Change Your Shopping Habits for Massive Savings

The weekly shop is a cost we all have to bare, but simple changes in your shopping habits could help you make big savings and give you the opportunity to invest your money elsewhere.

Here are a few simple tips to help you make more of your shopping budgets:

1 – Check how much you’re spending at the moment
Check back through your bank statements to see how much you’re currently spending on groceries – this will help you to set a new budget and target the savings you want to make.

2 – Set your budget
Set yourself a shopping budget at the outset. Specify exactly how much you want (or can afford) to spend on your groceries.

3 – Create a meal planner
Sit down and think about what you’re going to have to eat over the coming days. You’ve got breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacking to plan for – think long and hard and give yourself plenty of variety – you don’t want to get bored half way through the week and blow additional cash on fast food!

4 – Write shopping list
Use you meal planner to write a shopping list (this will be your secret weapon in avoiding overspend at the shops). Put two columns on your shopping list, one for the ‘target’ price of the item and one for the ‘actual’ price of the item.

5 - Go shopping with steely determination
You know what you used to spend, and you know what you’re going to save with your new budget. . . So stay strong and keep the faith. Ignore those BOGOFs, sales promotions and 3 for 2s – you don’t need them (unless they are on your list and come in under budget)!!!

6 – Do something useful with your savings
Now you’ve made your savings, do something useful with them. Don’t fritter it away on lottery tickets, cigarettes or alcohol – why not start a holiday savings account or save for a new sofa or something?

Making savings is all about measuring your spend, setting goals and then re-measuring in order to judge your success. In the past 6 month’s my family has managed to save over £700 just by being more careful over our weekly shops – enough to make sure we have a VERY nice Christmas!

Save More Cash in 2008 - Part 1

Save More Cash in 2008 - Part 1

Financial reports suggest that 2008 is going to be tough on the economy. If it’s tough on the economy then it’s probably going to have a detrimental affect on the majority of the UK’s population.

It makes sense to start bedding down and working out ways to save more cash in 2008. In this article I went back to basics and asked a good friend of mine, a single parent of two to share her three most prudent money saving tips:

1 – Monthly & Weekly Budgets
”I have a set amount of money to spend each month and I always make-sure that I sit down and decide exactly what is happening with it. I’ll start by listing everything that’s going out in priority order and ensure that all essentials are paid for upfront, with the optionals and nice stuff coming out of what’s left. If stick rigidly to my budget and in the 2 years I’ve been doing it I’ve not once had to revert to any type of borrowing.”

2 – Remember You’re Not a Celebrity
”I blame a lot of people’s credit problems on the ‘celebrity culture’ that the media has glamorised in recent years. People are spending more on things they can’t afford because they’re getting this stuff rammed down their throats everywhere they go. Time to get back to basics and remember that you’re NOT a celebrity!!! Be realistic about your income and live within your means, you really don’t need to spend £1000 plus on a handbag!”

3 – Everyone Deserves a Treat
”Everyone deserve a treat, but a treat’s not a treat when you do it all the time. In our household we have one special treat weekend every month where we either go out for the day either shopping or to somewhere special. It’s all in the budget and it’s always much appreciated when it comes round!”

We'll be asking more people for their financial wit and wisdom over the coming weeks.