I am frugal by nature and I always love a good deal. When you are broke, you either get into more debt or you find ways to make the little you have stretch as much as possible. I am the latter. We have managed to pay of £5000 worth of debt while taking a £20,000 pay cut and having 2 children. I just want to share a few frugal hacks that can help you save money weekly.

Frugal Hacks: I stopped buying Makeup and Perfume

I must admit, I am quite low maintenance so I am not a heavy makeup user. However, I made a decision to only use cosmetic samples in order to save money. I wear makeup on average 4 times a month. I got a free mascara from benefits, they are giving away free mascaras if you hand in an old mascara. It doesn’t have to be the benefits brand. For foundation, I head to the Lancome counter and ask for samples as I already know my shade. Not buying mascara or foundation has saved as £30.
Buying perfume has also been cut from our budget. I now go to perfume shops when I am out and about and ask for a sample. When I find a perfume I like, I go to other perfume store and request for more samples. Each sample is range between 1ml to 5ml, I only need between 6 – 30 samples to have a 30ml perfume. That has saved us £40.
I have a free ebook on how to get free stuff. The Ultimate Guide to getting freebies, samples, and coupons. Click Here to get your free copy.

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Frugal Hacks: Yellow sticker Food shopping

Buying reduced food has saved us £100’s over the last couple of months. I buy reduced food from supermarkets and freeze them. I made the decision to only buy products that are reduced by at least 60% for it to be worth it. Supermarkets have changed their strategy whereby they reduce their products a few days before expiry to push sales so the number of products available at a very low price has reduced significantly. This week, my yellow sticker shop saved a lot of money on our weekly food shop.

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Frugal Hacks: Reduce your Meat intake

Meat is expensive and when you are broke, going vegetarian or vegan can save you a lot of money. We have reduced our spending on food by having meat-free meals. For example, in one week, I made jacket potato with tuna, pasta bake and stewed pilchard with rice. Food substitution can also help you save a lot of money and eat better. For example, to make a bolognese sauce, I use lentils mixed with the mince to make a bigger batch which is also freezable. One big pot of minces can make cottage pie, spag bowl, chili and rice, and lasagna.

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Frugal Hacks: Complain about Products when you are not happy

Being broke makes you appreciate the little you have, I have no issue making a complaint if a product is faulty. I bought a box of baby wipes but when I opened the box, the bottom of every wipe package was open so I contacted the company and I was offered a refund. I also got to keep the wipes which were a bonus. That money went back towards our yellow sticker shopping.

Frugal Hacks: Collect and Use Clubcard Points

Tesco has a booster scheme whereby you can exchange your Clubcard vouchers for restaurant vouchers. I exchanged £5 worth of Tesco vouchers for £20 worth of restaurant vouchers which will go towards a birthday meal out with my husband. Most high street stores have some form of loyalty scheme. Take advantage. 

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Frugal Hacks: Buy frozen fruit and vegetables

I honestly buy most of my vegetables frozen. Benefits include, they are fresh, they are cheaper and they last longer which reduced food waste and saves a lot of money. Frozen foods I buy include sweet corn, mixed vegetable, spinach, kale, shredded cabbage, chopped onions, chopped peppers, frozen chargrilled peppers and anything I like the look of in Iceland. Do conduct your own research, it was recently presented in the news that some brands of frozen vegetables contain deadly bacteria.

BONUS FRUGAL HACKS:

Switch bank accounts: Other ways to save £100 is to make £100. A very quick way will be to switch banks. Many banks offer a

Scan your shopping receipts

Sell your old items online

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I share this to show you the little frugal things you can do to make your money stretch further. I amaze myself how we are able to be debt free while taking a 50% pay cut and having more expenses. If you learned something new then please comment and share to help others make frugal changes to save money.