I refuse to spend money in January other than paying for food and bills – but my kids are ‘grumpy as hell’
A savvy mum has revealed she has a low-spending month in January but her kids hate her frugal behaviour.
Maddy Alexander-Grout, 40, from Southampton, was £40,000 in debt at the age of 23 after a spending addiction took hold of her life.
Living on just £15 a week for food for three years, the mum-of-two became obsessed with thrift and swears by yellow sticker purchases, charity shopping and clever savings tips – helping her pay off her debt in just five years. year.
This January, Maddy, mother to eight-year-old Ben and four-year-old Harriet, will only buy the essentials – with bills and groceries taking priority when it comes to her monthly expenses.
By doing this she estimates she will save £300 this month – despite the frugal method making her children quite grumpy.
Maddy Alexander-Grout is on a mission to save money by completing a ‘low-spend month’. She is pictured above with her two children, eight-year-old Ben and four-year-old Harriet
“If it’s not essential, it won’t be bought,” says Maddy, who shares her tips, tricks and money-saving hacks with her 53,000 TikTok followers.
‘I’m going to save the money I would have otherwise spent. The kids are grumpy about it!
‘They’re not used to doing the things we would normally do, like getting a McDonald’s or playing softly, which they really enjoy doing.
“They like a McDonald’s every now and then, and I told them that doesn’t happen.”
She added: “I also told them that if they want it bad enough, they can spend their own money on it.
“It helps them learn the value of money and also helps them be more grateful for the things we buy for them.”
Essentials include food, bills and child care, as well as her children’s regular activities, such as soccer.
After paying off £40,000 in debt, the mother of two, who was once addicted to spending, has shared her top saving tips online
In an effort to save money, Maddy is only spending money on essentials this month, with bills and groceries taking priority when it comes to her monthly expenses.
Maddy hopes to teach her two young children the value of money during their low-spending month
Maddy admitted that her children are ‘grumpy’ about the changes in spending, and that they are not used to skimping on luxuries such as eating out
But nothing else makes the cut, with Maddy being brazen about what she can and cannot justify – and saving the money she would have otherwise spent.
She said: ‘For example, the money I would spend on getting my eyelashes done, I put in a jar.
“When the kids ask me for a McDonald’s, I put that money in a jar.
‘It gives me a very good head start for the year.
‘I lived on £15 a week of food for about three years while I paid off the debts.
The children, who occasionally eat McDonald’s, have been told to save their own pocket money if they want something tasty
This month the family only spends money on food, bills and childcare, as well as on regular activities such as football
Maddy has estimated that the family will save £300 by avoiding soft play and days out – opting for playdates at home instead
The mum-of-two is estimated to have saved £300 by avoiding soft play with the children and other days out
‘I became obsessed with yellow sticker and charity shops and paid off my debts in full within five years.’
To curb impulse spending, the mum-of-two is also taking on two money-saving challenges – saving pennies and saving pounds – aiming to save just over £1,000 in a year.
Maddy and husband James, 42, want to put away just £1 a day.
She said, ‘This is the simplest. Over the course of the year you will save €365.
‘[The 1p challenge] It starts with you saving 1 cent on the first day and then increasing by 1 cent every day.
‘So on the last day (day 365) you save £3.65 – a saving of £668 [in total].’
Maddy and her husband James (pictured), 42, are taking part in this year’s £1 savings challenge, saving £1 a day
The mother-of-two has ditched the soft play and instead takes her kids to the park
At Christmas the children received second-hand scooters, which now provide free entertainment
Maddy has developed her own money app ‘Maddy about Money’ to help others with financial problems
The frugal mother said her husband supports her creative ways to save their family’s money and her friends understand that too. They even go so far as to treat the mother to coffee, so she doesn’t have to miss the fun.
She also estimates that the family will save £300 by avoiding soft play and days out and instead opting for playdates at home.
Maddy added: ‘I’m far too generous with the kids’ days out, and sometimes it’s just easier to have a gentle play out – but we stick to it!
‘Instead we go for a lot of walks, trips to the park and also to the skate park. They both got a second-hand scooter at Christmas, so they love scootering around the skate park.”
Maddy has also created her own money app ‘Mad about Money’ to help account for her spending and aims to help others with their money problems.
She added: ‘If you’re struggling with money don’t bury your head in the sand, I’ve done it for too long.
“Facing your money problems is the only way to solve them.”