How this mum went from being $6800 in debt to buying a house. In a year.

One year ago, UK woman and mum-of-two Morgan Wood faced a very confronting debt and eviction notice. Her and husband Tom Brown were on the verge of homelessness with over $6,800 in credit card debt.

Now, just 12 months later, 30-year-old Morgan cleared their £4,000 ($6,800 AUD) debt in three months and even managed to put £10,000 ($17,200 AUD) towards a house deposit.

Speaking to The  Mirror, Morgan said that she took this as a much needed “wake-up call.”

Even though they weren’t making extravagant purchases, after she realised that they had no reserve money for emergencies like their impending eviction, Morgan realised changes had to be made.

“We weren’t spending on anything too elaborate, no luxury holidays or anything like that,” she said.

“But we were overspending on things like clothes and food and stuff we didn’t need – we were quite big shoppers.

"When our landlord decided to sell up [and] we didn't have any money to move - so we couldn't afford the fees or the deposit . . . That was the wake-up call and when we decided things need to change after that. Enough was enough."

Morgan was forced to drastically analyse and rework her family's finance habits, and in doing so has inspired countless others with her 18 money-saving rules.

“These are simple money saving tips, but when they are done regularly you’ll be surprised at the difference they can make," she said.

LISTEN: The Mamamia Out Loud team have a very genius money hack that you need to know about... it's the 5:2 diet...for your MONEY. Post continues after audio.

And, pardon the cliche, but the proof really is in the $24,000 pudding that Morgan was able to squeeze from her annual family budget.

While not all of her tips are relevant to Aussies, most can be adjusted.

For example while we can't cut coupons, you could easily take advantage of the free vouchers that get delivered to your mail box each week or so. The vouchers on the back of your supermarket receipts are a nifty trick too.

Listen: For more money advice look no further than Mia Freedman's interview with Scott Pape - the Barefoot Investor.

Morgan's other great tips relevant for Aussie parents include:

1. Setting an achievable but optimistic savings goal.
2. Write a shopping list before you head to the supermarket.
3. Check out cash back websites, that offer you a percentage of your purchase back when shopping.
4. Make your own lunch and meal plan ahead of every working week. Don't buy unnecessary meals.
5. Only buy what you really need: "This one seems obvious but it’s so easy to get caught up in a spending frenzy. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it."
6. When you do buy things, do your research and make sure they're for the cheapest possible price.
7. But wherever possible, borrow... don't buy it at all: "Most libraries now have internet access as well as lending out books, DVD’s and CD’s."
8. Utilise eBay as much as you can: "All our old stuff goes on eBay. Nothing goes in the bin anymore."
9. Unplug electrical items when they aren't in use.
10. Eat your left overs.
11. Cull any unused memberships (do you really, really need a Stan, Netflix and Foxtel OnDemand subscription?)
12. Start a side hustle - as Morgan did with her financial advice through her blog.

Morgan's living proof that it's never too late to turn things around.

So, tell us, what's your savings goal for 2018?