Learning how to correctly budget your monthly isn’t something that can be done overnight. It can take several months of tracking your spending and adjusting your expenses before you can establish a budget that is truly achievable for your lifestyle.
There are areas where we can all afford to be more frugal. Think; have you taken a look at every area of your spending to find any opportunity for savings?
Chances are, there are several simple fixes you could make on your budget today.
Here are 5 areas of your budget to examine for an easy fix to start saving more money now!
A great tool to learn how to successfully budget is the LAAB Budget Binder.
Easy Budget Fixes #1: Negotiate New Utility Bills
When it comes to utility bills, it can be easy to let your contracts renew year after year to save the hassle of finding a new provider. However, not searching for the best provider can actually end up costing your hundreds of dollars in the long-term.
Many utility providers raise their prices year on year, which can quickly have a huge impact on your budget. Do some research into other utility providers in your area and look for a better deal – you could find a quick fix and make considerable savings on your monthly outgoings!
Easy Budget Fixes #2: Start Shopping Online
You can make massive savings in your budget by simply switching to online shopping rather than visiting stores. Why? Because the internet has online coupon codes!
Many retailers offer online discount codes that will knock a percentage off your items at checkout – that’s something that will never happen in a store. What’s more, using sites such as eBates allows you to actually earn cash back when you shop at certain stores! If you haven’t used eBates or shopped online before, try it this month – you’ll be shocked at much you save with each purchase.
Check out this post on using eBates to start saving more money when shopping online.
Easy Budget Fixes #3: Perfect Your Food Bill
Most people admit that they spend too much on food on a weekly basis. After all, food is a necessity, so it can be hard to say no to an extra item or two in the weekly shop. What’s more, many people think the only way to save money on groceries is with coupons, but this simply is not the case!
Your food bill is, however, one of the best places to look for an easy fix to your budget. To start saving more money on food each week, create a shopping list and stick to it. Don’t put anything in your cart that isn’t on the list!
Secondly, learn how to plan and prep your weekly meals. Having a meal plan in place with veg already chopped and ready to go is a great way to avoid last-minute decisions to have an expensive meal out!
Easy Budget Fix #4: Save Money on Your Heating Bill
Did you know that old or unsecured windows or doors can add hundreds to your heating bill on a monthly basis?
Prevent your home from losing heat so quickly by investing in double glazing – or for a more frugal approach – place shutters or heavy curtains over your windows at night, and seal the bottom of your door.
These simple changes can help keep your home far warmer, allowing you to switch the heating off and save a lot of money on your monthly bill!
Easy Budget Fix #5: Have No-spend Weekends
The weekends are a prime time for spending a little too much for many people’s budgets. It’s perfectly fair to blow off some steam and treat yourself after a hard week of work, but for some people, the weekend is a total budget ruiner.
For an easy fix to this problem, why not try a no-spend weekend?
A no-spend weekend doesn’t mean staying indoors all day, either. There are plenty of fun, frugal activities that can be done in and out of the home that is just as much fun as the things that cost money! Check out this list of over 50 no-spend activities to get started and see how much money you can save in just one weekend.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking your outgoings are fixed with no room for savings – but if you take a look at any of the above areas in your budget, you’ll probably find you’re wrong!
Choose one of the points above and see what savings you can make this month, and then start on the next point. By the time you’ve worked your way down the list, you could have freed up hundreds of dollars in your budget to put to good use! Try any of these simple fixes today and start seeing massive savings to your monthly budget instantly.
Have you got any other quick and easy budget fixes for saving more money?
Author Bio: Yaz is the owner of The Wallet Moth, a personal finance blog focused on helping others get a handle on their finances to create the lifestyle they truly want. Check out her blog for posts on frugal spending tips, side hustle advice, and how to pursue a location and financially independent life!