Get Those Outgoings Down Now.
I don’t care what anyone says whether you are wealthy as fuck, rich, poor, comfortable or broke like a joke, we all want our outgoings to be lower than they are.
Get your bank statements out or your Money Manager App because we are about to kick some pounds off of it.
This blog post shows ways to get those outgoings down/ reduce your bills and we’re going to do it by researching, reducing usage, negotiating, cancelling, swapping and anything else that can be done legally to get our outgoings down and reduce our bills.
Expenses We'll Be Looking At.
Electric & Gas
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TV License
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Water
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Clothing
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Subscriptions
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Council Tax
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Insurance
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Credit Cards & Loans
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Groceries
Electric and Gas (Fuel)
Before you start this project, I strongly advise that you use your previous bills to obtain the previous years’ usage in the relevant units and in cost. It’ll help you work out your average usage and costs to get a more accurate picture of your potential savings.
I have added some handy links to comparison site below. But that’s not the only action you can take to save money and get those goings down, here are just a few tips and ways to reduce your usage.
1. I know we’re trying to save here but I recommend that you invest in some smart bulbs or at least low watts.
2. A full freezer uses less electricity so fill those spaces with carrier bags. Space out items in your fridge, this will make it easier for your fridge to keep things cold and in turn need less electricity to keep them at the right temperature.
3. Speaking of temperature – check your fridge and freezer temperatures. The ideal recommended temperatures are: Fridge Temp between 3°c and 5°c (mine is on 3) Freezer temperature is -18°c
4. If you use A/C consider adjusting the temp and the time duration, wear loose cooler clothing, open the windows but close the curtains during peak temperatures, this will help to keep the room cooler.
... & Here's 5 more
6. Close doors, block draughts and seal loose windows.
7. Use a clothing line and/or a clothes horse. Tumble dryers use so much electricity.
8. Unplug everything that you are not using, if the plugs are awkward to reach then invest in smart plugs.
9. Check out my previous blog post for other brilliant and productive ideas.
10. Boil the kettle instead of waiting for the pot to boil on the stove.
As promised here are a couple of sites to help you find the best tariffs and rates for you.
MoneySupermarket – Electric and Gas Comparison Site
My Money Comparison – Energy
TV License
If the answer is yes, then you cannot stop paying this bill. However, if the answer is no then cancel this expense ASAP as it is dead money.
Use this handy to if you meet the criteria to not have to purchase a TV license.
Water
Okay, so there’s nothing much you can do here unless you have a meter in which case let’s get that usage down.
1. Try to wear your clothes in colour batches. Darks, lights, reds, whites etc. It’ll means less loads. All my knickers are black or nude (brown) and so are my bras minus the odd silky lingerie sets.
2. Only flush when super needed, let’s not go into too much detail here but I’m sure you know what I mean. When a flush is needed then you could consider saving your dirty dish water but hey it’s totally up to you.
3. Reduce those long soapy showers by turning off the tap when soaping up and turning it on again when you’re ready to rinse.
4. Add that brick to your toilet flush unit (the unit behind your toilet that holds the flush water), I must admit when I first heard this I thought my friend was pulling my leg but he was right (although this was a couple years ago).
I am guessing that there is actually a product available by now that is actually designed for this purpose.
Sounds strange but it works by reducing the space capacity hence reducing the amount of water needed to fill the tank.
5. Use a sink bowl when doing the washing up and if you use a dishwasher, give your dishes a good scrape and rinse in your sink bowl before loading them into the dishwasher. This will allow you to use your appliance less frequently without creating a smelly kitchen and dishwasher.
6. If you don’t have a water meter and you are on a low income, have a large family or have a medical condition please contact your water service provider as there are schemes and grants available.
Council Tax
Don’t be shy but be polite and ask what their council tax band is.
There are also a few forms of support and reductions for council tax, for more information and advice:
Citizens Advice
People First Info – Housing Benefit & Council Tax Reduction
Apply for Council Tax Reduction
Car, Home, Life & Pet Insurance
Before you start this project, workout what type of cover that you really need. Don’t waste money on the frilly bits if you don’t need them – it’ll only be a waste of money.
Check out these sites for search for the deals that are suitable for you and your pocket.
MoneySupermarket – Insurance
My Money Comparison – Insurance
Credit Cards & Loans
Use this loan calculator before you make any credit applications, no one like nasty surprises.
Check out these sites to search for credit card and loans deals that are suitable for you and your pocket.
MoneySupermarket – Credit Cards.
MoneySupermarket – Loans.
Groceries
1. Consider changing your current supermarket I went from Sainsburys to Tesco to Aldi, Lidl and Iceland, The trick is to shop around for the best deals.
2. Brand Downgrade – I went from the well known brands to the store brands and in some cases to the stores economy brand.
3. Cook in bulk and chill or freeze – This saves time and money. This has stopped me from using fast food delivery apps so many times.
