1. Make a shopping list
If you’re not organised or haven’t got a pen, this one is really hard. But stick with it and you can eat well and save enough for a holiday without thinking about it. Part of the problem is the power of the supermarkets. These giant museums of food have spent millions on tricks to make you put stuff you don’t want in giant trolleys, keep in the fridge for a week and then throw away. We each chuck out nearly £500 of food each a year. That’s moronic but that’s the supermarket business model. Make a shopping list. Dig out the cookery books, plan a few meals and only buy what you need.
2. When was the last time you went to the market?
One way to beat the supermarkets - that is, to eat healthily for less - is to use your local market stalls. Lower overheads generally mean lower prices. Where supermarkets have ‘half-price’ strawberries that aren’t half price, the local market will often have the same fruit for a quarter of the price of the pretend half-price ones.
3. Sell your clutter on eBay or Gumtree
Take this quick test: You're at home, open a cupboard, and look inside. If it's full of clothes you haven't worn, or 'good ideas at the time' you haven't used, for, let's say, three years - you don't need them. So why not sell them to someone else who does? For fans of the understatement: Ebay is quite well-known and popular now. The great thing is you really can flog any old garbage - for a commission.
4. Use your talent to earn extra cash
If you have a talent or a skill, use it to your potential… e.g. if you’re an IT techy like me, then fix other peoples PC’s when you’re not at work. Or even if you’re not in the building trade but handy with a few tools, there’s your second income also….
5. Compare Compare Compare
Use comparison websites to get the best deals, whether its car, house or travel insurance and never automatically renew your quote.
6. Buy clothes and presents in the salesIf life has drained every drop
of human dignity from your soul, bingo! - Boxing Day sales were created for
you.
On a serious note, there is no
shame in standing in the Next sales queue at 4am in the morning. I would know; I get all my kids clothes for
the rest of the year and all my works shirts too.
For those who aren’t for waiting
in 4am queues, there are quieter mid-season sales where you can find most
things you need for half the price it would have been if you couldn’t wait.
7. Avoid extended warranties
Electrical goods are more reliable than ever. If your new radio won't last three years perhaps it's not worth buying in the first place. Think about it: how many times has your fridge broken down in the last five years? And do you really need the hassle of claiming for repairs to a £10 toaster?
8.
Switch Energy Suppliers
The main suppliers, known as the Big
6, control 90% of the UK's energy market today stand accused of making a huge
profit from the less well off.
The investigation, by the
Competition and Markets Authority, found millions of dual-fuel customers, many
of whom have never switched suppliers, have missed savings of up to £234 a
year.
Go onto a comparison site and
switch your energy now. The process has been made so
much simpler and the switch can be done in a matter of 2 weeks.
And on that final note, add your own tips in the comment section below and share it with a friend
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