So who said loosing weight is expensive? It is a common misconception; me not
excluded thinking this way once, that eating healthy has to be expensive. In
fact the opposite is true. Losing weight is about changing your eating habits
and starting to exercise. When loosing weight you don’t have to buy those fancy
expensive, pre-packed meals such as weight watchers nor do you need to purchase
exotic fruits or prepare meals no-one wants to eat including you. No, you just
change your eating habits, such as drinking water instead of fizzy drinks, using
more normal vegetables to cook tasty food, eating normal fruits such as apples
and bananas instead of those biscuits. You can save money by ditching fast food,
ready meals and replace unhealthy snacks such as crisps and sweets with fruits
and vegetables sticks.

When loosing weight you will have to find some sorts of exercise to encourage
your weight lose.  And I don’t mean the expensive gym membership. Walking or
cycling instead of taking the car is not only great for your body, but will save
you money while doing good for the environment. And of course don’t forget the
runs in the park with your kids or playing football count as exercise as well.

When loosing weigh one will experience that shrinking will require to purchase a
new wardrobe, especially when loosing quite a lot of weight. The cost can be
reduced significantly by buying second hand clothes until the set goal is
reached. Another option would be borrowing clothes for the size period. You
wouldn’t want to buy a new wardrobe for each single size until you reach your
dream goal.





 

Save money while enjoying Student life

Students are well known for being short of money. The major proportions of
students leave the university with a large debt to pay off.  Maybe you are
determined stand out in the crowd by all means and are trying to avoid debt
altogether or you are looking for ways to reduce its amount. Either way you came
to the right website.


Being a
student myself I know the down and up sides of it. Despite the expensive student
life I am determined to stay out of debt by the time I get my degree. That’s why
I searched ways on how to handle the challenge and save money as a student. The
most of the tips are quite obvious and some apply more than others -the common
problem is just that we don’t follow them. Additionally I will show you some
very useful sites.

Create a
budget

Saving
money without a budget is nearly impossible. You should know your approximate
income and estimate your outgoings. It is advisable to create a set spending
limit for each category and track your spending daily, weekly and monthly. It
will help you to stay within your limits and therefore hopefully avoid
overdrafts, which can be quite costly. You can create a budget simply on a
sheet, you can use the excel program or you can download a free budget software
here:

Follow the links to access free
budgeting softwares:

MySpendingPlan or BudgetPulse

Account

When
choosing an account explore all the offers and grab the best deal. Don’t sign up
for an account just because they offering you a free T-shirt. Think of the
long-term benefits.

These two websites have great
advices on how to choose a good student account:
MoneySupermarket.com or
uswitch

Credit card

It is
exciting to move out from home and do all the forbidden stuff. Many of the
activities are costly which could lead quickly into a deep hole of debt. In many
cases it could be easily avoided by just ditching your credit card.

Loan

You will
have to finance you studies somehow and the majority has to get a loan in order
to be able to study. If there is any chance for you to borrow the money interest
free from your parents or relatives, grab this opportunity! You will save
yourself a fortune.

Transport
methods


The most
of students wouldn’t have a car- and for good reasons! To maintain a car you
need deep pockets- for cash. Normally there is a good public transport in those
university cities so you really don’t need to worry about not getting to your
destination. Besides there are many student cards available making it more
affordable.


To spend
even less on your transport live closer to your university and try to walk and
cycle more. You will be kind to Mother Nature, while exercising for free.

Communication


Nowadays
some people spend a fortune on talking and sending messages on the phone. This
can be easily avoided by switching to e-mails and instant messages to
communicate. To reduce the phone bills switch to the pay as you go theme.



Energy



All of us
need to get into the habit of saving more energy. This can be as simple as
switching off lights and electric devices when not needed.  Check more on
how to save on energy here:

You can compare prices between
different providers at the previous sites:
MoneySupermarket.com or
uswitch

Entertainment


Of course as a student you
love going out and meeting new people. However this can involve a lot of cash-
so think and spend wisely. Instead of going to the cinema each weekend, invite
friends over and rent a DVD. Everyone can bring something along, such as snacks
and drinks. If you do go to the cinema, take advantage of all the promotional
offers such as 2 for 1. For more on how to save on entertainment check the
entertainment section.

