Time- and money-saving ideas for mums and dads

If you asked any parent what they would like most of all in the world, they’d probably ask for more money and more time! Money and time are precious and there’s never enough of either of them, especially when you’re a parent. You often need to get things done as quickly (and as cheaply) as possible.Just about everyone is feeling the financial pinch at the moment. Inflation is pushing up the cost of living: everything from bread and milk to the average fuel bill is rising. And debt is everywhere these days too – the government’s in debt, all kinds of companies are in debt and many families have debts too.It’s not all doom and gloom though! Having children really lets you know that there are more important things to worry about. And kids can be pretty good at ‘budget fun’ too – they can entertain themselves for hours with a football or a second-hand bike, which is pretty cheap entertainment when you think about it!
Piggy bank and money

Here are a few time- and money-saving ideas for parents:

1. You can save money on days out by taking your kids to the countryside and exploring.

All you need is a map, walking boots and a little imagination. Kids enjoy the freedom to explore and it’s really healthy. It can be an awful lot cheaper than a day at the theme park too!2. If you’re short on time, don’t let that be an excuse not to draw up a budget!

Even if you just scribble down your outgoings and income on a piece of paper, or in an Excel spreadsheet – you only really need to spend a few minutes on it to get a better idea of what you can afford to spend. There are even some interactive budget planners online that will add everything up for you. And if you have a change of circumstances, it needn’t take long to draw up a new budget.3. Shopping online can save you time and money, especially if you do your weekly shop online and have it delivered to your door.It often only takes half an hour or so to do your online shop and you’ll probably have the option to save your list and use it again – saving you even more time!4. You can save even more online if you use online vouchers or cash-back sites that allow you to get money off items you would have bought anyway.There are so many websites that offer online vouchers – try Groupon.com or do a search for ‘online vouchers’. You can get money off clothes, groceries, things for your kids, days out, meals and so on. There are vouchers out there can get you free delivery on your goods as well, so keep an eye out for those. They will save you money on delivery – not to mention the time it would take you to go to the shops to find something.

5. If you have a bad credit history because of debt and want to open a new bank account, you could apply for one that won’t turn you down because of your credit history.

You could try opening a no credit check bank account, rather than trying to apply for ‘standard’ current accounts and being turned down for them.

Saving time and money can be addictive – everybody likes a bargain and no one likes to feel like they’ve wasted good money. And the best thing of all is that any time and money you do save can be spent with your kids.