Fiona Hawkes

While many people simply ignore it, hoping it will clear itself, the best way to deal with debt is to sit down and create a feasible debt management plan. Debt consolidation isn’t for everyone, but if you discuss your circumstances with a professional debt management company, you can make an informed decision on the best way forward. Basically, debt management plan is a written agreement between you and your creditors, whereby you agree to make a specific monthly repayment, and in most cases, the interest is frozen at the time the plan comes into effect, so you are not getting further into debt. If you would like to know more about debt management, it only takes an online search to locate a local debt management specialist, and with their help, you will soon be free of debt and looking for investment opportunities.

This month I’m taking part in #secondhandseptember – an initiative from Oxfam to encourage people to buy second hand rather than new. Join me, thriftymum.com and lots of other U.K money bloggers over on Instagram where we’ll be sharing our second-hand finds, tips and tricks and all things charity shop related during the month of September. If you’re looking for inspiration for getting started with buying second hand, take a look these posts: I’ll be updating this list as the month goes on which each new second related post I write. I really hope lots of my lovely readers join in with second hand September and that it helps open your eyes to all the awesome things you can find second hand if you know where to look!

Coupons and vouchers play a huge part in how I save money on a weekly basis. Finding coupons might actually be easier than you think though, here are where I find coupons to save money on my weekly shop. Although I’m not usually one to buy a daily or even a weekly newspaper, I will make an exception if there are money-saving coupons to be had. As a member of Sainsbury’s Nectar card loyalty scheme, I often get vouchers for money off my shop at Sainsbury’s – usually £4 off a £20 shop which isn’t too bad a saving, especially as Sainsbury’s have a good range of homeware and clothing.

I’ve previously explored the best ways to save money on wedding dresses, so this post is going to look at buying second hand suits as a much thriftier alternative to purchasing new. If you’d prefer a brand new suit at a discounted price this a great way to go – try filtering by new only on eBay or take a look at Oxfam.com where they have a great range of brand new with tags suits for sale. Lots of charity shops will have a good range of second-hand suits, with the added bonus of being able to try them on. If you don’t fancy traipsing around lots of charity shops looking for the perfect suit and aren’t keen on eBay either, buying online from a charity shop may be the answer.