With the arrival of 2023, it’s time to align and prepare New Year’s resolutions. In view of the current economic context, it is important that your list does not lack strategies for saving. To help with this task, we have gathered, in this article, 12 savings tips, one for each month.
January – Reduce your electricity bill
With the cold weather and the consequent need to heat the house, the The value of your electricity bill can skyrocket at this time of year. However, there are some strategies that can be worth a few euros in savings at the end of the month, such as: don’t leave the light on in a room when no one is there; do not leave the equipment on standby, turn it off completely; reinforce the thermal insulation of your home; prefer more energy efficient home appliances (always check the label) and change the bulbs you have in your home for energy-saving ones. If you live in a house, you can choose to put solar panels. The initial investment is a little high, however, it is easily recouped, as the value of your electricity bill will be significantly reduced. Also read: What is the best way to save on electricity?
February – Sell what you no longer use
With the cold and rainy weather that characterizes the month of February, it’s an excellent time to put away all those objects that you have in your house that you no longer use. So what if you could make some money out of it? It would be perfect, right? Gather everything that is no longer useful to you, such as clothes, furniture, books, equipment, among others. take pictures and create ads on digital sales platformsas is the case with OLX, Custo Justo or Wallapop.
March- Make a vegetable garden
With the arrival of spring it is an excellent time to make a vegetable garden in your home. By putting this tip into practice you will be saving on your food. Don’t be fooled, however, if you think that for that you need to live in a house. Even if you live in an apartment, you can perfectly grow some food on the balcony or terrace, you just need to ensure that the space has good sun exposure (on average 6 hours a day), is airy and is sheltered from the wind. We naturally advise you to start by growing foods that you like, however, if you are undecided, we give you some suggestions, such as: aromatic herbs, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and strawberries.
April – Save on the Easter table
At Easter time, everyone wants to impress their guests with a plentiful and well-decorated table. However, you don’t need to spend a lot of money for this, just follow some strategies, namely: do it yourself decorationif you have children in the family, ask them to help you with this task; cook at home at the expense of ordering the food; enjoy the promotions; buy products near the end of their expiry date, as they are often cheaper; if your guests offer to bring something, like drinks or desserts, don’t be shy and accept it.
May – Reduce spending at the supermarket
Grocery expenses have a high weight in the family budget, which is why it is so important to find strategies to save. So that you can do this, before the arrival of summer, which is a time for parties and get-togethers, which leads to higher expenses, we advise you to follow some tips, for example: avoid impulse purchases at all costs; whenever you go shopping bring a list of what you really need; make the most of promotions; buy white label products, as they have an excellent quality/price ratio; buy loyalty cards from the supermarkets you frequent, as they give you access to exclusive benefits.
June – Exercise without spending too much
If you think that to stay in shape you need to join a gym and spend a lot of money, think again. Take advantage of the good weather and exercise outdoors. You can go for walks, run, ride a bike or combine football games with your friends. change some habitsfor example, on short journeys, choose to walk instead of using a car.
July – Get an extra income
If you want to reach the end of the month with more money in your wallet, you can choose to combine a part time work with your current job. At this time of year, with the increase in tourism, you can easily find a part-time job in restaurants, bars or shops. earn extra money doing something you love to do, for example: making crafts to sell; Cook; do make-up; do petsitting; sell photographs, among others. Share your “business” with family or friends. Make the most of the potential of social networks to reach your potential customers. Also read: How to earn extra income through your hobbies?
August – Take a budget vacation
After another year of work, August finally arrives and with it, the much-deserved vacation. However, to have the vacation you’ve always dreamed of, you don’t need to compromise your family budget, just follow some strategies, such as: Take a vacation at another time of the year, the so-called low season. Since there is not as much demand, prices go down. He can Book your vacation in advance, this will allow you to find more economical solutions. Choice go campingas in addition to being in contact with nature you will be able to save some money.
September – Save on your child’s return to school
With the return to school approaching, it’s time to buy the school supplies your child needs for another year of study. You don’t need to spend a lot of money if you follow some strategies, namely: reuse material from the previous year; buy only what is necessary; buy white label goods; take advantage of promotions and compare prices between stores.
October – Make a monthly savings
Saving is essential to guard against unforeseen events that may happen. After spending the holidays and your child’s return to school, this is the ideal time to challenge yourself to save a percentage of your salary, with which you feel comfortable, each month. Then just apply the values in financial products, such as term deposits (hopefully interest rates are higher at the time), or you can opt for the Saving Certificateswhich is a product with guaranteed capital, which is indexed to the 3-month Euribor, in addition to benefiting from permanence premiums from the second year onwards.
November – Invest your Christmas allowance
This year, don’t spend your Christmas subsidy on gifts or other expenses, choose to invest it. With this value subscribe or reinforce your Retirement Savings Plan (PPR).The PPR’s in addition to having very interesting returns, namely those that do not have capital guarantee, have tax benefits, the value of which depends on your age and the amount invested.
December – Save on Christmas gifts
With the arrival of Christmas comes the gift list for family and friends. If you follow the right strategies you won’t spend a lot of money. We give you some suggestions: do it yourself gifts; buy second-hand; make the most of promotions; buy socks with someone; buy in advance; compare prices and use store loyalty cards. Also read: 6 tips to save on gifts for children
A professional writer by day, a tech-nerd by night, with a love for all things money.