6 things I gave up to save money (and you can too)
If you’ve been here a while then you probably already know that I like to save money whilst making as little sacrifice as possible.
I’m absolutely not the kind of person to make everyone wear extra socks and jumpers and sit under a pile of blankets to save me switching the heating on – I’d much rather save in areas that don’t make me feel like I’m having to do without if that makes sense.
But there are some things that I’ve managed to successfully give up without feeling like I’m depriving myself…
I stopped buying magazines
I used to love buying magazines like House Beautiful and reading about how people with much more money than me have transformed their houses that are much bigger than mine into their dream homes.
What I do instead: I discovered Pinterest which is so much more than a magazine as I can tailor what I search for to my own taste. I can even choose to save my favourite looks to one of my own Pinterest boards.
Savings: Around £10 a month I reckon.
I boycotted Lush for the good of my bank balance
I decided to stop buying overpriced bath bombs from Lush because, as amazing as they are, they didn’t really make me enjoy my bath any more than a bottle of much cheaper bubble bath did. Even the more expensive bubble baths worked out cheaper as they’d last ages whereas a bath bomb would be one bath.
What I do instead: I moved on from the Lush bath bombs to regular supermarket bubble bath which I bought when there was an offer on so usually around £1 but that lasted way more than one bath. Obviously, I could so without completely but it’s like I said, I want to save money without sacrifice wherever possible so replacing the bath bombs with bubble bath means that I still get to have the nice bath without the cost.
Savings: It’s not like I had a Lush bath every week so we’re probably talking a saving of around £5 a month but a saving is a saving, right? 😉
I gave up baths completely
When we were trying to reduce our water usage, I realised just how much water I was using when I had a bath in comparison to the water I would use when I had a shower.
What I do instead: I have a daily shower instead.
Savings: As part of our overall focus on reducing water usage in our house we’ve reduced our water bill by a good £10 a month so far.
Going to car boot sales
We used to love a good Sunday morning car boot sale but found that we were buying things just because they were a bargain. We’d see something that was a fab price and even though we didn’t really need it, we’d buy it anyway because it was just too good a price.
What I do instead: We only go to the boot sale now if there’s I’m looking for a project – like a piece of furniture to do up.
Saving: It’s hard to calculate but we used to go twice a month (ish) and would always spend at least a few pounds – often more.
I gave up my weekly Costa Chai Latte
Old me used to treat herself to a lovely Chai Latte in Costa when I did my weekly shop. I mean, it was right there in Tesco and I had to walk past it to get back to the car so it felt rude not to go in, sit down and have half an hour to myself each week.
What I do instead: I walk right past Costa and get myself straight home – it’s as simple as that! I was only buying it out of habit as it felt like part of my weekly shopping routine and once I realised that, I just didn’t bother. There’s plenty of other ways to have some time to myself.
Savings: Around £15 a month.
I swapped expensive cleaning products for homemade versions
There are so many different cleaning products that you can buy in the supermarket these days that it’s easy to get sucked into the trap of buying a different product for each cleaning job you do around the house.
What I do instead: I started experimenting with my own homemade cleaning products and for the most part, I’ve been really pleased with the results. I’ve shared the ones I’ve loved but definitely have plans to learn more and do more.
Saving: At least £10 a month.
What could you cut out to save some money without feeling like you’re having to do without or deprive yourself?
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