- We cut out grocery budget by £20 per week by shopping three times a week instead of once a week. Smaller more purposeful shops have suited our large family (and me as the shopper) far better than a huge once a week shop. Over the past two months this has saved us £160
- Gary reviewed his mobile phone and managed to get a fabulous deal, costing the same each month as his old deal, with unlimited calls and texts as well as £200 cash back
- We have reduced our home school budget by £100 per month. This is a short-term solution for us, as this will not work in the long-term. However as a means of finding our £1000 emergency fund, it is a viable option. Over the past two months this has given us £200
- In February and March we don’t have to pay our council tax. This is usually a time when we treat ourselves to some much-needed adult clothes. This year we put it straight into our bank account. This meant we were able to put away £400. In the same vein, the monthly payments for water usage are stopped from November through to March. Added to the council tax money, the phone rebate, the home school savings and the grocery savings, we managed to put into our account just over one thousand pounds as an emergency fund.
Our next financial goal is to save between 3-6 months of expenses. I’m certain this will take much longer than 2 months!