Household Management – Monthly Payments You Can Shave for a Savings

*This is a collaborative post

Trying to run a household can be difficult no matter what size of family you might have. People also have to deal with different salaries and income. Neighbours probably have very different monthly budgets despite living on the same road and in similar houses.

But no matter how your household incomes compares to that of your neighbours, you should still be able to make room for some savings in your monthly budget. Let’s look at some of the places you could shave a little off your outgoings.

Car Insurance

Since cars are very much the lifeblood of many families, you might find it a little harder to make a saving here. However, if you use a price comparison site to compare insurance quotes you just might discover an insurer that’s able to provide you with very cheap car insurance, so it’s definitely worth shopping around.

The same principle applies to other types of insurance too, such as your home and contents insurance. If you shop around each and every time a policy is due for renewal you should be able to free up some of your monthly budget and put it towards other things.

Household Groceries

It is no great secret that some of the supermarkets are more expensive than others. Shopping for your family can be incredibly expensive, even if it is just for three or four, and learning where you can make a savings can be massively beneficial.

You might not want to shop at “budget” supermarkets like Lidl or Aldi because you feel like the quality is substandard. However, you might surprise yourself with how much you like the food. You can find substitutes for all your favourite foods and might even find some new ones.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because something isn’t expensive it isn’t any good. By shopping somewhere slightly cheaper, you can enjoy all the food you usually enjoy at a much lower cost than you have been spending.

Petrol or Diesel

Fuel prices seem to be creeping upwards all the time. Even with just the one car for the family, you might feel like you are forever filling up the tank. This is very expensive but there are a few sneaky tricks you can do to shave the cost down a bit.

The first thing you should do is pay attention to each of the prices at the filling stations in your local area. Some of them are likely to be a lot higher than others. For example, if one is located close to a major road, it is going to be more expensive as it is there for the convenience of distance travellers. Likewise, filling stations near historic or local attractions might also be quite expensive. Filling stations located next to supermarkets might be a little bit cheaper but you should always make sure to check. When you have worked out which of the filling stations closest to you is cheapest, try to fill up there as much as possible.

Another thing you can do to save on the cost of fuel is to learn how to drive more efficiently. Many of us have little habits when we drive which burn fuel without us even realising. If you can learn how to drive in a fuel-efficient manner, you will notice that your tank does not deplete as quickly as it usually does.

Clothes

If you are a shopaholic, you might be spending far too much on clothes. This is an easy place to save as you maybe won’t have to cut down on your time spent shopping as all that is needed is a new place to shop. Get in the habit of investigating your local charity shops. The right ones will be packed with amazing clothing you can buy for a fraction of their original value. You may even be lucky enough to pick out some designer pieces if they are available.

Another great place to look is at events in your local community. From vintage arcades to kilo sales, there are many opportunities for you to pick up amazing pieces of clothing cheaply. Take a look to see when the latest sale in your local community is now.

Take a look at your monthly budget today. You might find some places where you are overspending massively and then you can begin to make a plan about how you will scale back. Do so, and you will hopefully have some extra income which you could put back into the family