Lets face it, we all love a good bargain and saving money where we can, especially with the costs of today’s living. So here are a few useful tips to help keep those pennies in your pocket.
Food saving tips
★ Shop online for groceries. Supermarkets have some fab online-only deals, saving you pounds on your shopping. You can even save on delivery if you choose a slot when the driver is in the area.
★ Use overripe fruit for cakes to save waste. We made a tasty banana cake.
★ Take picnics for lunch when out and about with the kids, instead of paying for overpriced goods in onsite cafes/restaurants. The kids will find it much more fun with their own little packed lunch full of treats and snacks. You could even make some easy to make healthy dips to take along.
★ Plan your weekly meals out so you can budget for your shopping.
★ Grow your own veg. You don’t have to be an Alan Titchmarsh to start your own veg patch and it’s very rewarding when you reap the benefits of fresh homegrown produce.
Bills & Utilities
★ Save on your electric, gas and insurances by shopping around. Use comparison websites such as Uswitch, Compare the market, go compare MoneySuperMarket and so on to get the best deal.
★ If you have Sky and your contract is coming up for renewal, give them a call and barter for a better offer. I saved £30.00 month on our last renewal.
★ Check your home is in the correct council tax banding. We were in the wrong band and saved around £200 annually.
★ Pay by direct debit where possible. This ensures you will never miss a payment and will avoid getting a default on your credit rating. And of course it helps spread the cost with affordable, realistic, bite-sized payments.
★ Use LED bulbs. Not only do they last much longer, they can save you money in the long run. They are more energy efficient as they don’t heat up, so no energy is lost. My boy likes a night light in his room, so we use a led colour changing bulb, which is just perfect and can even be dimmed to the required light. It costs hardly anything to leave on all night. You can see it in action in the boys bedroom.
Shopping
★ Use Cashback sites everytime you shop online. They are free to use and can be very rewarding. I use Topcashback, You can join on my link and get saving immediately (I do get a little commission if you join through my link, so thank you for your support if you do).
★ Look out for discount codes before you check out. Hotdealsuk is a good site for up to date discounts and deals. Another useful site to find lots of discounts on food, travel, clothing and more is 1discount.
★ Upcycle old items in your home. Perhaps that old chair would look fab reupholstered, or maybe you want to change the colour of something to match in with your decor? Then choose a nice funky coloured paint you like and buy it in a tester pot size. There are endless ways to bring life to old belongings.
★ Don’t just buy from the first shop or website you visit. It can be surprising how prices differ from one store to another.
Investing
Investing has long been celebrated as a way to put your money to work, potentially earning greater returns than if the money was sitting in a savings account. The best brokers make it easy to get started, with some offering minimum deposits of just £1.
Benefits
Even if you work you could still be eligible for Tax Credits. Either Child Tax Credits if you have little ones or Working Tax Credits if you have a low income. You can find out more at Gov.UK
You can fill in this benefits calculator here to see if you are eligible for any benefits that you may be missing out on.
Do you have any super savvy money saving tips to share? I’d love to hear them.
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Hi Jayne, fab tips. Looking for good shopping deals or discount codes may seem time consuming, but you can really save some money (there’s nothing more satisfying than buying something you’d like or need at a discounted price. And to be able to grocery shop on line seems like a luxury to me (I hate shopping).
The only tip I could add is to freeze fruit like soft fruit like bananas and berries when you see them going over the top, they are then perfect for making smoothies.
xx
Thanks Debs, You can save loads when you just put a little time into it.
Fab tip for smoothies too!
Fantastic tips…
We went about 6 months without realising we were entitled to some benefits a good few years ago. We assumed because my fella was working we couldn’t claim housing benefit but we could…
Thanks Kim. Yes it’s so easy to overlook especially if you are unaware of what you are entitled too.
Some really great tips here. I always use comparison sites for car insurance. Its suprising wat savings there are to be made. xx
#pocolo
It really is surprising isn’t it ?! x
Some great tips, many of which we put into practice and it definitely helps with saving. I also tend to look for baby toys and books in charity shops, as you can get some really great deals because not everything has to be new! ☺ #PicknMix
Yes charity shops are another great way to save! And at the same time helping a good cause 🙂
Great tips, we do quite a lot of them already, but I keep meaning to do the cashback sites. Taking a picnic on a day out always saves us loads. Thanks for linking to #PickNMix
Cashback sites are fab! Getting a little money back for something you were going to buy anyway, Winner!
Brilliant tips and I LOVE Topcashback I always use it 🙂
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix, hopefully see you there again tomorrow.
Stevie xx
Some fantastic tips there, I will be working my way through them to see how much I can save. I always stick with the same electric supplier because it seems easier but I’m probably paying for that. #MMBC
Some brillaint tips here. I use Quidco and it is great.