I’m a budget mum – the trick I swear by that’s helped me tackle mindless spending & save me £200 a month
A MONEY-saving mum has revealed the savvy way she pockets an extra £200 a month - and it's so easy you can do it too.
Jamie-Lee Birch, 31, from Gloucestershire says planned 'no spend days' enable her to take control of her cash, admitting the simple trick stops her from mindlessly spending.
"Before I had kids it was really easy to grab a coffee out every day or nip into a shop or a supermarket. But I would just tap my card and not even realise how much money I was spending," the mum-of-two tells Fabulous.
Jamie-Lee, who's mum to Harper, 6, and two-year-old Kit, says she felt like she was "mindlessly buying things that weren't actually adding any value to my life," and in most cases, she'd forget about them within days.
Save £200 with planned 'no spend' days
That's when she started trying 'no spend days' and recently went the whole month of January.
She says. "I think no spend days are a winner because they really help stop that mindless spending.
More money-saving tips
"My rule is you're allowed to have any bills that need to be paid or essential payments. You're allowed to buy food, but only if it's part of your actual grocery shop."
She says the point is that you can't spend money on any of those extras. For her, that's takeaway coffee and lunch out.
"I can easily spend £10 in the canteen at work. If I was to do it every day, that'd be £50 a week," she says.
Jaimie-Lee, aims to do two each week and doing that saves her roughly £200 a month.
Most read in Fabulous
"The hardest thing for me not to buy is takeaway coffee, but it can be so expensive," she says.
"The other day I got a large latte and it cost me £4.30. I was absolutely horrified and I thought 'that's just so much money'."
The mum-of-two admits it can be fun planning such days, because she's forced to think of free things to do that "don't cost the world".
"I find no spend days really help you be mindful about the money you're spending," she says
"I'd rather have loads of no spend days and be able to afford a nicer treat, rather than spend £20 here and there on things that are rubbish."
Jamie-Lee's tips for others
The savvy mum encourages others to give it a go but says to "be realistic".
"Don't have a whole no spend month and know it's going to make you miserable, then on the first of the next month you're going to go out and spend all the money you saved," she warns.
Also, don't plan to spend no money on days you might have plans.
"If you know on a Saturday you go out with friends, don't set that as being a no spend day," she says.
Another way to help you on your journey is to get your loved ones involved.
Jaimie-Lee says her daughter Harper gets excited by the idea, and it helps teach them about spending money too.
Finally, the budget mum says to set yourself rules that work for you - and everyone can be different.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Also, make a list of fun things to do with the kids that are free like playing board games and visiting museums
"You're often amazed by how many free things there are," she says.
