Cars

I've had problems with the car I share with my ex, so I'm now going to share my boyfriends car. This does come with some problems if you both need the car for diferent things at the same time, but genreally it works out fine, and save lots of money on insurance, tax, MOT's and services.

Valentines Day expenses

Don't be taken in by the shops advertising all the symbols of love that you should be buying for valentines day. A home made card means a lot more than something produced by a shop, especially if you carefully make up your own rhyme.

Instead of buying an expensive present or going out for a meal, why not cook a nice meal at home instead. It doesn't have to be that expensive just take care with how the food looks and it will be highly appreciated.

Borrowing

I read an interesting article on the Motley Fool website yesterday saying how if you borrow money you might think that you are able to buy more than other people, but in fact, because you spend so much more paying for them because of the interest on the credit, you in fact end up with a lot less in the long run.
So waiting for things and saving up means you will have more, even if it takes you longer to get it.

Going out for Free

I often find that I turn down nights out because I can't afford to buy drinks. One way round this is to drive so that you can't drink alcohol and in return for giving a lift to your friends they often give you free drinks. As long as your friends don't live too far apart and you spend loads on petrol, you can still have a night out with your friends.

Library Books

Today our house is scattered with library books. My girls love the novelty of reading a new book, and although nothing is the same as have a brand new book of their own, borrowing from the library is the next best thing. They get a great deal of enjoyment out of it and experience a big range of different stories that they would never had read if I had to buy them for free.

Cold verses savings

I have decided to stuff saving money on my heating at the moment. My central heating is still not working, and I have had a radiator plugged in all day upstairs, and it is so nice not to feel cold up here. I still only have the little halogen one downstairs so it is cold in the kitchen, but I can put up with that.
It is forecast to be really cold at the weekend so I have decided to just keep the heating on. It is green energy so I don't need to feel guilty about the environment, and I have got to the point where I just want to be warm.

Cheap Food

Going to cheaper supermarkets such as Lidl, Netto and Aldi are a great way to save money. They are much cheaper than the big name supermarkets. The only thing I find is that you have to use up the fruit and veg quickly or else it does tend to go off, so don't overstock or you might find it is a false economy.

Refund

I got a bonus £5 back on Friday after realising I had been overcharged for something. It is always worth checking things like that as you might accidently pay out more money that you should be.

Saving Money on Clothes in the Sales

It is easy to go to the sales and buy lots of clothes because they are reduced but then leave them hanging in the wardrobe and hardly every wearing them, or buying things similar to lots of clothes you already have.

The best thing to do is look at the sort of things that you will need for the next 6 months or so and just buy them. It might not be as much fun buying practical undies, and clothes for a summer holiday you haven't even booked yet, but at least you won't be spending more money than you need.

Money from Nowhere

I have spent the day trying to work out a way of getting some money and this afternoon was offered some money for places some advertising on my website. It is amazing how if you really focus on what you need it tends to come to you.

House Prices Falling

With house prices falling at the moment, there are a couple of things that you can do to help. Firstly you can pay back more of your mortgage now if you have the option. If not you could put some money in a savings account for when your mortgage ends to help pay it then.

Secondly you can do some home improvements to keep the price up. Just make sure they are appropriate for the house and the area it is in.

saving

Don't forget that there is only a couple of months before the end of the tax year, and that means only a couple of months to fill up your ISA before you get your interest. It is worth putting in as much as you can afford, even if it is only a few pounds, as you will get tax free interest on the money even if you are a tax payer.

A day without spending money

Today I didn't spend any money. I know I still used electricity and gas, but other than that, I didn't spend. I think it is something to be celebrated especially as it happens so rarely.

Charity Shops

Today I had to take a trip to a nearby town to register with college. (I'm on Council Tax Benefit and am entitled to some courses for free, it is certainly worth looking into if you intend to go back to work in the future). While I was there I thought I would look around the charity shops there as otherwise I couldn't justify using the petrol as it is about 10 miles away. I found a few things that I could resell on ebay so it was well worth taking time out to look in the shops there.

Make savings when you can

Today I managed to get 6 pens and 2 post it pads in a pack for 59p from Home Bargains which I can take out of the pack and make look pretty with a ribbon and give away for Christmas. A real bargain.

I also found cheap summer clothes in Tesco's sale for the kids. It might be a bit early to buy, but I just got 2 sizes bigger than they are and took advantage of the t-shirts for 75p, dress with leggings for £2 and even got myself some long warm socks for 50p a pair and they weren't even in the sale (just black which is a bit plain for my taste but when you don't have much money you can't complain!).

Little Savings Add up

It might seem like a waste of time remembering to leave your TV switched off and not on standby or unplugging your mobile phone charger when you aren't using it, but little things really add up when you are trying to save money. So remember to turn off lights in rooms when you aren't using them and put in energy saving bulbs. Walk to the shops instead of automatically taking the car, and try to warm up with a sweater and a hot drink before automatically switching on the heating.

Saving Heating Costs

Well having no boiler has certainly made me think about how to keep the house warm. Keeping the curtains shut all day is keeping the bedrooms warmer as my windows are quite draughty. I am just heating the rooms I need, sad keeping the doors shut to keep that h eat in. So in the day I have a halogen heater on in the living room for a while to warm that up with the door shut, and at night I warm up the kids bedrooms early and then mine for a while later. Once we are in bed it is warm enough without heating at all (which we are used to anyway).
I haven't got any hot water bottles yet, but that was a useful suggestion that was given to me as well. Any other hints would be welcomed.

Warm Front

Warm Front give grants to help you be more energy efficient by helping with loft lagging, insulation and currently arranging for me to have a new boiler. If you are on benefits you can contact them on 0800 316 6011 or look at http://www.warmfront.co.uk/