How to Enjoy Life With a Toddler (Without Spending a Fortune)
Life is spenny, I think that’s one thing we can all agree on. Life with a toddler that you’re trying oh so desperately to not just shove in front of a telly for five minutes peace is – in my experience anyway – even more spenny. From the obvious costs of; childcare, increases in food bills, and the horror show that is statutory maternity pay, to the more hidden costs like how much extra electric and gas you use going through what feels like ten washing machine loads a day and how quickly their darn feet seem to grow, entering your parenting era certainly adds a lot of extra financial pressure that is the last thing you want to be dealing with whilst navigating how to raise a tiny human of your own.
As someone who has spent their life priding themselves on being as frugal as can be (to the point I used to have a 85p four-pint bottle of milk for my school lunch each day so I could save up the rest of my dinner money – sorry mum!), I am always looking for ways to live life on the cheap without it impacting the life I want to live. I have recently been lucky enough to take a big leap in having an offer accepted on a house of my dreams, and its hefty price tag combined with my desire to work less hours for a happier work-life balance, has led to many conversations within our household of what we can be doing to not only stay afloat but still seize every opportunity to enjoy life.
From side-hustles to cheap days out, what I’ve come to realise over the years, and my many hours of obsessively scrolling price comparison tools and voucher websites, is that whether your ambition is to travel the world, update your style, or even just create lasting memories for you and your loved ones, it can still be done on any budget, and more importantly it will still be just as fun (if not more) as influencers with their crazy brand deals make it look. I’ve come up with my top five tips for living life on the cheap based around life with a toddler, but even if you’re living the DINK high life, feel free to have a goosey gander yourself as my mantra in life has always been you can never be too rich to not be money-savvy!
Make Vinted your best friend – I have soooo many ‘hacks’ I am obsessed with on Vinted which have changed my life for the better. For starters, no matter what you are shopping for, get that filter all the way down £1 or less, it will surprise you how many people just want rid of their stuff and will sell off good quality branded items for dirt cheap, if there’s nothing under £1 move the filter up to £2 and check again, yes it may be tedious but your purse will thank you!
Another must do, is making the most of the image search feature. Anything you ever fancy buying online – particularly items you see advertised on your socials, screenshot it and put it on the image search, chances are you will find the exact same product or something very similar (and possibly better) for a fraction of the price.
Finally (clearly I needed to make whole separate blog just about my Vinted obsession), scroll enough so the algorithm can learn your habits. There’s nothing I hate more than finding bargain items for £1 and then having to pay about £5 in shipping and fees, so every time I like something I always check the seller’s profile to see if they are selling anything else so I can combine shipping and potentially send a cheeky lil offer. Overtime, the Vinted overlords clearly had pity on me and started to suggest sellers that have multiple items of whatever I search and so now it’s much easier to get a big haul of clothes from the one seller and save on all those pesky extra costs.
Picnics on the cheap – this is a new concept my husband and I have discovered after months of days out, crying into our lunch when yet again our hangry toddler refuses to eat anything we order her from the overpriced kids menu of whatever café or pub we rushed into. I have always loved the idea of picnics as a treat and as a child I would relish in getting to go to Asda the morning of a big day out to help pick what we would have in our perfectly neatly organised hamper complete with blanket and matching cutlery. Now don’t get me wrong, I still do adore indulging in hummus and fancy crackers every once in a while, but something clicked in me recently that picnics don’t have to be extravagant buffets, they can just be crap food that guarantees to fill your tummy and that’s just as brilliant! Our current go-to roster for our family of three is; some form of Lidl bakery pizza, a six pack of sausage rolls, a quiche (that is almost always devoured entirely by the 2 year old), a share bag of crisps and a multipack of chocolate biscuit bars, remember to bring along a big bottle of tap water and you’re sorted for the day. Lunch for everyone for less than a tenner, you can eat it wherever and whenever you like and there’s no more regrets of wasting money on food that doesn’t get eaten because you can take it all home with you and have it the next day if needed.