Shopping


It is painful and hard, I
know, but you really need to stop impulse buying. Before purchasing anything ask
yourself questions like Do I really need it? Can I get it cheaper or even free?
and are Is there an alternative which would cost less?


If you cant resist the
impulse buying, avoid shopping malls or take less or no money with you. This way
you are going to set yourself a limit.


When you do need to buy an
item consider the cheaper options such as getting it second hand or from a flea
market.  Books, DVDs and CDs really don’t need to be bought brand new.


And don’t forget all the free
stuff you can get. Make the most of coupons.


The freebies section is there
with a couple of good freebie sites- you only need to go and check what
available for you.


The coupon section, I am
afraid will take a while for me to set up, so patience is required. If you cant
wait just google it yourself and I am sure you will be bombarded with lots of
info about it.
 

Reasonable good websites are:
HotUkDeals,  Offeroasis and
Magicfreebiesuk

Food

I saved
the best part to the very last. Let’s talk about food. That’s my favourite part!
Although food and drinks, for some it might be alcohol, is important to survive
it is so easy to save on it too. You just need to be a little bit more
organised and self-disciplined, but hey that shouldn’t be such difficult, right?

Cook your own

Cook your
own food from scratch instead of eating out or buying ready meals. It might
sound a bit scary for beginners- but no worries it is not difficult. There are
plenty of recipes for complete beginners. Besides cooking and preparing your own
food is so much cheaper. 
 

This is great website for student-friendly recipes,
which are easy and cheap to make. You can also search by ingredients.
Studentrecipes

You
can buy stuff in bulk, when in sale or get the most of 2 for 1 deals. If it sees
a bit too much for you, you can always share items (and the bill of course) with
your mates. Don’t shop when you are hungry as you will end up buying much more
than you intended to. In fact you should try to stay full through the day to
resist those expensive take aways.


For those
lazy or disorganised moments keep a good stock of instant soups, bagels, oatmeal
biscuits fruits, raisins and rice cakes. It will fill you up helping you to
resist to drop by to the nearest fish’n’chips shop.


Limiting
your coffee trips will save you loads of money- up to a couple of hundred pounds
per year. Each time it might seem only a couple of pounds but it all adds up to
a rather nice sum in the end.


Drink
prices in restaurants are ridiculous--because that’s where they make the most
money from. Avoid this cost by carrying a bottle of water with you.


And a
final ( wise) word of mine: you came  to college to study so focus on it,
stay organised and everything else fall into its place. You pay a fortune for
your education so make the most of it!

Another great website for more
information is Savethestudent

Save for the future

 

A baby is expensive no doubt
about it. There are plenty of items to buy and spend money on so it is important
to save on those areas wherever possible. It is important to buy a save car seat
and pram, but are new brand clothes really necessary? These are going to be worn
a couple of times and unless you are rich it is a luxury. A child grows quickly,
and with a child its demands. We can’t expect to fulfil a child’s every wish but
need to learn to prioritise. It is important to save for the important things in
life from which your child will benefit long- term such as a child’s education
or maybe you want to help to finance your child’s house. So does your baby
really care whether it wears the latest fashion or whether its clothes are
second hand? If it is possible to save on those why not take the opportunity?
There will be enough events coming up in your baby’s life where you can or even
will have to spend!

Be organised

If your baby is about to arrive get organised and inform yourself of what is really needed. You want to purchase the best and most for your money and shouldn’t waste it on items you are not going to use.



So make a list of all items you need, and shop around it. Compare prices, watch out of sales and consider buying second hand clothes.



And don’t forget your family and friends as a valuable source for baby cloths and toys. Ask for items you need and accept the offers. You always can return them after you finished with them.


Family and friends will want to give you lots of birth presents. Once you got your list you will always have something to answer if someone asks you about what you want. 

