Keeping track of your money

• Write down everything you spend in a week. Go through it, line by line, and see if there’s anything at all you can cut down on.
• Good questions to ask yourself are:
  • Do you really need it?
  • Can you afford it?
  • Is there something you can do to save a little?
  • Is there one small thing you can give up? Even if it’s just a small thing, it can make a big difference over weeks and months.
• Can you switch from branded goods to unbranded? Some are just as good and a lot cheaper. Could you try out something different every week that you might switch – just to be adventurous. You could even do a blind tasting (tins of beans/breakfast cereals) or experiment (washing powder/washing-up liquid) with your children. You might be surprised.

Useful links

• The Money Advice Service has handy money saving tips, including how to break bad money habits, cut waste, sell clutter, and get the same stuff for less. It also has advice to help you with budgeting and managing your money, including saving on bills and managing a bank account.
• The Money Advice Service’s online Budget Planner, Money Health Check and Money Navigator could help you make sense of what you’re spending each month and how you’re managing your money. These give you tips for how you could cut costs and save more.
• You can phone Citizens Advice Scotland’s Money Talk Team or find information on its website if you’re struggling to make your money last or dealing with debt.
• MoneyAware has articles with practical tips on how to cut down on everyday spending and big expenses. 

• You might find it costs you less if you plan ahead.
• Instead of buying a roll and sausage for your children on the way to school, buy a packet of rolls and a packet of sausages from the shops and make them up the night before.
• Takeaways and fast food are great. But you’ll save a lot if you keep these for treats rather than make them a habit. 
• It’s a lot cheaper to cook from scratch at home. And you can get your children involved. Keep it simple. You could even try recreating your favourite takeaway foods at home. Children are usually more interested in eating if they’ve helped make it.  
• ‘Baby food’ is expensive. Can you just make soups or whatever and freeze in batches? Grated apples or mashed bananas are cheaper than jars/packets of fruit puree. Or give them mini portions of the meals you eat, with no salt added.

Useful links

• Single parent, Jack Monroe, has good ideas for cooking on a bootstrap.
• GoodtoKnow has an article with nearly 150 recipes that be made for under £1 a head for a family of four, using prices from UK supermarkets. (Remember: when you have a smaller family, it can work out cheaper to make more and freeze the leftovers or eat them the next day). 
• See these 20 tips to eat well for less from the NHS.
• Try the tips in this article on ‘Ways to save on your food budget’ from MoneyAware.
• BBC Food also has advice on ‘How to cut your food bill by up to a third’, along with links to cheap recipes.

• Look at what you’re paying out every month for your phone, broadband and so on. You might be able to get better deals by going elsewhere. MoneySavingExpert is good on this and about how to get the best deals.
• When you take out a new contract, shop around. Find out as much as you can. Don’t take the salesperson’s word for it.
• It can be easier said than done. How do you work out what’s a good electricity tariff, say? Do you know how to read your electricity bill? What makes a good provider? Would you rather have a cheaper deal or a better service? Check:
  • Our guide to heating your home. This has info about financial support you could be entitled to such as Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payment.
  • Energy Saving Trust information about energy saving in your home with tips on switching suppliers, home insulation and reducing your bills.
  • Running costs of electrical items in your home from UK Power.
  • Citizens Advice Scotland guide on how to read your energy meter.

Useful links

• See our energy and money saving tips, developed with the Big Energy Saving Network to support single parent families.
• Citizens Advice Scotland has advice that could help if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills or looking for a better deal on your gas and electricity.
• MoneyAware (from UK debt charity StepChange) has:
  • Top tips for saving money on your broadband bill.
  • How to save money on Sky, Virgin and other TV packages.
  • 11 ways to save money on your mobile.

• Try to save a little. You probably think you can’t afford to do that. But you probably can. How about you put a £1 a week into a jar and watch it grow? By your child’s next birthday, say, you’ll have an extra £50.
• Do you have fast food several times a week? What about if you cut it to once or twice week? Then put the £10 you’ve maybe saved into the jar. You’ll then have £500 in under a year. When you make that kind of cutback, every day, or every week, you get to the point where you don’t miss it.
• Think about using a credit union for savings. These are for everyone including those who can’t get ordinary bank products. There may be one in your area or workplace. 
• Add to your children’s savings accounts, while you spend, without costing you any extra. KidStart is a loyalty programme for parents. When you spend online a percentage of what you spend is added to children’s savings accounts. You can also ask other family members to join.