9 things I’ve done to save (and make) money whilst on maternity leave.

Since being on maternity leave, one thing I’ve got back into is looking for ways to budget, save money and of course make money outside of my freelancing (as I am only allowed ten Keeping In Touch Days for my business). I know so many moms are in the same position (Although you don’t have to be one at all to read this guide, I just know this is a question I see asked a lot by those on maternity leave). So today I thought I’d blog my ultimate guide to getting cashback, discounts and side hustles.

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Get Cashback on EVERYTHING

1.Shopmium/Green Jim

Download cashback apps for when you do your supermarket shop. These are so easy to use-simply buy the product, scan and receive part or all of the amount back in your Paypal within 48 hours. Shopmium is my favorite to make a little money back on my shop (There’s currently a great deal on Piccolo baby food and lots of free from stuff). You can use my refer-a-friend code: AAAAGMME to get a tub of ice cream completely free.

Another app that offers less cashback but is still worth trying is GreenJinn. The amounts tend to be smaller but the variety is better- for example, there’s often 30p or so of items of fruit and veg (it all adds up). Both of these apps can be found via the app store. This is a great guide to getting cashback on your shopping. if you’re looking for more ideas.

2.Airtime Rewards

Airtime rewards syncs to your bank card and gives you money off your phone bill each time you shop using that card at a whole range of restaurants and shops. So for example, if you spend 50 pounds at Boots, you’d get £2.50 (5%) back off your phone bill; which quickly adds up if you spend as much money as I do on baby stuff! There’s plenty of restaurants too; so that trip to Pizza Express of a weekend will mean a little bit of cashback. It automatically tracks when you pay via your card so it’s very easy to have on your phone and do very little to get your money back. You can get up to £1.50 for free to get you started by typing in my refer-a-friend code T3RPURFF

3.Quidco

Most people have heard of Quidco by now but you really need to keep training yourself to remember to use it! I had gotten out of the habit but now I’m reminding myself every time I purchase. So if you have a spare five minutes: check when things like your car insurance, contents insurance, energy provider, phone/sky/broadband contract run out. It might be cheaper to switch and you’ll get cashback too. If you haven’t heard of Quidco, it’s another way to get cash for signing up to things-you can sign up here (Affiliate link) to get £10 for free when you sign up!

Get freebies

4.O2 Priority

This app often has some decent freebies on it. You can even buy a very cheap/free pay as you go sim for o2 to access it if you’re not an o2 customer like me. Examples on there at the moment are a free drink at Greene King pubs every Friday and free hot drinks at Cafe Nero Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It all adds up.

5. Food Waste Apps

Two apps we’ve been using are Olio and Too Good To Go. The first is a really simple app: just put in your location and find food being given away for free! If you live near a Pret, you’re in luck as Pret works with the app and often a huge amount of free food is being uploaded each week. Too Good to Go isn’t free food but it is easy cheap food. You buy a magic bag (usually about three pounds) from Morrison’s or a local restaurant and get a box full of goodies just past their best before. We did this today with Morrison’s and got a huge box of veg, salad, 2 ready made salad boxes and rice noodles. The 6 avocados I got were worth more than three pounds alone but I reckon the box was worth way over a tenner.

Make the most of every single introductory offer

6.Supermarket Shops

Almost every supermarket offers introductory offers for shopping online, so rotate and make the most of discount codes by googling for them before you sign up.

7. Recipe Boxes

I’ve been using recipe boxes since having Jude. It actually saves money and time if you use introductory offers compared to a food shop. I’ve written this blog post on the best discounts on recipe boxes. The best deal we’ve found is with Gousto which is 60% off your first box and 30% off the rest of the month via this (refer-a-friend) link.

Some ideas for earning extra money

There’s plenty of ways to find a side hustle these days. If you are on maternity leave like me and you work in a regular role (aka aren’t freelance), did you know that starting your own business or working freelance doesn’t impact your maternity pay? (although, of course, you’d need to check your work contract as to whether it allows freelancing). I’m so jealous of that fact because if you’re self-employed you only get 10 days (more to my guide on running a business on maternity leave here).

8. Freelance writing

If you’re a blogger, writing freelance can be an easy way to make some extra money. Obviously, that is my business so I haven’t been able to take extra work on outside my KIT days but if you are looking to get into freelance writing you can read my guide to making money from freelance writing and freelance copywriting.

9. Matched Betting

I haven’t done this since having Jude actually as it’s something you really have to concentrate to do, but when I winding down before I went on maternity I tried matching betting. I found it quite fiddly but made about 70 pounds from a few hours so it is does work! However, you do need to follow the instructions very carefully and have a pot to start with. In the end, I found it a bit too stressful but it’s worth a try if you haven’t already. This post is a great guide to getting started. I don’t do survey sites myself but this is a good post if you are interested in learning more about them.

I won’t count this one as blogging is what I already do, but if you’re looking to make money from blogging, give my blog post-18 blog posts to help you earn from your blog-a read. This is also a great post on budgeting for maternity leave in the first place.