Food

Food is essential for your baby and you would want to give them the best. Luckily the healthier and better food is much cheaper than, let’s say, worse food. Breastfeeding, if possible, is the best decision. Not only should the various health benefits for your baby make it attractive for you to start, but you also will save a lot of money on formula, bottles and all the devices needed for this purpose. Even at the later stages preparing your own baby food is much, much cheaper and much healthier. Even the healthiest and best brand baby food will have some sort of nasty stuff in it. How otherwise are you able to keep it for say six months (of course without opening it)? Preparing tasty and healthy baby food is not as hard and time consuming as many assume to be. How hard can it be puree a cooked apple and pear? I recommend the Annabel Karmel book, it has a great variety of different recipe for different stages and gives advice on how and when to start. If you don’t want to pay the full price buy it second hand or get hold of a copy from your library.


There are of course plenty of websites offering you great advice and recipes for free.

I like these both sites: wholesomebabyfood and annabelkarmel, which has quite a lot in common with the content of some of the books.

Instead of buying unhealthy snacks switch to healthier options such as vegetables sticks with dips, fruit pieces, rice cakes, cheese and dried fruits.

 

Clothes

Shopping for cute baby clothes is a great treat for many mums, which enjoyed too often, gets expensive.  From my own experience I know that a baby doesn’t require a lot of clothes to be happy. It is easy to buy too many items which are worn only once or even never. So whenever possible you should try to get and borrow free clothes from family and friends. A baby grows so quickly meaning he doesn’t really need to own clothes for such a short period of time. You can save those cash for the later stages.



Buying second hand clothes is another great option for you to save money. Remember your baby just needs a few clothes for a short period of time and will wear his clothes only a couple of times. You will need to change his wardrobe often as your baby grows quickly so spent wise.  This is the time for you to save on his wardrobe.


Even when your child is a bit older buy the clothes when on sale. Buy the clothes in a slightly bigger size so your child can wear it as long as possible.

 

Diapers

Throughout the baby years you will spent a fortune on nappies, but there are a few tricks how to reduce the cost of it. Firstly, you can use non-disposable nappies. They will be cheaper in the long run and seem to be environmental friendlier. It will work out cheaper even more if you plan to use them for another child. Make sure to get the information about all the essentials for it and the proper use of it, such as the washing methods. Bear in mind that though that using the  laundry service for the nappies is not cost effective . You can get the potty training done as early as possible. No one says it is easy to get a baby used to a potty but it is amazing how much they understand from an early stage. My daughter is getting a nappy only for the night- at an age of 20 months! To be completely honest with you the whole credit for this effort goes to my mum. How lucky am I? Well, for some it might sound unbelievable and amazing, for others it might seem a little late. That’s the difference in many countries, in some parts of the world children start to get used to the toilet from as early as possible while in others it is left to the very last. Growing up myself in Europe but being married to a Chinese I have the privilege to experience the most different views on this point. If you decide to potty train you child from an older age you can switch to less expensive nappy brands for the day when the skin is less sensitive. Did you know that you can even make your own wipes? Not only will you know what’s inside but it will work out cheaper too. For this purpose you can create disposable and non disposable wipes. For the disposable wipes use normal facial tissues and flannels or cotton clothes make great non disposable ones.



Get an empty spray bottle and put a mixture of water, baby oil, and shampoo inside. Each time you need a wipe, spray this mixture on your tissues or the square clothes.
 

Toys/ Books

Once again borrow and get as much free stuff as possible from your family and friends. Consider buying second hand. There are some toys your child is not going to touch while others might seem interesting only for a couple of days- so why waste money on those?

Rotate the toys
Hide the half of the toys and get them out a couple of weeks later while hiding the other half. Rotating the toys means you have less mess to clean up and your child will be always excited to have some new toys to play with.



And finally resell unwanted toys! You will help others to save while earning a bit of cash.

Library
Don’t forget your library as a great source for new books and toys. That’s also a great way to find out which toys are really enjoyed and are worth purchasing.

Baby clubs
You probably have heard it a couple of thousand times so one more time is not going to hurt: make the most of freebies and coupons.



