50
Ways to Save Whether
it's because you're struggling to get together the cash for a deposit,
holiday or even your rent, most of us could sometimes benefit from
a little belt tightening. With these 50 practical tips from the
Birmingham Midshires, thankfully it should become a little easier
1)
Set a weekly budget and stick to it. Better money management means
you could be more efficient with your cash and have more left at
the end of each month than you would have thought.
2)
Look at the interest you are being paid on your savings account.
A little bit of research may help you find an account that could
save you more money.
3)
Set yourself savings goals. Decide what it is you are saving for
and go for it. By giving yourself a target you may be encouraged
to save more. You can even set up savings accounts for each goal.
4)
Look at different accounts. If your savings goals are long-term
consider an account that reduces the access you have to your cash.
The harder it is to get at the less likely you are to dip into the
money. Accounts like these often pay higher interest too.
5)
Don't keep too much money in your current account. The interest
is low so by moving as much money as possible to savings accounts
you can make your money work harder for you.
6)
Set up a standing order. To make sure you put some of your wages
into your savings account each month and to take away the hassle
of doing so, set up a standing order so that it happens every month
automatically.
7)
Set up direct debits. You can avoid penalties for late payments
on credit cards by setting up direct debits to make sure your bills
are paid on time.
8)
Check your bank statements. It doesn't happen very often but anomalies
can occur and if you don't check you may never know. You can also
see where your money goes, which may help you to cut back some of
your spending.
9)
Change your mortgage. Take advantage of the current low cost of
borrowing by changing your mortgage. It could save you hundreds
of pounds each month.
10)
Shop for bargains and compare prices.
11)
Buy things during the end of the years or end of seasons and stock
them up. It is always cheaper.
12)
Look out for good deals. Some credit card companies are currently
offering 0% interest when you transfer your outstanding balance
to them. By taking advantage of the offers you could save money
on your monthly repayments and pay off your balance quicker.
13)
Review your existing insurance providers. Assess how much you pay
and whether you could get a better deal elsewhere. Once again a
little bit of legwork and shopping around could save you a fortune.
14)
Keep your coppers. Don't throw away your small change; by filling
up a jar or tin you may be surprised how much it all adds up to
each month.
15)
Make your own lunch. If you add up how much you spend on lunch each
month you may find you could save a lot more money by taking your
own lunch to work.
16)
Walk more. You don't need to take the car to the corner shop for
your paper at the weekend, by walking more, you will not only improve
your health, but using less petrol will improve your savings as
well.
17)
Look ahead. If you commute to work everyday, season tickets for
public transport are often better value then buying a ticket everyday
and will save you money each month.
18)
Use public transport. When you can, catch a bus instead of paying
for taxis.
19)
Share a car. You can do your bit for the environment and save some
cash by sharing your car journey into work with your colleagues.
20)
Check that your mobile phone tariff is the right one for you. You
may be paying more than you should, so, if you find yourself surprised
with a large bill each month, a 'pay-as-you-go' phone could help
you manage your bills better.
21)
Cut down on texts. If you spend a lot of money sending text messages,
a number of websites allow you to send them free of charge, which
can help to reduce your mobile phone bill.
22)
Change phone companies. If you make regular and costly long distance
calls to relatives, shop around for cheaper tariffs, or, why not
write a letter once in a while.
23)
Have a swear jar. Charge yourself every time you swear or if you
smoke, every time you feel like a cigarette. The money you have
in the jar could help you save a little bit extra each month.
24)
Change your gas/electricity provider. Most of the large utility
providers will offer you a deal if you sign up with them for your
gas, electricity and telephone. Shop around and see how much you
could save.
25)
Turn off the lights. You can reduce your monthly bills by saving
electricity and gas by, for example, turning off the lights when
you leave a room or insulating your loft. This will leave you with
more cash at the end of each month for saving.
26)
Change your light bulbs. Energy saving light bulbs last longer and
can reduce your electricity bill, as well as being kinder to the
environment.
27)
Turn down your thermostat. By turning your thermostat down a few
degrees, you may not notice the drop in temperature, but you will
notice the drop in the amount you fork out on your heating bills.
28)
Do-It-Yourself. You may not need to get a professional in for every
little job around the house. If you are confident and can do it
yourself you will be saving yourself money. Borrow teach yourself
books in the library.
29)
Shop sensibly. Make yourself a list each week and stick to it. Don't
be tempted by things that you don't really need or won't use.
30)
Buy fewer brands. Supermarkets' own brand goods are often just as
good as the famous brand goods in many cases and could save you
a considerable amount off your monthly shopping bill.
31)
Shop online. CDs, DVDs, Books etc, are often cheaper if you buy
them online.
32)
Buy in bulk. When shopping for groceries take advantage of special
offers on goods such as toothpaste or washing powder and stock up.
It will save you more money in the future.
33)
Collect coupons. Every week, newspapers, magazines and the products
themselves carry coupons that you can cut out and keep for money
off a huge range of items for your next visit to the supermarket.
34)
Join a loyalty scheme. Most supermarkets and high street shops such
as Saveways or Save On have reward or loyalty card schemes in place.
Take advantage of these to save yourself extra cash each month.
35)
Trial products for free. A good way of saving money on your essential
shopping is to join a market focus group. You can benefit from receiving
free products such as washing powders by simply filling in a questionnaire
about the product once you have used it.
36)
Cut out the middleman. Supermarkets are not always the best value
and many farms, wholesalers or markets will be happy to sell directly
to you often at a better price. For those with green fingers, you
might want to have a go at growing your own vegetables.
37)
Re-sole your shoes. Sometimes a quick repair to shoes and clothes
is all that is needed and is a lot cheaper then replacing your wardrobe.
38)
Shop abroad. If you need to stock up for a party or special occasion,
it might be cheaper to hop over to other locations to buy your booze
or stock them up when you there for holidays.
39)
Similarly, if you are thinking of buying a new car, it has been
well publicised that you may save thousands by shopping on the continent.
40)
Examine the options. If you're going abroad on holiday, shop around
for your foreign currency. Your usual travel agent may not offer
the best deal and you could save more money by considering other
providers.
41)
Buy in advance. If you know you have a trip in the future, take
advantage of favourable exchange rates and buy in advance while
the rate is good.
42)
Take a long-term approach. If you are a frequent traveller you could
save money by taking out an annual travel insurance policy instead
of separate policies for each trip.
43)
Book in advance. Most rail companies offer special reduced tickets
if you book your travel in advance. A bit of forward planning could
save you a great deal of money on your fare.
44)
Broaden your horizons. A weekend day trip doesn't always have to
be an expensive day out at a fun park. A little bit of research
will uncover thousands of attractions and interesting places to
visit all over Canada or just in Alberta, many of which are free.
45)
Do you use what you pay for? Things such as gym membership and extra
TV channels are a nice luxury but do you get your money's worth?
If you are only going to the gym once a month or never watch the
TV channels you pay for, you could save more money by reducing your
subscriptions.
46)
Have a night in once in a while. Research by Birmingham Midshires
found that the average person spends nearly $60 per month in the
pub. One less night out could save you an extra $15 each month.
47)
Join a video shop. Renting videos and DVDs is cheaper than buying
them if you are only going to watch them once or twice.
48)
Cut back on cigarettes. If you do smoke, just cutting down by one
pack a week could save you money.
49)
Take out the takeaways. They might save you time, but eating a lot
of takeaways will do nothing for your wallet, never mind your health.
50)
If you regularly buy consumer luxury goods such as perfume and cosmetics,
make use of the "points" schemes or loyalty schemes offered
by many stores. This can save you money over time.
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