If you’re trying to manage your household budget, then there are lots of ways to save money every day at home. With a few smart changes to the way you manage your money, you can make a big difference to your finances.
Shop at the right time of the year.
If you need to buy anything new, time your purchases to get the best prices. For example, buy furniture in January sales, barbecues in the Autumn, and holiday items after Christmas. Look out for seasonal sales, and buy things when they’re less popular, like garden furniture in the winter, to get lower prices. And, no matter what time of year it is, don’t forget to check online for savings via coupons and codes to use when shopping online. For example, Raise collates coupons and codes from a number of big retailers in the US so, whether you are looking for a Lowe’s coupon to save on your DIY, or a Macy’s coupon for new clothes, it’s worth making a habit of checking these sites to see what discounts are available at the moment.
Renegotiate your rent or refinance your mortgage.
If your lease is being renewed, try to negotiate. Use things like the care you’re taken of the property or work you’ve done to improve your EPC rating as bargaining chips. If you own your home, then you could look into refinancing your mortgage so you can save a couple of percentage points on your interest rate.
Get a Sunday paper.
Sunday papers are often full of coupons. You could find a lot of savings on food and other purchases from these coupons, which will outweigh the cost of buying the paper. Just make sure you only collect codes and coupons for things you would be buying anyway, or you aren’t actually saving any money.
Collect spare change.
Keep a jar to chuck your loose change in. Check your junk drawer and the back of the sofa for lost coins and add these in. When the jar is full, take it to your bank or to your nearest supermarket that has a coin sorting machine to swap the change for notes. Some of the coin sorting machines will allow you to exchange your coins for vouchers to spend on groceries, or into gift cards for other stores. There is usually a small fee for these machines if you don’t choose vouchers, but you will still be surprised by how much you’ve managed to save with minimal effort.
Buy household items at the pound shop.
Buy things like tape, soap, wrapping paper, and other staples at the pound shop to save on the basics. The quality of items like this will be fine from budget stores, but they’ll be lots cheaper.
Grow some herbs.
Herbs can be grown indoors even if you only have a small windowsill to grow them on. They could also be grown outside in pots or planted in the garden. Growing your own herbs will means you don’t have to buy expensive grocery store jars of herbs, and they will also taste a lot better fresh. If you grow a lot of herbs, you can dry them and store them for use later on.
Pay your bills online.
Paying your bills online can save you some money, as you can also set up automatic payments, or email reminders to make sure you never miss a bill and end up having to pay a late payment charge.