It’s hard enough to save for a house when there’s no temptation…but when you’re greeted by the latest piece of tech or wardrobe must-have, saving hits whole new levels of difficult. We’ve put together these 3 quick tips to help you save for your move, that shouldn’t be too hard to keep up either!
Do your sums
Before you even think of buying a house, you need to be sure it’s financially viable. Sit down and do your figures and ensure you are buying at a level you can afford. Whilst you’re doing your sums, it’s a good idea to work out how much money you need to save per month to be able to go forward with the process. Once you’ve worked out the amount, you can then decide where these savings can come from.
Forfeit the luxuries
Okay, so we might all want the latest iPhone, but unfortunately it won’t contribute to the cost of your house – you may need to forfeit some luxuries in order to save enough money. Your phone contract is a monthly drain on your finances, in fact Brits are spending an average of £36 a month on a phone contract…surely you can lower your tariff? Switching platform USwitch list £20 as their cheapest iPhone contract, a saving of £16 a month. Sky TV is great, but there’s cheaper ways to watch the latest season of Game of Thrones – £38 a month is the average Sky bill, as opposed to £6.99 a month for the Sky Now TV bundle…that’s a saving of £31.01!
Food Glorious Food
Saving for a house doesn’t mean you have to start skipping meals or buying less food…the UK’s average weekly food bill is £83 but by becoming a smart shopper, you could save some serious cash. Bulk buying is a great way to save, take advantage of offers on bulk purchases and start cooking larger meals – you can freeze what you’ve not used and save it for additional lunches and dinners. Another way to save on your food is by ditching the take-outs, when you’re saving it’s all about the fakeaway…why not make your own pizzas, curries and stir-fries, you can still eat out of a polystyrene container for the effect if needs be! Try putting these in to action and see how much money you can save towards your new home, you might surprise yourself! Ultimately you need to live sensibly and try to avoid any massive purchases. If you need new furniture, try to do it gradually over a few months rather than replacing everything in one go – that way you’re spreading out the cost and helping to save some money each month.
