13 Important Money-Saving Hacks For the Cost of Living Crisis

1. Buy on sale

First up, buy items when they are on sale. The brands tend to have regular offers every couple of months, so that's the time when you need to buy. If you have specific products, like pet food, for example, only buy them when they're on sale because they're usually quite pricey.

2. Pay for insurance annually

The second is to pay for insurance annually. If you pay for the direct debit option monthly, you tend to have a higher price than you pay overall. The direct debit fee causes this. If you can pay in one lump sum, it will save you money over the year.

3. Meal plan

Number three is a meal plan. You need to know roughly what meals you will have in a week. Find out what items you already have in the cupboard and see if you can make meals from them. Then see if you can map your food shopping list based on what you need for those meals.

4. Batch cook

Next up is to batch cook. This is another option for saving money because you only have to cook it once and then reheat it when needed. It means that you can make a bigger, larger portion in the oven or on the stove and only have to use electric or gas once. It also means that you can utilize resources like ingredients that you don't have to do smaller mini cooks, saving you a lot of time. If you can batch cook, it can save you money. With batch cooking, you can either eat that same meal for a couple of days in a row or you can freeze it.

5. Take leftovers for lunch

Next is to take leftovers to work for lunch. This is an excellent way of saving money. It saves having to spend money on a meal deal out and about if you have your lunch organized and use leftovers, so they are not wasted.

6. Make your treats

Next up is to make your own sweet treats. Every one or two weeks I will make a cake, brownies, or biscuits we use as our sweet treat. We don't have them all the time, but we will make them ourselves. It does save a lot of money on the term.

7. Dry clothes outside

Next is to dry clothes outside so that you avoid using a tumble dryer. I appreciate it if you've got small children, a tumble dryer is valuable, but when we have summer weather, it makes the most of being able to dry anything outside. Even if it's on hangers or air dryers, use them outdoors.

8. Sell unwanted items

Next is to sell unwanted items in your home to earn extra income. I've done lots of decluttering. Anytime you declutter, see if you can sell that item. See if you can get something for anything you don't need or don't want, and have that as extra income that you can put towards bills or activities.

9. Reduce subscriptions

Next, reduce the number of subscriptions you have for music and entertainment. Do you need three or four different film subscription services? Could you narrow it down?

10. Buy items secondhand

Next is to buy items secondhand. Just as I suggested about decluttering your items for somebody else to use, you can also use somebody else's things. So get into the habit of buying secondhand. You can usually get very good or almost new items for a fraction of the cost. I do this for most items but also do this for birthdays and Christmas presents as well.

11. Have fakeaways

Next is to have fakeaways instead of takeaways. If you're somebody that is regularly having takeaway meals, could you find some links to some recipes of fakeaways where you can make the takeaway at home for a fraction

of the cost?

12. Track expenses

Next up is quite important to track your outgoings so any direct debits you have. Get a spreadsheet together so you know exactly what's coming out and when and look at it often. You can also set up your direct debits to come out as soon as you've been paid. I tend to have payday on the 25th, and most of my bills come out by the second, so I don't have the opportunity to spend that money. I know it's going out.

13. Set up budgets

Lastly, you should set a budget for spending on gas and food. This will help you keep on top of things. If you have a limit to how much you are spending, this could be a monthly limit or a weekly limit.

Money-saving hacks

It's a difficult time financially. Using money-saving tips and hacks can help you stick to a budget. I hope the ideas I've given you will help in your life as you try to save money.