Providing for our families isn’t always easy, we all work hard to make sure everyone gets what they need. Between the bills, weekly food shop, vehicle costs and children’s school uniforms it can seem as though it’s never-ending. But some simple changes can be made to your situation that can improve your finances significantly over time, and maybe you’ll even be able to start saving for a holiday before long!
Drive Carefully
Driving and transport can cost a pretty penny, even if you don’t have an expensive car you will always find an unexpected bill crop up when you least expect it. Even bulbs and new tyres that need changing every few months add up over time, so it’s best to keep a little pot of emergency cash available for that. The other expenses you might come across are accidents and fines, so keep your vehicles insured and make sure that if you end up receiving fines such as the vc 22349 a you have someone on your side to protect you. The more careful and considerate you are at driving, the better. Some insurance companies even reward you for it these days.
Budget
Most people have a budget, so they have a sort of understanding about what is coming and going out of their bank account, but it’s always good to have a yearly budget, split right down into weekly budgets. This way, you will have a great idea of what is due and when. If you’re not at least keeping a slight sense of what you have left to come out of your bank accounts at any point, then you’ll end up in a real mess. There are plenty of tools available to help you with this, but a simple spreadsheet will also be absolutely fine.
Meal Plan
Planning and prepping your meals for the week in advance will save you more money than you might expect. You can buy in bulk at lower costs and create meals, knowing precisely what you are having to eat every day. Another way this reduces costs is that it helps you buy from the lower costs supermarkets, convenience stores charge more for convenience so instead of picking something up on the way home you can save money and time by going straight home from work instead of stopping on the way.
Get The Family On Board
You might be surprised at the ideas your family members come up with if asked, children are usually learning a lot about money and the environment in school so pick their brains and see what you can learn from them. You might end up saving a fortune without realising it was possible! As well as taking ideas from the family you can get them on board during discussions and explain that you are cutting back on certain things and why, getting everyone on side to help with the efforts can’t be a bad thing!
We never know what the future holds, so being prepared for every eventuality is a great idea. You can open a savings account and see the results of your efforts growing month after month, that’s a great feeling, and you’ll be so glad you started cutting back and making positive changes.
