Eight Simple Money Saving Tips That Can Be Done in One Day

As parents, money is an ever-present topic in our daily lives because in case you missed the memo - kids are expensive; especially as they get older. They eat more, do more and eventually even require money of their own to spend - none of which comes cheap.

We’ve compiled a list of super-simple tips that can be done in the space of a day, that’ll help you to reset your finances and start saving more money.

1. Go Through Direct Debits and Memberships

It’s time to get strict with yourself - as it’s so easy for money to fly out of your account without you feeling accountable for it.

Do you need subscriptions to 5 streaming services? Has your gym membership sat unused for the past three months? Working out what you really need to be spending money on and what you’ve just been a little too lazy to cancel (guilty), can save you a whole lot of money each month.

2. Assess your Bank Account

So it turns out that you’re way more likely to break up with your spouse than you are to break up with your bank—but assessing the service they’re offering can easily save you money, quickly.

To put it bluntly; if you’re paying fees, stop! Another bank will offer you better rates in order to gain your custom. And if you’re not happy with the interest you’re earning on your savings - look elsewhere. Simple, easy and effective.

3. Buy a Refillable Water Bottle

Make a hard and fast rule that you’ll no longer buy bottles of water—take your reusable one with you wherever you go and you’ll instantly enjoy savings for your bank account and the planet. Win-win!

4. Meal Plan

It’s a tricky habit to implement, but once it’s become a habit, it seriously pays off. Being strict about what you actually need to buy for meals is a great way of limiting unnecessary spending and saving money, and it means you actually use up the food that you’ve bought—therefore limiting unnecessary food waste while you’re at it.

We recommend sitting down with a pen and paper, planning out your weekly meals, and snacks and then using that list to inform your next grocery shop. Speaking of which…

5. Grocery Shop Online

It’s a no-brainer in COVID times, but even once restrictions ease—doing your grocery shopping online ensures you think through what you really need to buy, and limits you from plucking items off the shelf at random, therefore adding to the cost of your cart.

6. Consolidate your Superannuation

Hands up high if you have zero ideas of where your Super is, how much is in there, and how many funds you have? That’s what we thought. Sure it’s a boring task, but consolidating your Super into one fund can save you a tonne of money long-term, as you aren’t paying fees to multiple providers.

7. Check Utilities and Insurance - Compare and Consolidate

We get so used to using the same companies year in and year out for things like energy and insurance, we forget that there could be a much better deal out there for us. Often, there's lots of money to be saved in regularly assessing your policies - especially if you are able to consolidate your policy to include other members of your household in relation to things like car and health insurance. As a starting point; we'd recommend getting your pet insurance and human insurance under the same provider, and ensuring you and your partner are on the same car and life insurance policy. Consolidating is key! 

8. Take Stock

Taking saving seriously is about being informed and knowledgeable about your financial status. Check in weekly on your accounts and assess what was necessary spending, where you could have saved and use that to inform your decisions for the next week. Good luck!

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