Hi all hope you well.When schooling your child at home either on a permanent basis or due to the ongoing restrictions – there are a lot of small costs you’ll start to notice. Having the kids at home all the time can increase your bills and your shopping bill each week, and for those of us having financial struggles during the pandemic this can be a real strain.

Today we want to talk about how you can save some money on your bills and in the home generally when the kids are at home with you this year. 

Prepare healthy lunches 

The easiest way to save some money when you have your children at home with you is to prepare healthy and nutritious lunches that fill them up for less. There are many affordable lunch options to make for your children at home and you can prepare a lot of these ahead of time to save you time and effort on the day. One great example of a cheap but filling lunch box would be a chicken salad wrap; fruit salad; and popcorn. For a simple chicken salad wrap you need: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 Shredded chicken breast 
• 2 tbsp houmous
• 1 handful mixed leaves 
• ½ grated carrot 
• 2 slices beef tomato

Utilise free online tools 

When teaching your child at home you will need access to a laptop and some basic tools such as a word processor, a spreadsheet creator, and a PowerPoint creator. Instead of paying through the nose for Microsoft office though you can use Google drive for free and gain access to docs, sheets and slides. There is no need to pay for expensive subscriptions when there are lots of free applications out there that will allow your child to do their work easily. 

Consider a new wifi plan 

If you often find yourself contemplating Payday loans to help pay your monthly bills – it is a good idea to take stock of your current bills and make a change for the better. If you have been with the same broadband provider for a long while, you might be missing out on deals with other companies that will save you a lot of money on your WiFi and tv usage. Consider comparing different broadband providers to find a new deal that gives you what you need without breaking the bank. 

Buy books secondhand 

One of the biggest expenses you will notice once you start to teach your child at home is learning resources such as books. Books can be very costly when new and they are an investment you don’t have to make when your child is at school because the school provides these. Instead of forking out on brand new books you can check online with sites such as eBay and find second hand ones that are good as new but at a fraction of the price. 

Use our tips to help you save some money at home with your kids this year or even better why nottach them how to manage money here are ten lessons to teach children about money.

Thanks for reading Jade x