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February has been quite a successful month for saving money and being frugal I’m pleased to report. Some of our contracts with suppliers are coming to end in March so I’ve been busy comparing and switching. I’ve also cancelled some services that we were no longer using too.

The kids had a week off school in February and we did lots of budget friendly activities at home. I even managed to budget for the extra food needed to feed two very hungry kids over half term. I’ve also been making an effort to do something frugal every single day, even if it’s just making sure the lights are switched off when we leave a room.

Five Frugal Things For February

Five Frugal Things 

Switching Suppliers

Every year when the contracts with our services providers come up for renewal I make sure that we either haggle for a better deal or switch to a new provider. This month I’ve switched tariff with my mobile phone provider and saved myself £5.50 a month and changed broadband supplier saving us over £15 a month. I also got a really good deal on a fixed rate for two years from our energy supplier which will save us even more money in the long run. Using a cashback app to sign up for a new broadband service provider also netted me a bonus of £100 and a free Amazon Echo Dot.

Second-Hand Bikes

Daisy and Jake have both outgrown their bikes at the same time so instead of buying new I  scoured the local selling sites. My perseverance paid off and I picked up two bikes, both in really good condition and I paid £20 for one and £10 for the other. The kids are really happy with their, ‘new to them’ bikes and I’m happy with my bargains. There are a few more things I want to buy second hand for the garden this summer so I’m going to keep on looking at these sites each month.

Gifted Goodies

A lovely friend passed on some clothes and books that her kids had outgrown, I’m so grateful for this as it saves us so much money. I’ve packed away the clothes that are too big or suitable for winter, I tend to check these boxes seasonally before buying anything new too. Books are always welcome at our house too, the kids were delighted to find puzzle and activity books included which kept them busy over the half term.

Careful Purchases

This year we are having our first holiday abroad as a family which is a real treat that we’ve worked hard to pay for. The only downside is that we didn’t really have any clothing suitable for a sunshine holiday or enough suitcases. I’ve been very mindful of my purchases, buying only exactly what we will need and pieces that will last for years of holidays to come. Where I could I used cash back websites when ordering and I also searched for free delivery codes and sales. This time of year is a great time to buy clothing as lots of stores still have clearance sales on from Christmas. Although I’ve had to spend money I’m still taking this as a frugal win as I’ve saved a good amount of money by being careful and sticking to a budget.

Budget Activites

Half term was very budget-friendly, the kids played in the garden on the trampoline thanks to the unseasonal but lovely weather we had. They also did some good old-fashioned junk modelling, watched movies, played with their toys, built forts with blankets and did lots of colouring in and drawing. We also went to the library to choose some new books, our library has a nice little play area that the kids love too. I planned the snacks for the week and made sure we had plenty of extra fruit to keep up with the appetites of two growing kids.

Related article: Five Frugal Things For January

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