Sorting your money, looking after your money in your family
So first let me start by saying. I totally understand and get that having a busy family life with kids, a wife or husband can be very tiring at the best of times. So here I will give you some options and ideas on how to keep hold of your money keep yourself on track and stop your family. Going unnecessary debt.
Clothes- these can be one of the most expensive things to buy. Children are constantly growing ruining them thus needing new clothes whether it be for social or School. Do never be ashamed to get your school uniforms from a local supermarket. You'll often find they arw affordable and often last much longer than buying directly from the school itself.
Social clothing- depending on your children's ages this can be a very expensive purchases. It's very easy to open up a store card and H&M account or any other accounts where you can buy now pay later whether that be a klarna account etc. Don't do it if you can't afford to do it. Wait until you can, I know this often seems a very basic idea, but it's one that you have stick to you will never see any unexpected bills coming through the door and you will always be able to manage your finances a bit better. If you struggle to afford higher end clothing for your children as we all know children often or want the latest trends to keep up appearances with their peers. There are other options to this. Places like Ebay and Amazon and wish offer many different articles of clothing that are trendy and also affordable if you have no worries about going second-hand I cannot stress enough that this is an option. You should strongly look into you can find yourself a nice pair of Levi jeans for a quarter of the price in excellent condition and a quick wash and your child will never know the difference. Trainers Can be the most expensive item of clothing your child wants and I understand that this is something that sometimes you just cannot scrimp or scrape on. Try to make trainers a luxury item by combining it as a present. A gift for good behaviour good grades at school.
By keeping to these guidelines you will be able to afford the clothing and trainers that your family one need or require and also seeing a return on your sepnd. Whilst keeping within a budget.
Food- this is a necessity. Look to make foods that are bulky, tasty and have good nutritional value. Stuff like spaghetti bolognese. Lasagna chillies and stuff like that offer bulky meals that can fill a large or medium family at small cost. Many cheaper supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi offer great deals on family meals for under £5 always look as there is no shame in shopping at cheaper places.
Family holidays- everyone loves a good family holiday and everyone needs one as well. Places like Haven and Butlins can be expensive. There are options to spread out the payments on a payment plan directly from Haven for a small deposit. Look into going on holiday at the earliest point. If possible I would recommend anywhere from 9 months to a year. The longer you plan and pay for your holiday the lesser the monthly payments will be. Now It's important to understand if taking up this option with a holiday resort such as Haven while you're there it can be very expensive, when out most times at the bar the cordial is very cheap for kids anywhere from 15p upwards. You won't see this advertised on the drinks menu but you will often see it made up behind the bar. For the adults I would suggest looking to into making it cheaper by buying a few bottles of wine to last you the week in your caravan or Hotel to have before you go out. While out drinks such as cocktails beers and single glasses of wine and spirits can be very expensive when bought individually. Look to buy a bottle of wine. And share between two people this will allow you to constantly have your drink. While also keeping you within your budget of what you want to spend? While eating out on holiday is much more convenient to do as it can limit the washing up and also gets you out of the caravan or hotel. I would strongly suggest only doing this maybe once or twice maximum, food is often expensive and not even the quality that you can create at home again. I would refer back to the food portion of this article for ideas on what to cook. Simple meals Is the key here.
Christmas- this is by far the most expensive time of the year. The feeling of having to keep up with other people around you whether it be friends family and competing for presence is often stressful and leads to competition. Don't do it. Often friends you have more expendable income than yourself will look to buy your child present in return for a present for their child come up with an agreement. Where you both Don't buy for each other and children. This may seem stingy. But in the long term it will benefit you and your finances. Look to make one purchase per child. Make this purchase a very good Christmas present that they will enjoy And use frequently.
This by no means is a complete guide on what to do or follow this will give you ideas and save yourself money and keep within a budget
