After our last blog article, we realised there were many more tips we could offer. So we decided to write some more! Here are some more frugal tips to help us all save some cash during these difficult times.
Remove Unnecessary Costs
Fact is, we all spend money on plenty of things for the simple convenience, not out of necessity. A coffee on the go, or paying someone to wash your car. Why not consider removing some of the smaller treats in life, or maybe even a single one if you can handle that.
Food Costs
Pre-trimmed veg, jarred garlic, and so on. Buy your food in its natural form where you can and cook as much as possible. You will get the best value from food when you make it yourself, rather than paying a premium for someone to have at least partially prepared it for you.
Lower Your Heating Slightly
This is something that might take a bit of adapting to. Nevertheless, if you can set your thermostat to a lower temperature , even if by just one degree, then your energy usage will be lower. Experts say that even a single degree reduction in temperature saves a significant amount annually on a heating bill. So get that jumper on and turn your heating down!
More Frugal Tips – Free Entertainment
It’s hard to find any entertainment right now, but when some sort of normality returns, there will definitely be plenty of ways to entertain yourself and your family without it costing you. Check what is going on in your local community and further afield. Local facebook groups are good for this sort of thing.
More Frugal Tips – Home Entertainment Over Going Out
Well again there is not much choice right now. But i wonder how the lockdowns will affect how people act in the future? Many of us are desperate to get out, but when we have true freedom will many of us realise that some forms of socialising are a real drain on our finances. We need to reassess how we use our money, and make our own entertainment.
Limit Car Journeys
If you are concerned about how much petrol you use, and how much it costs you, then a good idea might be to do all your errands and duties on the same day, and use your car efficiently. If you need to go somewhere, perhaps to pick someone up, then do an errand or two on the way. Another option when normality returns if you work in an office away from your home is to sort a carshare with a fellow worker. This instantly halves your fuel costs.
More Frugal Tips – Other Ways To Save
There are a million other ways to cut down costs, and we will all have different ways of course. Do not buy bottled water for example. Any chiller water should taste fine, including from your tap. There is no reason to pay for it. As we mention many times in blogs, use coupons, discounts and offers to get the best value for money. You should never pay the full RRP for certain items – books is one good example. Get further discounts via cashback sites when shopping online. Shop at charity shops occasionally. The quality of items on sale may pleasantly surprise you.
And Finally…
Recycle, and get full use of items in your possession. Shop efficiently and cut out food waste. Perhaps even grow your own food. Even in my small flat, i can grow chillies and basil easily enough. And save up your loose change for a nice bonus every now and then!
