets instead of smaller convenience stores saves so much and if you focus on the cheaper brands and supermarket offers you can save loads.

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