Why Money Saving Blogs Will Ruin Your Life

Ever since the recession, money saving has become a core part of all of our lives here in the UK. Unfortunately it seems like the frugal and thrifty mindset is here to stay, more out of necessity than want. People are going to extreme lengths to cut costs and save pennies, and although money saving blogs have popped up here there and everywhere across the web, the majority of these ‘money saving tips’ seem more ridiculous than helpful. In this post I’ll go through what I think makes a great money saving blog, and why some of the money saving blogs out there are probably best avoided…

Turn Off The Lights And The Heating – Utility Bills Are For Millionaires

I’m not joking when I say there is some truly shocking advice on money saving blogs these days. Do you think you should wash your clothes when they get dirty? Nope, there’s another wear in them yet, don’t waste money on the washing machine. You definitely don’t use a hairdresser, right? You mean you don’t cut it yourself?! Such a waste… And you know what you really should be spending your time doing? Spending hours every day entering competitions to win a bit of extra cash on the side.

Ok, so maybe I’m biased working for a startup that preaches value over cheap, but come on money saving blogs, it’s time for a change!

The Importance Of Enjoying Life

Let’s get this straight; I live on a budget. A pretty tight budget actually. I’ve just moved to a new flat and had to furnish the place, so I’m not exactly in a position to go out on a spending spree any time soon. I read money saving blogs myself for advice, so don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every single blog has bad advice. And even the money saving blogs that give out some ridiculous advice will give out good advice in other posts. I just think we all need to get our priorities in order.

If you try to save money on everything, you won’t enjoy anything.

I love games, gadgets and books. But because I’m living on a budget, should I not be buying them? Should I wait until I’ve saved a certain amount and sit twiddling my thumbs when I’ve finished the book I’m reading before I buy a new one? Of course not. What I should do is what I think everyone should do. I should save money on the things I can; the things I don’t care much about but have to buy, and I should spend money on the things I really love.

So how do I do this? I buy budget loo roll. I get the supermarket’s own brand washing-up liquid. I turn the lights off when I leave the room. I save the pennies on those things. I don’t do the ridiculous and start counting out how much kitchen roll I use every time there’s a spill because I’m limited to so many per use. I don’t take anything to the extreme.

Extreme money saving blogs will ruin your life because they’ll stop you from truly living. If you buy the cheapest of everything, it means there can’t be much that’s actually worth something to you as a person. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy what you want at the best price though…

When I got my new flat, I compared furniture prices from a bunch of big shops online and I compromised. Furniture isn’t my passion, of course, so I wanted to save money on it if I could. But I didn’t want the absolute budget furniture because, hey, I’ve got to use it everyday. So I, for example, bought a budget desk (Ikea, if you must know) and a moderately priced sofa. I’m only using the desk to put my laptop on, but I have to actually sit on the sofa everyday, so I wanted the extra money to go into that.

Assign Importance To The Things You Need

This is what it comes down to. I saved money on my furniture, and that saved money has been split between my savings account and the things I really want, like upgrades to my PC. What do you love? Makeup? Then decide what you can cut back on, like clothes, books, internet speed, TV subscriptions etc and put that extra money into your makeup passion. Prefer football? Then get the TV subscription that lets you watch all the matches, and cut back on other stuff.

Getting the idea now? What these money saving blogs seem to be doing is making living on the thrifty side a hobby. And if that’s your thing, it’s absolutely fine. If you live for spending as little money as you possibly can, then that’s completely up to you. But for the rest of us I think it’s time to make a change and start really living our lives again.

Get The Best Deals

One thing I do love about money saving blogs is their way of finding the best deals and discounts. No matter what you love and want to spend your hard-saved money on, it’s always best to get this for a good price.

So if you know you’re going to want a 4k TV, don’t limit yourself to a TV from 1999! Save up, compare prices, get the best deal and ENJOY YOUR TV. It’s not a crime, it’s not something you should be ashamed of, and I guarantee you the people penning the posts of those money saving blogs will be spending on the things they love too.

It’s Time For A Change

Money saving blogs are great and all, but it’s time we all make a change.

• We need to stop thinking about how to squeeze pennies out of absolutely everything we have to spend money on, and we need to start thinking about how we want to live our lives.
• We need to save and live at the same time; and trust me, that’s completely doable.
• We need to stop judging each other for how we each spend our money. Is your best friend wasting hundreds each month on clothes? Let them! Maybe they don’t have a TV subscription and only watch shows on their laptop. You never know.
• We need to remember that we have one life to live, and what’s the point if you’re stuck wrapped in a blanket surrounded by candles in the winter because you don’t want any kind of utility bill?
• We need to buy the things we love, but buy them for a good price by using a price comparison site and getting cashback where we can.

Here on the Sensible Reviewer we’re going to be doing our best to help you save money, but still keep living your life to the full. We’ll do it with posts like the 5 best alternatives to Beats; helping you to fuel your passions but on a budget.

Am I wrong? Do you use money saving blogs and love all the advice they give? I’d love to hear your view, so let me know in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.

Credits: susivinh @ Flickr
68751915@N05 @ Flickr
linusekenstam @ Flickr