Following the passing of the 2011 Irish Budget many households in Ireland are going to start feeling the pinch in the New Year. This is not something you want to be thinking about at Christmas, but it is the reality so how long will you keep your head in the sand? There are ways of helping even with your limited budget and living frugally will definitely help in coping with the coming financial difficulties in this country!
Now more than ever it is vital to live frugally to maintain financial security and if you follow some of the tips below you may even find that you will save some extra cash!
Visit your Library: A great place to find information on budgeting saving investing. Even if you have never been good with your money there are so many books with information on how to manage your money. It’s a free resource so you can also spend time-out in the Library for yourself at the same time as learning! There is also access to the internet so you can look up frugal blogs about frugal living, these are accounts of real people’s experiences and what has worked for them!
We have covered Charity Shops before, but here at jennysfrugalfinds we are big fans of the charity shop! One man’s rubbish and all that! You can pick up some great bargains, especially in kids stuff clothes, toys and equipment. It is worth checking out your local charity shops every now and then you may find a great bargain!
Your needs are one thing and your wants are a complete other matter! The tiger generation in Ireland have been used to getting what they want when they want and usually it was with borrowed money i.e. a credit card, mortgage or whatever term of credit you were able to get! Those days are over and the banks are in a dire state, so its time to define between what you need and what you want! Chanel sunglasses are not a necessity, but if you feel they are there are plenty of options to buying them cheaper online! We are not saying that you should never buy what you want but cutting down on those purchases will be good for your cash-flow!
It will be spring before you know it, so why not use your green fingers and grow your own veg! It’s easy if you know how and again you can get information from other websites and books! Garden centres are great and staff are always happy to help! Last year we saved €20 per week on veg and salad alone by growing our own!
Making shopping lists is something we love to do here! It allows you to buy what you actually need, thus cutting down on the need for waste! So many households end up throwing out huge amounts of gone off food jut because they over estimated what they actually needed! You don’t need to go shopping every day, a planned shop once a week with a second small shop for essentials cuts out waste and saves you cash!
Eating out is expensive! Why not bring your social life home to the comfort of your own kitchen! It can be fun and everyone can get involved! Check out your favorite recipes and choose something that you would eat in a restaurant and make it in your own place, thus you are eating what you want for less and sometimes it tastes even better!!
We hope some of these tips help you and your family as we sail into 2011 with a tighter budget! We can do it don’t lose the faith! Learn to live Frugal!!
