10 ideas to help reduce your expenditure!

1 .Try to prepare meals from scratch rather than buying food ready-made.

2.  Where possible use a washng line or clothes airer to dry your clothes rather than using a tumble-dryer / laundrette.

3. Switch off lights in your house overnight and in rooms that are not being used.

4. Wear warm clothing in the winter, and turn the heating down a bit.

5. Bulk cook and freeze your main meals. Pad the meals out with extra vegetables and/or pulses rather than meat.

6. When shopping, consider buying supermarket brands rather than "designer" brands.

7. For clothing shop around and compare prices and don't forget the local charity shops. A lot of clothes that are given to them are almost new.

8. If you use the phone a lot, try to make calls after 6pm when the calls cost less. If you get free minutes on your mobile try not to use more than your allowance.

9. Visit uSwitch.com and see if you can save money on your utilities.

10. Check your home has adequate insulation. Some local authorities will provide a grant to increase your insulation, whch will save on your heating bills.

Lots of family tips are available at Hot Tips for Cool Mums.