MONEY WINNER
Mum who saved £25,000 with a no-buy year reveals the things you SHOULD purchase to save money next year
A MUM who saved £25,000 by committing to a no-buy year has revealed the things you should buy to save you money in the long run.
Lara Joanna Jarvis, who is known for her budgeting tips and tricks, sharing them on her YouTube channel, committed to a “no buy” year in 2019, only spending money on essential purchases.
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And with husband Stuart also taking part the pair were able to save £25,000 to put towards their first home together, and in a new video, Lara has explained how you can do the same in 2021.
However, Lara says that there are a few things that you should buy to save you money in the long-run.
Here we reveal her top buys for helping you to cut back on spending…
SEEDS
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Buy seeds for planting in the garden or on your window sill if you don’t have a garden for growing your own food.
This can save you so much money.
BUY A COFFEE FLASK
You can save £700 a year by doing this, maybe even more depending on how many coffees you buy.
TOOLS
Buy tools and equipment for jobs so that you can do them yourself around the home.
You can use YouTube videos and actually learn to do the jobs yourself.
NATIONAL TRUST PASS
They are brilliant, especially at the moment when we’re not really able to go anywhere else.
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They are perfect for days out, pack a picnic, go with friends or just your own family and you will definitely make your money back.
HOT FOOD CONTAINER
You can keep soups, noodle dishes, leftovers and heat them up in the morning, take it to work meaning you don’t need to spend £10 a day on eating out.
GEL NAIL KIT
It is an investment to start with but say your nails cost £20-£25 each time, a kit is only about £20 so by the first use you are breaking even.
It’s a really good way of doing your own nails while saving a fortune.
SLOW COOKER
If you are going out to work and can’t be bothered to cook when you get home, you may well order a takeaway.
But a slow cooker does all of the work for you, you just shove it all in.
ECO-EGG
They have these tiny little balls in them and with each wash they disintegrate more and more, but they last for ages, we have had this one this last year.
It costs £8 and it will last you so long so it saves so much money.
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COFFEE MACHINE
Especially if you love take-out coffee, get a coffee machine and it will probably pay for itself in about a month.
You can buy Costa pods or Starbucks pods so it’s the same coffee but just so much more affordable.
EYEBROW TINT
If you go to the salon and get your eyebrows done every month this will save you hundreds of pounds.
I buy a tube of tint, the solution and it’s so quick and so easy, you can even do your lashes as well and it will save you so much money.
MENSTRUAL CUP
Menstrual cups will save you so much money on tampons or sanitary products each month.
REUSABLE MAKEUP WIPES
Get reusable wipes for makeup and reusable face cloths that absorb your makeup and mean that you don’t even need to use a removal product.
HAIR REMOVAL MACHINE
If you’re getting waxes done, it’s so expensive so buy one of these IPLs and it will pay itself off.
RAILCARD
I use the National Railcard and it gets you 30 per cent off.
My train into London is £30, so I get it for £20 meaning in just three journeys I have made my money back and every other journey the rest of the year I am saving a third.
You can get all different types of railcards so get one that suits you.
Lara's new year spending habits
- Ditch impulse purchases - always sit on a purchase for 30 days, you will never still want it
- Take a food inventory before you do your shop - you probably already have it
- Shop your wardrobe - You have plenty to wear in your wardrobe
- Meal plan - Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!
REUSABLE NAPPIES
These are an initial outlay, but they’re really good for the environment and sustainable.
You buy one load of outlay and you don’t need to buy anymore ever.
BATTERY CHARGER
Buy a battery charger so you don’t have to keep buying batteries and you don’t have to keep throwing those batteries away when they’re dead.
You can recharge your batteries and you will always have them in the house.
FROZEN BRANDED FOOD
Frozen Greggs, Frozen gyozas from Wagamama or Itsu, can be bought in the supermarket.
If you want a takeaway treat at the weekend, you can just get it out of the freezer and cook it yourself and it’s a fraction of the price.
AUDIO BOOK CLUB
Audible often do penny books which is so affordable and can save you so much money in the long run as you’re not buying new books all the time.
TV SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE
You can do this instead of using a TV license as you could end up having so much more to watch on Netflix or Now TV for example.
It also means that you will get all new movies and you won’t need to go out to the cinema and pay loads of money to watch them there.
For more information on money saving tips and home life you can follow Lara on or , as well as checking out her blogs for further details at
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Mum who saved £25,000 through her no-buy year reveals how you can do the same in 2021
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