It really pays of and you can actually save quite a bit. Buy those nappies when on sale or offer. Bring those coupons with you to the store which can save you some cash on nappies. It is really worth looking out for offers and take advantage of the coupons.

To receive the coupons you should join baby clubs.

Another great way to obtain coupons and free samples is by asking your favourite company directly via an e-mail. Just tell them how much you love and enjoy their product, and they will be more than happy to send them to you.

Babysitter

Sorry, you can’t get those on sale or with coupons nor can you get it second hand. But what you can do is quitting them and exchange babysitting hours with friends or family.
 

Save Money on Ingredients, not on the taste

Food
 

Too often people believe that when you save money on food you will have to sacrifice the taste.  However there are various options saving money on food and still enjoying the taste.

You need to be organised but at the same time flexible. The basic organisation includes a meal plan and a grocery list for you to follow on a weekly basis. On the other hand you must be flexible enough to buy an ingredient you use regularly in bulk if it is on sale.

 

Create a menu planner and a shopping list

Planning is the key to any success! I quoted a great citation on this matter on the homepage.

To decrease your monthly grocery list, create a menu planner as well as a weekly shopping/grocery list. You know what you need and are less likely to forget things and you are more likely not to buy things you don't need.

You can create a spreadsheet with the breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks needed versus the weekdays. Fill them in accordingly and voila you have a menu planner.

 

 

Get the best Deals and Save

1. When it comes to shopping you should be always looking for the best deals.  Don’t restrict yourself to one store but shop around to get the best deals. Often certain supermarkets offer their product prizes on their website so you can compare the prizes in advance to save time. Make the most of specials, discounts, coupons and deals such as “2 for 1”. However, remember to buy only those items which you are really using otherwise it is just a waste of money.  Use the offers to stock up on ingredients which you are using often. To make the offers work even more for you, check the offers in advance through the newspapers or internet and plan your meals around the ingredients where you can save money.

 

 2.Switch to brands which are not known. Often we just overpay certain ingredients just because of its famous name. The taste is not necessarily better, but often the same.

3.Buy food such as meat, vegetables and fruits in the right season. They are much cheaper then.

4. Don’t shop when you are hungry as you are likely to impulse buy and are less likely to stick to your list.

5. Substitute expensive items with less expensive ones.

6.Often supermarkets have a section filled with items with the expiry date due. You can buy those to use on the day bought or you can put it away into the freezer for another occasion.

 

 

 Cook your own
 

Eating out puts a major strain on your food budget. You will save a great amount of money if you quit or least reduce eating outside, but instead start to cook from scratch. It will not only save you money but you will also know exactly what is going into your food. 
 

 

Plan your meals 

Planning your meals in advance will save you money and time. You will know exactly what you need and can reduce your shopping trips to once or twice a week. It will take some time and effort to get into the habit of planning but can save you a lot of money so it is definitely worth the effort.

 

Download free menu planning sheets here: First Menu planner  

Second Menu Planner

Here is an excellent website offering you free meal planning tools such as meal planner, creating a shopping list and much more: Click here

 

Don’t waste

Don’t waste food! That’s one of the fool- proved ones to save you money. When planning your weekly meals remember to include those leftover for another meal or to put it into the freezer.

Be creative when it comes to using leftover food. Leftover ham and chicken are great for sandwiches or salads, leftover rice and vegetables along with meat can be used to create a wonderful stir fry and even the carcass of a grilled chicken and its vegetables can be used for a delicious stock.

The odd looking vegetables in your fridge are perfectly fine for soups.

Fruits past its use by date are great to use in smoothies or for baking.

Check out the website Lovefoodhatewaste for more great ideas on using leftovers.

 

Make the most of your fridge/ freezer

Make sure to put perishable foods such as vegetables and fruits into the fridge to extent its use by date.

Having a freezer available most people just don’t do the best out of it. Did you actually know that you can freeze pretty much everything? Bread, meat, yoghurt, fruits, vegetables and even prepared meals can all be frozen. Freeze them on or before the use- by date and use within three months.

