I'm on a Spending Ban; 5 Top Tips for Saving Money

I have had to learn the hard way recently that you can't just spend money willy nilly and that sometimes you have to actually save. It's been a really tough lesson to learn but I've also realised that with being happy in your job and in life, money doesn't always follow. With working in retail now, I've taken a pretty hefty pay cut from what I was on before working for a large company full time and it's meant learning that money definitely does not grow on trees. It's a decision I haven't taken lightly, but I'm happy all the same in the work that I'm doing now. The only problem I've had, is how much money I've had each month to spend. With my car being on finance, that's a huge chunk of my wages each month already gone and so I've had to bite the bullet and stop spending money like I have been over the past two years. I hate to admit it, but I've had to put myself on a spending ban.

The words are out there now. I am on a spending ban. No more makeup, no more random Costa trips with Melody like in the photos above, no more random shopping trips for the sake of buying myself something pretty. I am a girl on a budget and I have to stick to it. Over the next year I have so many things that I need to pay for (Including several holidays that I'm already committed to) and this is where it has to get serious. In the past I've put myself on 'spending bans' and never really paid much attention to them, I've probably not spent any money for a couple of days and then just treated myself by spending more money than I would have anyway. I'm one of those girls who's like I'm poor so let's buy myself a new lipstick to cheer myself up. THERE IS NO LOGIC IN THAT. So anyway, today I thought I would write this post to give you a little insight into what I'm going to be doing over the next couple of months to try and cut down my spending.

1 - My first top tip is to cut down on the looking. If you don't look you can't want - this is always my biggest problem as I always tease myself too much by looking at too many pretty things. If you don't go window shopping you can't be tempted to pass over the cash!

2 - Shop your stash! Now, you might see this term floating around the blogosphere quite a lot, but it's become quite popular amongst the 'spending ban' posts recently and for a good reason. Wanting that latest blusher release? How about going through your makeup stash and picking up one that you may have neglected for a couple of months? I know for a fact that I have 3 NARS blushers that I never use in such different beautiful shades - they definitely have me covered and I definitely do not need to go out and get myself a new Urban Decay Blush palette... *cry face emoji*.

3 - Don't waste your money. It's all well and good not going out and spending your money on bigger purchases like the latest Naked Palette or YSL Foundation that you most definitely do (not) need, but when it comes to saving money one of the biggest things people (me, especially) usually fail on is wasting money on food and drink. Useless items that we don't think are making much of a difference at 2 or 3 quid a piece but when they all add up, can sometimes make you want to cry. Especially when you realise you probably could have actually bought the latest palette instead of 25 bottles of 7Up, a couple of McDonalds and those three Dominos that you had in the month. Count your pennies as they all add up! Eat what's in the cupboards already!

4 - Trade a night out for a night in! As boring as it may sound one thing I've realised recently is that I can save quite a bit of money by having a night in instead of going out and paying loads for a date night or evening out with my friends. By grabbing some ingredients and cooking for the two of us, my boyfriend and I can have a cheap date night with watching a film at home instead of going out to the cinema or spending lots of money on a meal out. For less than £10 we can still have a really lovely night together without wasting money on a meal and drinks, cinema and all of the extras such as popcorn and chocolate - it saves us money and is usually a lot healthier too.

5 - Part with your unwanted. I'm such a hoarder but when it comes down to saving an extra bit of cash, sites like eBay or Depop are usually your best friend. I've recently been popping quite a bit onto sites such as these and have been making quite a bit of money from my old unused things. If you don't use it or wear it any more and you could be earning a couple of quid for it whilst your strapped for dollar, then why is it still hanging in your wardrobe? I have quite a lot of high end makeup for sale at the moment including Chanel, MAC, Dior and Bare Minerals so if anyone is interested in a blog sale or my Depop user name then let me know!