Top Tips for Families to Tighten Their Belts

*This is a collaborative post*

Many of us are trying to save money at the moment. With the cost of living rising, families are having to take a close look at their spending. Tightening your belt and trying to reduce your expenses can help you to feel more financially secure, even if you’re not in a very precarious position. Although it’s the poorest people who are hit hardest, anyone can start to feel the pinch of rising costs, especially when combined with stagnant wages. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to make some savings and try to keep your spending under control.

You might think it will be hard to identify any savings, but there could be more ways to save than you think. Take a look at these ideas to get started.

Keep Track of Your Finances

First of all, you need to be familiar with what your finances look like. It’s hard to save money if you don’t actually know what you’re spending. You should start by identifying where your money goes, including fixed and variable expenses. This will help you to find any ways you might be able to save. But it’s important to look at your finances more than once in a blue moon. Keeping track of your income and spending will give you the full picture of where your money is going. Try using an app that will help you to track your spending by linking to your bank account (or just use your bank’s app).

Make Sure You Claim All Benefits

There are various benefits and financial assistance that you might be entitled to. Families may be able to claim everything from child benefits to tax credits and more. But it’s important that you check what you’re entitled to, or you could be missing out. If you have questions like how much child care subsidy can I get, you can usually find out online. There are lots of resources that can help you to work out what you can claim. For example, entitledto.co.uk is a benefits calculator that you can play around with to see what benefits you may be able to get.

Control Your Energy Use

The cost of energy is a significant concern for a lot of families. Although there will be some help to keep bills down, you could still find your family facing higher bills than usual this winter. However, you don’t have to freeze all winter to keep your energy usage under control. There are plenty of things you can do to reduce your energy use while still being able to keep the heating and lights on. One of the best things you can do is be disciplined about how you use energy and avoid energy waste. Make sure you turn off lights that aren’t needed and work out the most cost-effective way to turn on your heating like using solar blanket for your pools.

Meal Plan to Avoid Waste

If you want to save money on food, getting organised is the best thing you can do. Many people go food shopping without even checking what they already have, leading to multiples of the same items and even throwing out things that don’t get used. Start by taking stock of your cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Plan your meals around what you already have, any plan to use up anything you buy. If you get a bag of carrots and only need to use half, think about what to do with the other half.

Find Free Things to Do

Saving money doesn’t have to mean staying at home and being bored all the time. There are still things you can do together as a family without spending any money, or when you’re on a budget. If you want to find free things to do, try searching for what’s happening in your local area or nearby. You will likely find upcoming events, as well as ideas for things to do at any time of the year.

Shop Second-Hand Clothes

Children grow quickly, and there’s no way to stop them. You can sometimes get away with buying their clothes a little too big so they can grow into them, but you still need to buy new clothes and shoes regularly. One of the best things you can do to save money on clothes is to buy second-hand items. There are plenty of options to use, including eBay, Vinted, and charity shops. Swapping clothes with friends and family is also a good idea that will save you all money.

Save money for your family by identifying your biggest spends and working out the best ways to reduce them.

Thanks for reading xxx