Check out –
– 20 ways to cut your food bill by a third by Metro
– Find your local food bank
Clothing
I am not here to judge nor make the decision for you.
1. Use preloved sites for clothing – There’s no shame in this.
2. Look out for sales, discount codes and promotions – follow me on Facebook for daily updates on sales, discount codes and promotions from big brands.
3. Shop on AliExpress – you’ll be surprised at their prices. If you want to know more and get some tips check out my previous blog post.
Check out some fashion money saving options:
Sweetpea Preloved Clothes
AliExpress
ebay
Preloved
thrift.plus
ebloggers
Subscriptions.
That’s £419.64 for the year.
Here are some other blog posts that are worth checking Out
30 Comments
Basic with Life
Surprisingly, losing Amazon prime made no difference. I wish I had stopped it earlier. lol
Basic with Life
You’re very welcome.
Basic with Life
You are so welcome.
Basic with Life
Thank you for your comment and I am glad it was helpful.
Basic with Life
How are you finding the Spotify free version? After a couple of weeks, I wondered why I ever decided to pay in the first place. lol
Basic with Life
Thank you for your comments and Good luck with your saving.
Basic with Life
You’re welcome and thank you for your comments.
Basic with Life
You are so right. I’m always telling my friends to write down every single purchase they make for one month and that they would be shocked to see where they money goes.
Basic with Life
Thank you for your comment. It is really important to shop around, another trick I use is to ask myself “Do I really need this?”
It really works.
Basic with Life
Thanks for your comment. I have noticed a difference in my bank balance since cancellations but I clearly have to make more changes. lol
Fritzie
Great tips! I also buy the store brands to save a bit more money. I’ve stopped subscribing to Amazon Prime, but I’m really having a hard time saying goodbye to Netflix. LOL 🙂
Farah Kareem
Great article, it is very informative!
Meraki
Great post with some fab advice. I thought I was pretty savvy but even I learnt some new bits here! Thanks xoxo
Unwanted Life
Don’t stop paying for your TV licence just because you don’t watch any BBC programming, because you’ll be fined. The only way you can avoid paying for a TV licence is if you never watch any live TV on any channel (not just the BBC channels) and never record anything off of any TV channel. This includes streaming content live to watch or record on any device, laptop, smartphone, etc. Lastly, never used BBC iPlayer to watch or download anything from it.
So unless you can live on only using subscription services like Netflix (as long as the content is neverlive) you’ll be hard pressed to get away with not paying your TV licence
Basic with Life
Thank you, I am glad that you liked it.
Basic with Life
Thank you x
Jenny in Neverland
This is such a helpful post for saving! I love how you’ve broken it down into very specific areas too, that’s very handy x
Laura Hitt
Very thorough! Well thought out… comprehensive list thanks!
readandreviewit
Great tips! I definitely agree that money can stack up without you realising so these will be so helpful for starting to cut back. Thanks for sharing!
Harsha
This is a great post! I have already canceled my Spotify subscription but still, there are a lot of things to be considered. Thank you for sharing this helpful post!
Eri
Great ways to save money. If we cut down a little bit of everything it is amazing how much money can be finally saved. I am in the process of trying to reduce my experiences so I highly appreciate your suggestions.
Thank you for sharing!
Rayo
These are great ways to save money. Why buy something expensive when you can get same thing cheaper elsewhere. Thanks for the recommendations on best deals. Thanks for sharing
Monique
I agree! You don’t have to be proke to be cautious about your expenses. Who wants to keep paying huge outgoings? Your tips are so practical and true. Taking notes. Thanks for sharing!
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
Della Driscoll
This is a really great post and super helpful too! It’s so important to shop around for the best deal x
Cristina Rosano
Love all of these tips and they will be very useful! I started getting rid of subscriptions I don’t use and this has been saved already. Also shopping and getting a marked-down item is always a great deal and I only buy what clothing I need urgently! Thanks for sharing x
Basic with Life
Thank you for your comments. Swapping brands and changing mobile phone plans will make a noticeable difference. Cancelling my subscriptions was hard but the free version of Spotify is not that bad, I am getting used to the adverts in between songs.
Basic with Life
It all helps, even the small things like unplugging things that you are not using. Thank you for commenting.
Her Digital Coffee
I’ve done a few of these, such as switching out lightbulbs, choosing different grocery stores, and rethinking my subscriptions. Thank you for sharing such a detailed list! It’s very helpful!
Alicia Thompson
Hi! These are some really helpful and useful tips. Thanks so much for sharing. I agree with cutting down on expensies as they can rack up when you aren’t paying attention. Alicia
Simply Alex Jean
This is a very well written post that’s exploding with great ideas! I recently did a swap of a couple brands, and grocery stores just to see how it would go with savings and I was so surprised! I also recently updated my phone plan that took it down a lot, just for simply updating to the current years plan! This guide is so handy, with a little work you can save! Thanks for sharing.