Expensive Summer? Five Simple Ways to Save Money in September

No matter how well you budget, it’s very easy to overspend on holiday 

Whether you’ve been abroad or stayed at home, having fun can cost a fortune. Here are some ways to save money in September:

1. Ditch the Drink

We’ve probably all tried a dry January or even given up smoking in Stoptober but cutting out alcohol in September can have a number of benefits:

• You will definitely save money; unless you have expensive tastes in soft drinks this is a certainty.
• Get back on track after overindulging on holiday; it shouldn’t take long to drop any extra pounds gained.
• Get back into your routine; it’s always difficult coming home and going back to work but pretending the holiday isn’t over definitely won’t help.

Just in case these great reasons aren’t enough for you, check out – Reasons for cutting down on alcohol

2. Shop wisely for school uniform

New school shoes, plimsolls, uniform and lunch box? It all adds up. Why not try:

• Waiting until the school shoes really don’t fit; it would be nice to have bright, shiny shoes for the first day back but unless they have grown out of the old ones you might end up having to buy another pair in a couple of months.
• Look out for second-hand uniform sales; most schools have them and if you need a couple of spare jumpers this is a great way to save some money.
• Look out for uniform sales; Marks and Spencer often have 20% off school uniform online and by buying ‘out of season’ you could pick up some summer uniform bargains in the autumn.
• Share with other parents; if you have an old uniform in good condition could you swap it with another parent who may be able to return the favour particularly for younger children?

Click here to see a recent article in the Mirror which highlights a great way to potentially save a little money when doing the ‘back to school’ shopping.

3. Cut down on car journeys

Generally, September is a nice time of year and a perfect time to get out and about on foot whenever possible. As well as keeping you fit this will:

• Save money on petrol
• Save money on general car wear and tear
• Save money on parking costs
• Encourage you to shop locally rather than ‘big’ supermarket shops

The Money Advice Service has created a great guide highlighting how to ‘Cut down on car and travel costs‘

4. Shop seasonally

September is a great month for fresh fruit and vegetables and supermarkets often have good deals on produce particularly at the end of the day.

Fresh British grown strawberries, for example, don’t last long so 2 for 1 or reduced prices are often available.

• Good Food magazine always features seasonal recipes and they have a great website with hundreds of ideas.

5. Hide the credit card

If you did overspend on holiday and are expecting a big credit card bill you’d probably be best to take it out of your wallet or purse for a while.

This might mean cutting back on all but the essentials but will set you up for being able to clear some of the outstanding debt.

If you are worried about being able to pay your credit card or any other bills after an expensive summer in most circumstances our loan lenders will find the perfect quick loan for you.

• The National Debt Advice Service offers some informed advice on how to bring down credit card debt.

The Sales Pitch?

We hope these tips gave you a few ideas?

Apart from writing blog posts, our day job is being a loans broker, helping those with a less than great credit file to find affordable finance.

Our speciality is guarantor loans, as they are generally lower cost than the others, and are specifically for those with a poor credit history. If this is relevant to you, see our best loans (on our Homepage), Being a Guarantor page, FAQ page, or compare loans pages.

If a loan is not relevant, we at least hope you got some ideas to save a little cash?