An unconventional fashion blogger trying to find her place on the internet

I’m sure there are thousands of pages all over the internet claiming you can save £1,000,000 if you do XYZ, but I’m not going to tell you how to do that as I sure as hell don’t have £1 million to show you, just a council flat, a car I bought on finance and a lovely wardrobe full of clothes I love. However, if you’ve followed me for a while you’ll have seen that Aaron and I are saving up for a deposit to put down on a house, so I will be sharing what I’ve been doing in an attempt to make that happen.

Have a goal

Knowing what you’re saving for gives an incentive for putting your pennies away, whether that’s a bag, holiday, a wedding, a house, baby, the list goes on but having something to keep you on track will help massively and definitely the best place to start. Like I said, Aaron and I are currently saving for a house, but applied the same incentives for our wedding, holidays and getting out of debt. Some people are natural savers and don’t necessarily need a goal or incentive, but not everyone is that savvy or disciplined, so this one’s for you lot.

Only buy what you need

I could tell you about all the things I need which are more like things I want. Knowing the difference between the two is key. For example; I need shampoo to wash my hair, but I want a new eyeshadow palette from Urban Decay to perfect a new makeup look – I could live without the eyeshadow palette (and potentially the shampoo if I decide I’m going to be a bit minging), but I couldn’t without the shampoo. I don’t need to buy a new pair of boots because I have some that are pretty much identical, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want them. See?

Save special products for special occasions

 Over the last couple of years I’ve kept two different perfumes, a fancy one for date nights or parties  (I’ve had this bottle of Gabrielle for over a year!) and another one I wear for everyday use, nine times out of ten it’s a celebrity fragrance and at the moment it happens to be Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. This tip mainly applies to beauty products, but could also apply to food and drink; save your nice bottle of plonk for a cheap date night in, only use your fancy eyeshadow for nights out on the town – you get the idea.

Find products that give you more for your money

Since I started blogging, I’ve a new found love for makeup, the problem with that love is that it can cost a fortune as I’m sure any beauty blogger will tell you. One thing I do love is good value for money, so if I can find a huge palette like this one from Morphe (okay, I didn’t buy this one – Aaron bought me it for Christmas and I just wanted a chance to share it with you all) for around the same amount as one with a fifth of the amount from somewhere like Urban Decay, I’m going to opt for that instead. As per a lot of these points, this can apply to loads of things but shop around. 

Opt for a night in with a good series on Netflix with a takeaway

I’m way past the days of partying every weekend and would much rather snuggle up on the sofa after a long week at work with a chicken/veggie naga, plain rice and a garlic naan from my fave local Indian takeaway, my pyjamas and whatever is on my watchlist (right now I’m on Grey’s Anatomy on my cousin’s Amazon Prime, the password is gabyisaho – isn’t he a delight). My friends Maisie, Esta and I have all decided that we’re going to make an effort to have a girls night in once a month at eachothers houses with some food and drinks, partly to save pennies and partly because we love a girly night in – try it out!

Go out shopping with a list

Shopping with a list to save money is something I’ve spoken about in an older post called How To Save Money On Fashion which has a lot more specific advice for fashion, but the principle of making a list of things you need and not what you want  when you’re out and everything appears to be screaming out BUY ME when you’re meandering around the aisles of a supermarket or between the racks of a beautiful boutique. Making a list means you have yourself to answer to when you get home with nothing saved and bags full of shit you didn’t need in the first place.

BUDGET, put a little away on payday and any spare change at the end of the month

I always put away a bit of money at the start of the month once I know I’ve got all of my bills paid and there’s some spare change for bits and bobs. Once it’s the day before pay day I’ll see what’s left over in my account and transfer the remaining into my savings account (well, that’s the intention, but it doesn’t normally happen – especially since it’s just been Christmas).

And those are some of my little nuggets of wisdom on how to save some pennies, let me know if you’ve got any more in the comments below and to share this post if you think some of your mates could do with saving some money after borrowing one too many tenners.

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