Save up your cashback
If you use any kind of cashback website, try to save up all of your cash back throughout the year and do one large deposit – perhaps to pay off a higher gas bill, or to cover the costs of your Christmas. If you’re not getting cashback on your shopping, now is the time to sign up and start to build up your cashback so that you have a little nest egg for next Winter. The great thing about cashback is that you are being given money for spending money that you were going to be spending anyway, so it feels like a little bonus treat at the end of the year.Check on your boiler
There is nothing worse than your boiler breaking right in the middle of winter, leaving you with no hot water and a freezing cold house. However, many of the common boiler repairs that are done in the Winter are actually down to poor maintenance. Check that your boiler is in working condition by having it serviced before the Winter begins, as well as doing little tricks of the trade like keeping your heating on low at all times so that your pipes don’t get a chance to freeze over. This will save you money on your heating too, as your house keeps a low level of heat and will increase from there when you turn your heating up, rather than having to use extra energy heating up a freezing cold room.Update your home furnishings
It might seem a little bit counterintuitive to start spending money in order to save in the future, but if you spend a bit extra on a good set of curtains and some draught excluders you will save yourself a fortune in heating costs, and they can be used year after year. This means that you only have to lay out the initial cost once, for savings that will reoccur year after year. You can get fun with your furnishings – for example, I love a sausage dog draught excluder! – and take this opportunity to give your home a bit of a spruce, ready for the festive season.Start Meal Planning
There’s one meal that everybody makes sure they don’t miss out on every Winter – Christmas dinner! It is a huge undertaking, both in terms of stress and financially, but year after year we tuck into our Christmas turkey with glee. In the run-up to Christmas, try meal planning to ensure that you are having lower-cost meals on a regular basis. This will help you with bulk buying your shopping so that you can manage your costs better, leaving you more money for the big day. The great thing about Winter is that lots of foods like stews and soups are great seasonal foods that will fill you up and keep you warm, and even better is that they can be done with cheap ingredients – just a selection of vegetables and cheap cuts of meat. If you have got a slow cooker, stick it on in the morning and come home to a lovely cozy home-cooked meal.Make Your Winter Decorations
It can be very tempting to splurge every year as Christmas swiftly approaches, on all new garlands and decorations to make your home feel festive and warm. However, there are many traditional style ornaments that you can absolutely make yourself at home, for a fraction of the cost. Try salt dough decorations – which also make fantastic Christmas gifts for your loved ones! – or you could even get adventurous and paint some plain baubles with fancy designs. Do you have any top tips for looking after your hard-earned pennies every Winter? Leave your tips in the comments!
This is The Chequers Bath blog, a lifestyle blog mostly focussing on food, travel and general lifestyle posts.
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