A big walk. And I mean like a really big walk. Since the sun has started to peak its head again this year, I have been doing everything I can to get my toddler out the house. Unfortunately, she is at the age now where any sight of ice cream vans, shops or quite frankly anything that costs money means she needs it immediately or the world will end, and that doesn’t quite align with my big mission to save money so we came up with a solution – just go on a massive walk! Within the last month alone, we as a family have gone out for the full day (literally out the house at 9am and home just in time to rush something in the oven for tea) almost every week, and we have spent next to nothing. Use Google Maps to find walking paths in your area, even better if you can find one that starts and ends near public transport so you can leave the car behind and give yourself a goal of where you need to walk to. Apart from the obvious health and emotional benefits of getting outdoors and reconnecting away from screens, the walk itself becomes the entertainment for the day and so the money you would have spent on the arcade or cinema or soft play is free to treat yourself to an ice cream or a well-earned country pub pint!
Speaking of pints… If you know me you will know I am a pub girly through and through (so much so I’m determined to start my own TikTok series of ranking every pub I go to, if you’re cool and down with the kids please feel free to message me and teach me how!). However, even I have to admit that going for one pub garden pint with your pals, even if it’s a Spoons, just isn’t as cheap and chilled as it used to be. But something I realised when I was pregnant (and therefore not drinking) is my love for the pub was never about the pints themselves, it was just the atmosphere. The opportunity to catch up with friends or have deep chats with your partner about things you wouldn’t think to talk about in the house. So I’ve started to learn to be okay with being that saddo who just buys the free refills on diet coke, or worse still – ordering a tap water!!! Shock horror I know! And if pubs aren’t your thing, apply this rule to wherever is – coffee shops, bistros, even the chippy if that’s your vibe! Most hospitality staff are just grateful for the custom and as long as you’re buying something and keeping their business afloat in whatever way you can afford and justify, you are more than welcome to sit and enjoy your time there.
Make the most of voucher websites. Living frugally doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself anymore it just means you need to redefine your way of treating yourself. If you want to go for a meal or day out then rather than going to your usual go-to spot, take the time to have a good scour of the internet to see if there are any deals or vouchers for somewhere else. It not only helps you feel less guilty about the money you’re spending, but can also give you the opportunity to try places you may have never considered before! My typical haunts are Wowcher, Groupon, Confidentials (Liverpool and Manchester only) and Planet Radio, if after this you still haven’t spotted anything that suits your needs then always be sure to check the social media of anywhere you plan to visit as well and keep your eyes peeled for midweek or off peak deals.
If you give any of these tips a go or have any tricks for yourself, as always I’d love to hear your feedback! If nothing else, I hope this post serves as a reminder that joy isn’t based on your income, it’s based on how well you use the time and money you do have.
Much love,
Jenny
xoxo
Meet Jenny👋🏻
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Hello! My name is Jenny, I'm a toddler mum, primary teacher and dinosaur fanatic! I'm loud, extravagant and a big lover of being exactly who you are, despite what others may think! I'm here to talk about accepting the chaos and flaws of everyday life and hopefully being a good reminder that reality is nowhere close to the edited version you see of people on social media! I'm also a massive advocate for women's rights and want to help continue to break down the stigma and taboo around topics that can be sometimes a lil tricky to approach.
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Life is spenny, I think that’s one thing we can all agree on. Life with a toddler that you’re trying oh so desperately to not just shove in front of a telly for five minutes peace is – in my experience anyway – even more spenny. From the obvious costs of; childcare, increases in food bills, and the horror show that is statutory maternity pay, to the more hidden costs like how much extra electric and gas you use going through what feels like ten washing machine loads a day and how quickly their darn feet seem to grow, entering your parenting era certainly adds a lot of extra financial pressure that is the last thing you want to be dealing with whilst navigating how to raise a tiny human of your own.