If you unlucky like me and don’t own a garden or a have enough space to grow your own herbs but love to use herbs, just chop them when buying and put the rest into the freezer to make the most of your purchase. If you mix a bit salt under the herbs, you will prevent them from sticking together.

 

Batch cooking- cook a lot!

No, not to throw it only away, but to freeze it for another occasion. If you can buy prepared frozen meals why can’t you make your own which will be cheaper and healthier. Batch cooking is my favourite way to cook food as I save money on ingredients I buy in bulk, I save money on the electricity and I save my precious time. There are so many great recipes which are freezer friendly so there should be something suiting your taste buds and budget.

 

Make the most of your ingredients

Discover the taste of lentils and vegetables. Lentils are cheap, fill you up and are full of goodness. Add them and vegetables to your meat dishes to make the meat go further.  By doing this you will balance out the expensive meat with the less expensive lentils and vegetables.

Eating less meat altogether will not only save you money but you will benefit from the health factor as well. If possible (and approved by your family) you could introduce a meat free day.
 

Ever since I discovered the tip that a whole chicken costs almost the same as two chicken breasts I only buy a whole chicken. I cut the breast, the drumsticks and wings off to use instantly or I put them into the freezer for another occasion. The carcass I use for a delicious, home-made stock. My favourite at the moment is to use my slow cooker for this purpose.

Another delicious home-made stock can be made from the carcass of a roasted chicken and its vegetables.

 

Switch to less expensive meat cuts. Avoid sirloin steaks and buy instead braising steaks, shin, rump or flank. These cuts can be used for a casserole and the difference will hardly be noticed as you will cook the meat tender for many hours.

 

Eating out

When it comes to saving money is one of the basics includes bringing your own lunchbox and thermos cup to work or school instead of buying it out each time.  A homemade sandwich, rice, pasta or potato salad or even a tasty soup transported in a thermos are great for lunch at work. Leftover rice, pasta and potatoes are fine to use for the next day salads as are your leftover ham or chicken. These are also great ingredients for your sandwiches. 

Watching the penny means cutting back on fast food, dining out and prepared meals. You will benefit from the health side as well. If you do eat out as a family try to find cheaper alternatives. Instead of dining in the restaurant opt for ice cream or go to a café. You will still enjoy going out as a family but at a much lower cost.

Avoid evening menus, but go instead for lunch to a restaurant when the menus are cheaper. You can also always split a large meal with a friend.

And finally - cutting back on eating out doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy meals with your friends. Invite them to your house and cook together or let everyone prepare a dish.

 

You might want to check this both recipe websites out for more inspiration on what to cook Allrecipes and Bigoven

Simple Steps to set up a Budget

 

 

Achieving your goals with your money is the fun side of saving. Setting up a budget on the other hand is everything else than fun. It is still necessarily to succeed.

Often budgeting reflects a bad image because of the way we look at it. If you associate budgeting with the penny counting sacrifices chances are you are trying hard to avoid it. If however you see budgeting as something helping you to achieve your short or long term goals you are more likely to succeed and stick to it. Budgeting is like a diet or starting to eat healthy. The first is negative and restrictive while the latter is positive allowing you to indulge now and again and still achieve your goals. Budgeting is just a tool to show where your money goes and helps you to create a spending plan. Budgeting helps you to save for those things which are important to you. It is hard to make conscious decisions about spending your money otherwise.
In order to save money creating a budget is the key to success. It is nothing more than a statement of all your income and the expected expenses.

It will consume some time in the first place to create a budget but with time and practise it will become your second nature. Your efforts will pay off in the long-term.  Don’t trap into the fall by generising your budget but try to adjust it to your actual needs and lifestyle.

Here are a few simple ways on how to get started and some other useful information

1.      Gather all your personal financial information you can including bank statements, investment accounts, recent utility bills and any other information regarding your income or expenses.

2.      Now with the information on hand you should be able to record all your income sources. Don’t forget to include any outside incomes such as a side business.

3.    With the information you gathered beforehand you can create a list of your monthly expenses. include    anything else      you might think of during the process and don’t forget to add items you remember the following day. 

