Frugal things from the #MoneySavingYear Facebook group

Frugal food for a #MoneySavingYear

Do you use Facebook?

This time last week, I set up a Much More With Less Facebook group, to share thrifty tips and support, and help us all make the most of our money.

Regular readers may remember that a couple of years ago, I decided to tackle one financial matter each month, and was surprised how much I saved. Small changes really do add up!

Previous post: Small changes, big difference: how I saved thousands in 2016

I also realised that I don’t just do one thing a month to make the most of our cash. Most days I do something, however small, to spend less or earn more.

I’m blown away that the Much More With Less #MoneySavingYear group has hit almost 150 members in the first week, so if you’re interested, do come on over and join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/muchmorewithless/

And don’t worry, it’s a closed group. That means anything you post can only be seen by members of the group, and won’t pop up on your normal Facebook feed!

Half price tickets for a family outing

My #MoneySavingYear so far

I’m posting a #MoneySavingYear idea each day, with something I’ve done to make the most of my money, both on Twitter and now in the Facebook group.

Here’s a quick run down for the first days of January:

#MoneySavingYear Day 1: Dug out some turkey from the freezer to ear with bacon, leeks and cheesy sauce.

#MoneySavingYear Day 2: Ordered prints of 50 photos for free, using the Snapfish app. Just pay £2,99 for postage. Perfect for Christmas pics!

#MoneySavingYear Day 3: Kids back at school, running shoes back on, and off out on the first day of the free NHS Couch to 5K programme. Reckon running is great exercise with limited time and less money!

#MoneySavingYear Day 4: Checked the contents of our kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer so I can plan meals based on the food we already have in the house.

#MoneySavingYear Day 5: Checked my direct debits, then cancelled an annual subscription for software I no longer need.

#MoneySavingYear Day 6: Chicken, chorizo and potatoes in the slow cooker, as a meal after out day out, so we’re less tempted by a takeaway!

#MoneySavingYear Day 7: First swimming lesson on 2019. Packed multipack drinks and snacks in the swimming bag, to avoid the lure of the vending machine.

#MoneySavingYear Day 8: Updated my spending diary. I’m keen to have a low spend January and writing down everything we spend reveals where our money disappears!

#MoneySavingYear Day 9: Took a packed lunch when I dashed up to visit B Works in Manchester. Cost a lot less than train catering, burritos, Pret or pasties!

#MoneySavingYear Day 10: Family trip to see Wicked this weekend, after we got tickets half price in the Get Into London Theatre New Year Sale. Tickets cost £10, £20, £30 or £40 with no booking fees or postage costs!

#MoneySavingYear Day 11: Submitted an electricity meter reading and checked my balance. Allow some extra to cover the colder months, but if you’ve run up a big credit,  consider asking for a repayment and setting your monthly direct debit a bit lower.

#MoneySavingYear Day 12: Split a small parcel into two, because posting two small parcels under 2kg costs less than sending one 3kg parcel. Strange but true! £5.90 vs £13 odd with Parcel Force. Even Collect Plus was £7 odd.

What else you’ll find in the Much More With Less Facebook group

Luckily, the Facebook group isn’t just me banging on.

We’ve also had posts by members about ideas for slow cooker recipes, how to save money on home insurance, bank switching and freezing veg.

I’ve picked up some top tips myself, including using a Google spreadsheet for my spending diary, so I can access it even if I’m not near my laptop (thanks Samantha G!) and checking for cheaper postage costs with Parcel2Go (thanks Catherine R!)

Now – over to you. What’s your top frugal success this week? Do share in the comments, I’d love to hear!

I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Five fabulously frugal things I’ve done this week’ linky.

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