Managing your money is hard in today’s society. There are so many necessary costs to juggle that even a decent income can quickly dwindle away over the course of each month.

Whilst you might be fine with making ends meet in your current situation, you have to think about the future. Are you financially stable enough to start building up savings? You need disposable income so that you can set aside some money for the future and afford to retire and put your children through university. Additionally, it’s always smart to have some savings for emergencies.

Let’s talk about some monthly expenses that you could easily start reducing without having to make compromises.

Your energy bill

If you already turn off lights and computers when they’re not being used then that’s a smart way to reduce your monthly energy costs, but you can do more than this if you want cheaper bills.

You don’t have to simply compromise by reducing your use of electricity (so don’t start spending your evenings sitting in darkness). For instance, you might want to switch your old light bulbs for energy-efficient LED bulbs. LED bulbs use much less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, and they last much longer. It’s a win-win solution.

Additionally, you should consider insulating your windows and walls. If you can minimise the heat lost in your household then you won’t need to generate so much energy to keep it warm.

Your shopping

Another area of spending in which you could save money is your shopping. Obviously, cutting down on luxury expenditures is smart. If you don’t need something then you need to be disciplined enough to avoid it. However, it’s very easy to end up spending a lot of money on the goods we do need, but there are ways to start saving.

You could start growing fruit and vegetables in your own garden so that you don’t have to buy them on a weekly basis at your local supermarket. The self-sufficient route is very cost-effective.

Also, you could save money by using coupons and discounts in different shops. When you next go clothes shopping, you might want to use these Debenhams discount codes. If you’re going to shop for necessities then you might as well save money whilst doing it. Make sure you always do some online research before buying things to see if you could save money simply by using a voucher or making the most of a limited deal.

If you are looking to order online and want to make the most of free delivery offers, try this Debenhams free shipping delivery code and you can make a saving on your delivery. Postage costs are often what put people off buying online.

You can also save money using an online shopping VPN. VPNs allow you to exploit prices (and VAT) differences between different countries by changing your IP address, and thus where the website thinks you are located.

Your phone bill

The most annoying thing about phone bills is that they aren’t always fixed. You might agree on a contract with a provider, but “unexpected” charges arise or VAT increases and you end up paying much more on a monthly basis. A couple of pounds sounds like nothing until you start adding it all up.

A smart way to save money on your phone bill is to check comparison sites for better deals. If you find cheaper contracts out there then you can ring up your current supplier and ask for a better price. Phone companies don’t want to lose their customers, so they’ll usually be willing to offer you a better deal.