By Molly Benjamin for Ladies Finance Club
In the world of FOMO, YOLO and the temptation of Uber Eats, ASOS and Amazon Prime only a click away… we get it saving can be challenging.
Now we know this sounds like a first world problem and our parents say “saving is easy just spend less than you earn’, (sorry mum) this is way harder than said. Many women who are joining our online facebook group keep saying, their biggest money issue is that they can’t save…. so we have listened and have gone out to some of our fave money bloggers to find out what are their best tips.
It’s time to get money savvy ladies!
12 top tips from our lady experts
1. Pay yourself first. Set up a direct debit straight after payday into a separate account. If you wait till the end of the month to see what’s left, it might be very little!
2. Go on an unsubscribe spree. Clear your inbox of marketing emails, and you’ll be much less tempted to splurge. There will always be another offer or sale. Try apps such as Unroll.me and Un-list to make unsubscribing easier.
3. Focus on food, as one of your biggest bills. Switch to a cheaper supermarket, try own brand or value ranges, plan meals and pack your own lunch. You can cook fab meals at home for far less than the cost of takeaways or eating out. Or check out some more grocery tips here
6. Never pay full price. If you’re shopping online, use a price comparison site to find a good deal, search for discount sites, and see if you could earn more instead from a cash back website such as Shopback or Cash Rewards.
7. Same with utility bills and insurance. each year, check if you could pay less by switching elsewhere, or ring your existing supplier to ask if they could slash your renewal quote.
8. Set a daily food budget and try to beat it every single day (even £2 a day adds up!)
9. Reusable/washable pads and menstrual cups – save a hell of a lot on disposable sanitary items over time, as well as waste.
10. Basic mechanical maintenance – servicing your own lawn mower, or changing the globes or wiper blades on your car can save you a tonne! There’s plenty of YouTube videos available that make these tasks easy as.
11. Bulk shampoo and conditioner – if you use salon quality shampoo and conditioner, you can source bulk bottles (e.g. 5 litres) designed for salons from eBay for about the price of 1 litre if bought retail. I’ve saved over $300 so far by buying my shampoo and conditioner in bulk.
12. Money-saving doesn’t mean denying yourself things entirely – it’s just about spending more mindfully. For example, it might be that you go for cheaper ‘fast fashion’ rather than pricier clothes. But spending a bit more on quality at the start can pay off if that pair of jeans lasts four times longer – and you’ll probably love them more. “I convinced myself that as I don’t spend much on clothes I was doing fine. But when I looked at it properly – when I wrote it all down – I realised I was kidding myself.
Now as a committed money saver I spend more time thinking about what I need and value. It means I’m far less likely to be a an ‘emotional shopper’. Buying things like a pair of earrings or another similarly ‘small’ item to cheer yourself up on a bad day is no good for your bank balance and probably not for your wardrobe. These days I have more of a plan, and I’m specific about the purchases I’m aiming for.”
Thank you to our money experts who include:
Money blogger Faith Archer from Much More With Less
Fierce budgeter Natacha Blackman
Vicki Owen from Money Lens
Kara, our lovely lady expert from the Flawed Consumer
