Easy Ways To Save Money This January!!

Whether you're a budget living pro or tightening your budget after Christmas, January is normally the time that a lot of us need to be careful of what we're spending.

If January is a little dry for you money wise, now is the time to look at your budget and find easy ways to save money. It might also give you a push to carry on budgeting through the year. 

Here's a few easy ways to save money in January!

Meal Planning

When I asked friends and fellow bloggers the easiest ways to save money in January, meal planning came up over and over again. I always find my shopping list is shorter and my weekly shop is cheaper when I do a meal plan. Hayley at See, Stay, Explore also recommends you do a stock-take of your cupboards, fridge and freezer and plan your meals around what you already have. This is something I've started to do more of too and it's definitely helped save us money. 

Reduce Your Waste

Reducing your waste and meal planning can go hand in hand when you're looking for easy ways to save money. How often to you throw away a potatoes and veggies because they look past their best? Vicki at Blossom Education recently bought a stack of reduced veg, prepared and blanched it for later use. Being near its use by date doesn't mean it can't be used. On Vicki's recommendation I'm going to be picking up more yellow sticker bargain vegetables! 

Make Small Savings

Do you always find that you've got the same loose change in your purse or wallet all the time? It's time to make use of it!! Marie at Tummy 2 Mummy recommends putting all loose change under £1 into a jar. It soon adds up and can be popped back into the bank or spent on other things. I definitely need to check my change more often as I'm often surprised by what I find in there!

Eat The Treats

Got lots of sweet treats left from Christmas cluttering up the worktop or cupboards? Well, its time to use them. Kelly at Our Transitional Life recommends saving up those December goodies at having them as a post-Christmas treat! We've done this for the first time this year after hiding a tub of chocolates and forgetting about them!! It definitely made our January a little brighter!!

Check What You're Spending

Grabbing a coffee on your lunch break or meeting mum friends for a cuppa and a catch-up can soon add up, and you may not realise how much you're really spending on it. Check back through your bank statement and receipts and check on what you're spending and see if it's really necessary. Nicola at The Merralls Home recently went over her spending and realised she was spending 49p a day on bottled water, Although it may not seem much at first glance it's actually over £170 a year!!

Plan Ahead 

Being a Snowy Owl (Brownie Leader) I'm obviously a fan of being prepared!! If we head out for a walk or day out we make sure to take drinks and a few snacks along with us. Emma at Emma Read recommends doing the same and has been taking a few snacks along with them on their adventures. It also means you're ready once the kids ask for a snack and you're not queuing as they say 'I'm HUNGRYYYYYYYYY'!!!! Result!!!

Stop The Impulse Buys

When I worked near a busy high street I was the worst for impulse buys and cutting back on them is a must if you're looking at easy ways to save money this January. Louisa at Cloth Bum Mum has made the decision to walk away when she sees something she wants and waits a week to see if she really wants it. 

Clear Out, Cash In!!

If January is still looking super tight after you've meal planned, reviewed your spending and stopped the impulse buying, Kate at Ever After With Kids  recommends having a clear out and using auction sites and social media to make some extra money. I hugely recommend this too! Over a couple of months we made over £700 selling items on eBay, trading in items on sites like Music Magpie and Cex! If you've got items cluttering up the shelves, gathering up dust, put them to use and make yourself some cash. 

Hopefully, with all these easy ways to save money you'll be able to budget your way through a happy January!!

Mummy Snowy Owl

xx