In an effort to pay off my debt as quickly as possible, I’m looking beyond simply making extra money. I have been assessing all of my spending habits, adopting a more frugal lifestyle wherever I can. Each month I will be sharing Five Frugal Things that I have done to help improve my finances and ensure I can reach my goal of becoming debt free as soon as possible.

One

Home made pizza. We do this at least once a month if not more. It’s just as much of a treat as if we were ordering in or going out for dinner, but it costs a fraction of the price. You also get to choose exactly what goes on your pizza…and exactly how much cheese. (lots)

To be specific, a packet of the premixed dough that we buy comes in at 65p and does one pizza. You could of course be more frugal still and make your own. We just like to be lazy with this, we do normally have them on a Friday after all and that’s chill time! The toppings for me are normally a bit of tomato puree, a ball of mozzarella (around 60-80p depending where you shop) and a couple of olives. That means that instead of paying a standard tenner for a takeaway pizza we’re spending about £2 all in per person, if that.

Two

Switching to Bulb. Earlier in the month I wrote this post about saving money on bills as the cold months creep in. We realised we could save money on our heating and decided to make the switch to Bulb. After a quick quote check on their website we realised we could save £160 over the year! Using a friends referral code we also made an extra £50 of credit which was added to our account straight away. That adds up to a huge £210!

I have my own referral code. If you use it we both receive £50. If you choose to use it, thank you! Just click here

Three

Homemade comfort food. Earlier this week I found myself slumped on the couch with a stuffy nose feeling rotten. We had soup on the meal plan that night and I was ready for a cosy bowl to try and get rid of whatever it was I had picked up.

Much to my joy my better half came through from the kitchen at dinner time with homemade leak and potato soup AND homemade bread that he had kept a secret. (My nose was blocked remember, so I couldn’t smell it coming from the kitchen. Bit sad about that to be honest.)

I went to bed with a full tummy and very very happy. What’s better, dinner cost pennies to make. Oh, and there were leftovers for lunch too!

Four

Inexpensive birthday gifts. A friend of ours turned 30 this month. We don’t normally do gifts with friends at all anymore, choosing drinks or dinners together instead, but it was a special birthday. This particular friend is fascinated by storm chasing and everything to do with it. We jumped onto amazon and found a “you choose the adventure” style book on storm chasing for just £3. When she opened it her response was absolutely priceless! The perfect gift, and it cost almost nothing. As always, it’s the thought that counts. Not the price tag.

Five

Healthy breakfast bars from home. In an effort to stick to healthier breakfasts and stay full until lunch time, I’ve been on the hunt for alternatives to cereal. If you’ve ever bought any form of breakfast bar from the supermarket, the raw/healthy kind in particular, you will know how expensive they can be so making them myself seemed like the best option.

A quick google led me to a no-bake bar filled with healthy ingredients. You can find a post about them here on my other blog. Now, they are filled with nuts and dates which can cost a lot in small amounts, but all of the ingredients can be altered to suit your tastes and your budget. They took me ten minutes to make, they last all week in the fridge and they fill me up. Definitely a success!

There they are, my Five Frugal Things for the month of September.

I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week linky.