Break this list into two categories: fixed and variable. The fixed expenses are those which are most likely to stay each months, while variable expenses will change each month.

Fixed variables include: mortgagee, payment, rent, car payments, auto insurance, utilities, cable and/or internet service, trash pickup, credit card payments.

Variable expenses will include groceries, eating out, clothing, entertainment, dry cleaning, retirement, gasoline, gifts, any college savings. The most important item of this category is savings. In fact if you can afford it you could move it to the fixed expenses. 

4.     
Adjustments - It’s great of course if you’re monthly income is higher than your actual expenses. It gives you more freedom and more possibility to save.

If however your expenses outrun your income you probably need to make some adjustments and cut back on variable expenses. Find effective ways to reduce certain costs to stay within your budget.

You should be able to make adjustments throughout the month. If something unexpected happens in particular month requiring paying money you could move it from one section to the other.

5.     
Keep tracking your budget at all times for each category. You are less likely to overspend if you have an estimate of your spending. Record you’re spending every single day- it only takes a few minutes. Not only will it keep you on track you will save time by not leaving everything for the last day of the month.

6.     
Make sure to review your budget monthly. Compare the income versus the spending. Look for areas where improves are needed. Don’t forget to praise yourself on areas you have done well!

7.     
Keep changing your budget until your find the way which works best for you. Make regular changes to your budget according to your circumstances.

Some final tips:

-find categories which will fit your personal situation and spending habits.

-create enough categories to make sure you have the right picture of where your money goes

-review regular whether you need more or fewer categories

-review your expenses to determine where to lower cost

-write down spending as quickly as possible as you are likely to forget where your cash went, it is hard to stay on track- remember cash disappears quickly

-carry a small notebook with you to record all your spending- this is much easier to transfer to your budget plan

-what are your goals, budgeting is about to help you to achieve your goals such as buying a house, a car, or funding university

 

Just wanted to make everyone aware of this
website photographycourse where you
can learn all about digital photography- for free.

I just couldnt wait to share this website. There will be another posting soon
with links of some othe great websites I found, either which have some sort of
tool to help you to save, something free to download or sites which are updating
frequently their sites with the latest freebies.



 

General tips on saving money

I failed many times to save money because I assumed that it just happens. I didn’t set up a budget nor did I track my expenses. I am not sure what really stopped me, but maybe I was put off by having to realise how much money I am spending. And I really didnt want to know! Maybe I didn’t want to put any effort and time into it, and with this kind of attitude it is no wonder I never succeeded until now. Setting up a budget and tracking my expenses are key for me in saving money.

Saving money is not easy especially if you are not used to it. However because of the many benefits of saving money and the risks of not doing it everyone has to learn practising it.

There are ways to simplify things:

Start slowly
Don’t change your life style from one day to the other- you likely to give up soon this way. Don’t limit yourself too much but start slowly and make minor changes such as switching to another brand for example.

Pay by cash
Get into the habit of paying by cash. It is harder to spent cash rather than paying by you credit or debit card. You are also less likely to overspend when paying by cash.

Save your change
This is a very easy and painless way to save your money. At the end of the day or week, which ever you prefer, put the coins out of your pockets and wallet or purse into a jar and take it to your bank.



Save each day a bit
Try to be consistent and save each day a little bit. It will not seem much in the beginning, but it will add up.


Have a budget
As mentioned before, having a budget is key to succeed when it comes to saving. A budget is simply a device showing you where your money is going. Budgeting helps you to keep track of your expenses. It is even better to create a minimum and a maximum budget limit. You will not restrict yourself too much this way.

Stop impulse buying
This is easier to say than to practise. However you should really stop impulse buying and stick to your budget. We need to learn the difference between a need and a want.

Think of saving money as you would think of a successful diet. It is one which is not too restrictive but allows to enjoy a nice treat occasionally while still achieving the set goal. That is the beauty of budgeting, you can save but still enjoy little treats now and then.

In order for you to succeed in saving you need to stay determined and persistent while being disciplined. At the end of the day it is your money and you should try to keep of it as much as possible.
Live below your means