2022 has seen the cost of living in the UK skyrocket, especially during the months of March and April. With economic damage still continuing as a result of COVID 19, the cost of gas being now four times more expensive than it was this time last year, and a shortage in natural gas and energy supplies, millions of Britons have found themselves in a dilemma that requires them to choose between “eating or heating” this year. As a result of these extreme factors, people all over the country are looking for ways to buckle down and save money in their everyday lives.
If you’re looking for ways to cope with the rise in living prices or searching for a way to ensure you can still afford to attend those special moments and events in 2022, keep reading.
1 Learn how to meal plan weeks in advance and budget your food shopping.
One of the biggest costs in our household, besides energy bills, is our weekly or monthly grocery trips. We have practiced the art of meal planning on and off for years, but as the financial crisis of 2022 hit, we knew it was time to really buckle down and start identifying our biggest weaknesses when it comes to our household budgeting. We discovered that we could effectively half our grocery shopping if we focused on learning how to effectively plan our meals, batch cook, and plan foods for up to four weeks in advance.
The trick is to plan a week’s worth of meals and batch cook these meals to save time. If you can, bulk your foods out to make them stretch further. An example of this is to use lentils in mince-based foods such as chili con carne or spaghetti bolognese. Bulking out the sauces allows for leftovers that can then be made into another of the same meal and frozen for later, or frozen as is to use for something different in the coming weeks. Keep creating meal plans that are based on ingredients and frozen batch cooked meals that you already have, and you will save yourself hundreds of pounds each year on your food bill.
2 Make some extra money without leaving your sofa.
When times are hard, we often tend to try and find ways to save money, but what about looking for a way to make some extra cash? There are lots of ways to make extra money without leaving your sofa, from ensuring you always use cashback websites, to participating in market research groups. There are lots of side hustles to choose from, and most of these require no additional equipment bar your phone or laptop, and a bit of spare time. Instead of absently scrolling through social media platforms in front of the telly in the evenings, scroll through a list of available opportunities that you can earn from by using sites such as Prolific and Swagbucks.
3 Consider taking out credit for those things that are too precious to miss.
Life is full of special moments and events that mean too much for us to miss them. If you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to afford that hotel for the evening of you’re best friend’s wedding, or what you’re going to do about that big family reunion that’s been organised as post-COVID celebration, you may want to consider taking out credit. Short-term credit can help alleviate some of the financial pressure that these important events often put on individuals, and a direct lender such as Polar Credit can help get people money when they need it most. Polar Credit is a fast, simple credit line that could offer credit to people looking to borrow money. As with all financial products, it’s vital that you take care when applying for credit and ensure that applying for fast, online money will not generate more financial stress for you in the long term.
*Collaborative Post.
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