As you know, I’m currently saving to buy my first house and my money saving ways are helping me to save as much as I possibly can. This month I hit one of my targets a month ahead of schedule and I paid off my car meaning I AM DEBT FREE! For the first time in ten years I am back in the black! I am incredibly proud that I’ve been able to do this whilst renting a house and saving money. It’s not been easy but I’m sure it’ll be worth it when it comes to buying a house.

The money that was going towards my car each month will now go into the house fund. I have also stumbled across a clever way to save even more money. At the start of September I stopped taking my purse to work with me, It’s such a small change that has made a big change. It’s prevented me from making impromptu trips to the sandwich shop at lunch time and stopped me nipping to Asda on my way home. Amazingly, it’s saved me an extra £100 in just one month. It just goes to show how easy it is to spend £5 here or £10 there on impulse purchases. I am amazed how much money I must have wasted in the last by buying rubbish I didn’t actually need.

Although I am being quite strict with my savings, I am of course still allowing myself to have treats here and there. I don’t think I’d cope without any treats so things like Groupon, Clubcard vouchers and Meerkat Movies all help me to still have a good social life without it costing a fortune. My clever spending also means I can still have a night out every now and again. If it’s a friends birthday and there’s a night out planned then I know I can go, I just won’t go mad and get a tan and new outfit like I used to. It’s great because I’m not having to make too many compromises and I’m still able to enjoy myself.

I’m excited that years of hard work are finally paying off and hopefully another six months of sensible saving will give us some extra funds. My goal is to be a homeowner before I turn 30 in June and I’ve already got a bottle of pink Veuve Clicqout ready and waiting. I’m hoping I get to open it before my birthday so between now and then I’ll keep you posted on how my savings are coming along and when we finally start looking at houses. I will of course continue to share all of my bargain deals and money-saving tips as well. Let me know if you have any money saving tips in the comments below.

Happy Sunday,

Thrifty Clair x