PRETTY YOUNG THING

We are hoping that in the next 5 years we will own our own house. Right now we rent and we plan on renting for a few more years. We have discussed mortgages but as i'm only working part-time we are better off waiting until I go back to work full time when Amelia starts School. I don't think it makes much sense for me to work full time as we would have to pay for childcare for Amelia and i'd rather spend this time with her. I thought i'd share a few ways in which we intend on saving money. We need to save money to pay for deposits and renting fee's and we currently live in a part furnished apartment so we will need to pay for furniture and other appliances.

First up is making cut backs.  Do I really need to buy that pair of boots? Going out for extravagant
meals. It's good to look at your statement and see how much you really spend on unnecessary purchases for example those £4 coffees twice a week add up, you can buy a whole jar of coffee and put it in your own to-go cup. I was spending £17 a month of a cinema car that I don't use and wasting £30 a month on my gym membership.  I know it's not the same but if you want to save money you have to make these simple changes. By making these little changes like parking a little further away from town or why not walk to the shops instead of driving?

Meal Planning - We waste so much food and it's because we never plan our meals. Plan your meals for the week and write a shopping list. Then go to the supermarket and just buy whats on your list, I find online shopping is a good way to save money too because you don't get tricked into buying those £1 offers at the end of the aisle. Also by doing a weekly shop you use less fuel going back and forth to the shops and you tend to eat what you have in rather than going to get something else for dinner.

Shopping around  - why pay more for something?  You can browse different websites online and find out what stores have the best prices and offers on those products that you need. Going to shops like Home Bargains or Savers for your household goods can save you loads compared to the supermarkets. As I mentioned above we rent a part-furnished apartment so when we move we are going to need to buy everything from a sofa, fridge-freezer, washing machine and tumble dryer. It's good to shop around online and there's websites like latestdeals.co.uk who have loads of really good deals on appliances. Another way to save money is to look for vouchers when shopping as you can save lots of money by looking to see if there is a voucher before you buy, even if it's just a free delivery code.

Buy secondhand - There are so many products that you can buy secondhand, one of my friends bought a secondhand sofa and its lovely. It's a huge grey corner sofa and I would never of guessed it was pre-owned. You can find some really good deals on furniture, I bought our Ikea dressing table second hand and it looked brand new and it cost me about £20 instead of the retail price of £120.

Even after following my money-saving tips we will still need to look at a service like Zippa Loans to buy some of the furniture and to put towards a deposit. This way we can manage the monthly repayments. I think we will buy a new fridge/freezer and then look into getting a second hand sofa and some wardrobes. I think we could bring our washing to our parents for a couple of months and then save up to buy a washing machine instead of paying out loads at the same time.














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With a baby on the way we have had to pull back on our spending and start planning for the future so this means saving! We have a lot of stuff to buy for this baby so will need to save up over the next few months. I thought i'd share a few of my top saving money tips!

1. Budget! By writing lists and sticking to a budget you can save a lot of money! I find planning our meals and writing a shopping list a really effective way to stick to budget! If you go shopping without a list you can end up spending a lot more money than you intended to! I know it's only £1 here and there but they add up! We have now started to use the self scanner at Tesco as you scan as you shop, you can see your total so you know exactly how much you are spending, making it easier to stick to your budget.

2. Use your discount cards / loyalty cards! I work in a shopping center so I have a discount card that gets me extra money of my shopping, coffees etc. I always use my loyalty cards, especially in places like Boots and Tesco. They send you vouchers for money off and personalised discounts so you can easily save money this way.

3. If you need money fast and don't have anyone you could borrow from you may need to get a payday loan. Cash Lady provide a payday loan service so you can borrow money fast. No need to worry if you struggle to get Payday Loans Bad Credit.

4. Cancel those direct debits! Do you really need to pay £50 a month for the latest phone, are you spending £40 a month on a gym membership you don't use. Write down your outgoings and decide if thats a wise way to spend your money. When I found out I was pregnant I cancelled my gym membership and went onto a sim only deal and saved £70 a month.

5. Use money saving apps!! Apps like vouchercloud and sites like Quidcooffer discounts and cashback when you make purchases. If we are going out for food we look on vouchercloud to see what places have offers on so we can save money on eating out! If your going bowling or on a day out its worth checking out their offers. I'm also signed up to get emails from The moneysavingexpert, these emails are great. They tell you all the different deals and ways you can save money. If you shop via Quidco when shopping online or link up your debit card you can earn cashback on your everyday purchases.



I hope these tips help and you can save some money! I have always been a savvy shopper and I shop around to get a good deal! We have already signed up to get discounts at all the baby shops like Mothercare and Mamas and Papas.



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