Mum saves £5,000 on her first home by ‘reverse shopping’ – and so can you

Saving for her first home, Jasmine Storm Williamson has been able to cut costs by cutting her bills. She also buys second hand clothes and salvage furniture off the streets to save money

A single mum has explained how she saved £5,000 on a home deposit by cutting her spending by more than half, salvaging furniture off the street and shopping in charity shops.

Some of the ways Jasmine Storm Williamson, 27, has been able to cut her bills are by swapping a £55 phone contract for a £12 SIM-only contract and paying just £15 for streaming services in the Compared to £60 for a TV package.

The money-conscious mum has also reduced her weekly grocery bill, from around £65-70 a week on groceries to just £15-25.

The London-based homebuyer has always been a fan of saving but has pledged to put even more money aside following the birth of her son Kian, who is now six.

“I think I started saving more when I became a parent,” Jasmine told Media Drum World.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really know the value of money. A lot of people just aren’t educated and I want to make sure I teach my son how to manage money.

“I’m saving money for the future – I want to buy a house in the long term and I’m putting money aside for my son’s future. So far I’ve saved around £5,000.”

Have you saved £1,000 on a house deposit and want to share your story? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

Some of Jasmine’s most surprising savings come from the streets of London.

She says one of the best things she’s come across is an abandoned dining room table.

“It seems like people in London just leave things out and they’re in good shape,” she said.

“For other things I get ex-sample or ex-display, like my sofa is probably my best find – I got it from the DFS, and it’s ex-display, so I got it for a quarter of the price, that it would have been. “

When it comes to her supermarket, Jasmine says she uses the grocery waste app Too Good To Go and searches for the best yellow sticker deals.

Too Good To Go works with retailers and smaller, independent shops to sell ‘magic bags’ of groceries that would otherwise be thrown away at the end of the day.

Prices start at around £2 for a bag. The only downside is that you can’t choose what groceries you get in your Too Good To Go bag – it depends on what’s available that day.

“You don’t know what you’re going to get, but cookies and chocolate and stuff like that are guaranteed, and some have fruit, veg and rice,” she said.

“I go to Sainsbury’s too and if there’s a lot of yellow ticket stuff I’ll get as much as I can.”

Jasmine shares her tips for those affected by the cost of living crisis to help other families stretch their money further.

“I would just say sit down, calculate your expenses and decide what you need,” she said.

“For example, I’ve never had a TV package — we have Netflix, which has everything we need.”

“My number one big tip would be to always shop out of season or shop vice versa,” Jasmine added, sharing her biggest shopping rule.

“So when Easter is over, everything is discounted for Easter, and the same goes for any other holiday or seasonal thing.

“I have already sorted everything for Christmas this year because I bought everything after Christmas last year.

“I’d say the majority of my wardrobe for the last two and a half years has probably come from charity shops and at my house it’s mostly the same.

“My everyday life is frugal. I recently got a Zara top from Barnado’s for £2 but new it would have been £22.

“You just have to be aware that you can save so much just by looking for bargains.”