With Christmas approaching fast everyone starts to go into panic mode about how expensive this time of year can be. I thought i'd put together a post with a few money saving tips so you can save a bit of money before the festive season. I have Amelia's birthday in November too so always need to save abit of money around this time of year. I'd like to take her on some festive days out too!
Organisation- I think one of the most important things when it comes to saving money is to be organised! Start by writing a list, it can be as detailed as you like, you should write a list of your income and all of your outgoings. This makes it easier to see how much money you have left over each month after your bills. With this money you can then start to budget it. This can actually show much how much money your spending on rubbish like take-away coffee's and those odd random £2 and £3 here and there.
Loyalty Cards- Using loyalty cards like Tesco Clubcard and boots card can be a great way to save money. I usually shop at Tesco so can end up with quite alot of points. The great thing about Tesco clubcard is you can spend your points on shopping or you can boost your points and spend them on days out or eating out. Tesco also send out loads of really good vouchers so check them out to save even more! I save my boots points and use them to buy Christmas presents, Boots always have 3 for 2 on their Christmas gifts so it's such a good place to buy gifts.
Shop around!- Now days its super easy to save money. All you have to do is shop around, get online and compare prices. It's so easy to get great broadband and TV deals ,You can pop in your postcode and it's super easy to see all of the different providers in your area. They also have a great filter section so you can find the best deal that suits you! You can get a bundle which includes, Phone, TV, and Broadband and can actually save money by having a single package rather than separate providers. You also only have the one bill to worry about too which is great! I've actually had a look as we already have broadband with Sky and to add on a TV package it's only actually an extra £10 a month for 301 channels including Sky Atlantic, this also includes a Sky Q so we would get catch-up which is amazing! So if your looking for a to save money on your broadband or TV package it might be worth having a look at a package. For all other services like gas and electric suppliers, insurance etc you can use comparison websites to compare and find the best price.
Meal planning can also be a great way to save money! By planning what you will be eating you can just buy the ingredients for your meals, check the cupboards and see what you already have in to stop you buying things you don't need. By knowing what you are having for dinner you are less likely to order a take away or pop into your local supermarket and spend too much money on a quick easy dinner.
Those are just a few ways that you can easily save money in the run up to Christmas, I know that I need to start meal planning again as this always saves up money and I should really write a budget for Christmas so I know what i'm getting everyone and how much i'm going to spend so I don't overspend. How do you plan on saving money for the festive season?
