Hard to get by?

[lylabellablueyes]

Hello lovely people.

What do you do to cut back and afford to live these days? If you struggle to make ends meet that is.

Myself and my partner both work and still struggle by each month with mortgage, food, car, childcare. Blah blah blah :-)

What do you do to cut back? Hints And tips please x

[lylabellablueyes]

Thanks People x

[Chaffinch]

I grow most of my own fruit and veg, this time of year I eat expensive soft fruit like strawberries and raspberries for free. I aslo make jams and chutneys etc. I grow all the salad crops and never waste anything as I only pick what I need.

I know this can be difficult if you have a young family, but if you have a garden even a small one it realy does save you money.

[cazzz1975]

buy more own brand food
write a shopping list and stick to it
dont overbuy fresh stuff that will end up in the bin
cut down/out take aways, they are expensive
drive more smoothly, no harsh braking or accelerating
look out for coupons/vouchers
stop buying magazines
look at your outgoings, see if you can find a way of shaving a few quid off anything you pay for regularly that may be not a necessity
de-clutter, go through your clutter, some of it you may be able to use again or maybe even sell

[cazzz1975]

contract phones always seem a waste of money to me as well

[Maydup]

Shop around for everything, (especially if you can do so online) but most importantly make sure you review all of your insurances. DOn't do without the essential ones, but make sure they are competitively priced. I saved hundreds of pounds by buying buildings and contents as a package through one of the comparson websites.

And the following month a £50 cheque arrived as an introductory cash back reward! I shall be someone elses introductory new customer next year!