I was asked to have a go at a Money Saving Diary Challenge by Scottish Friendly
I, like you, am always looking to find ways to cut costs and save money.
I have several savings goals and they need to get firmly underway. I know saving goals can be overwhelming, particularly when you have a family. Small changes can make a BIG difference though and the idea of the money saving challenge was to spot what small changes I could make.We have so many house repairs we need to save for and a big school trip my son wants to go on.
I kept a money saving diary over a one week period and this is what I noted:
My money saving diary challenge
Monday
Rejected a coffee at a cafe with a friend and invited her to have one at my house here instead. Saved about £4.50 (was my turn to buy) and I wasn’t tempted by the cakes! We did munch on some homemade cookies my son had made though!
Tuesday
Delayed my weekly shop by a day and made a lasagne from unused veggies and banana muffins from old bananas. Savings around £6.
Wednesday
Meal planned before my weekly shop to avoid waste and shopped to a strict shopping list. Saved £20 at least! ( Don’t write off a Wednesday have a read of these Wednesday quotes – it can be a great day!_)
Thursday
Had son’s jeans mended (free) by his Gran rather than replace them. Saving £20 and she did a great job on them!
Friday
My daughter made 2 birthday cards for her friends rather than me buying them. Savings of £3 and she really enjoyed herself.
Saturday
Homemade popcorn and a borrowed DVD saved us £30 on a cinema trip! Wow.
Sunday
Loft clearing revealed items to eBay totalling £120 worth! So cool – this pleased me immensely.
So my weekly savings made just by being thoughtful, mindful and a little bit proactive, came to the grand total of …are you ready for it……
£203.50
Oh my goodness.
Okay I am not going to find items to eBay every week but even just £100 saving a week would make an absolutely huge difference to us! The elusive home repairs that always seem out of out budget would most definitely be doable with this level of savings.
I really recommend this money saving challenge. Jotting down each day what you have saved and how, makes you mindful about making savings and considered in your spending. Adding up the total at the end of the week is a real eye opener. I would highly recommend this challenge to kick-start a great saving plan.
Over at the Scottish Friendly blog you can find loads of ideas for savings challenges and they are straightforward and inspired.
I do hope you have a go and manage to save all the money you need to achieve your goals
My money saving diary challenge was a collaborate post
Ooh it’s amazing how quickly it adds up! I’ll have to try this, I need to start saving!
Had on my shopping list for this week to buy Father’s Day cards but will definitely be making them instead
I really think I should keep a little savings diary – with my wedding on the way, and a little nephew too, I could certainly do with saving some money!