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| Money saving tips |  |
= Money Saving Tips for Careful Squirrels
Set a budget: Improve your financial wellbeing by careful planning. Whether you are trying to reduce your debts or build up some savings, it is helpful to work out a monthly financial plan. The insurer AXA offers advice and a free budgeting tool on their website. Find it at http://mybudgetday.axa.co.uk/ = Check your bank statement: Check carefully to see whether you really do require all of those standing orders and direct debits. Have you forgotten old now unwanted insurance policies e.g annual holiday insurance if you are not holidaying this year, magazine subscriptions no longer required, book club memberships etc. Credit Cards: If you are not able to pay off the entire balance on your credit card each month, you need to factor in the cost of interest charges before you can truly know whether or not you are getting a bargain! Perhaps you have run up a large unpaid balance – if that is the case, carefully consider whether you actually need anything new. Maybe you could find something in a charity shop, or on eBay. If your spending is on a 0 per cent credit card offer, make sure that you know when the offer runs out. You could take a look on www.moneyfacts.co.uk and possible find another 0 per cent card to switch to before your present arrangement expires. Credit Cards: I’ve bought several lovely sale bargains, and paid for them all with credit cards. When the bills come in, I will pay them all off in full, as I do every single month. If you are not able to pay off the entire bill, you need to factor in the cost of interest charges before you can truly know whether or not you are getting a sale bargain! Perhaps you have run up a large unpaid balance – if that is the case, I suggest that you carefully consider whether you actually need anything new. Maybe you could find something in a charity shop, or on eBay. If your spending is on a 0 per cent credit card offer, make sure that you know when the offer runs out. You could take a look on www.moneyfacts.co.uk and possible find another 0 per cent card to switch to before your present arrangement expires. Check value for money on your current spending: Do you have a monthly standing order for a gym subscription? Is so, how often do you go to the gym? If you decide that you are not getting value, take a look at the terms and conditions to see how much notice is needed to terminate membership. Make sure that you have an alternative form of exercise. Consider teaming up with a friend to walk or swim on a regular basis, or joining a local exercise clase. You could even purchase a skipping rope. A note of caution: If you make arrangements to consolodate outstanding debt, do not be tempted to use your house/flat as security. Failure to keep up payments could result in the loss of your home. See our Help page for further assistance. Comet Clearance Auction Site If you are purchasing a large electrical item, you might not mind if it has a dented exeterior, is a returned product or similar. Comet have a clearance auction site for these products. Tip - spot your product early, check it our carefully, know the real discounted retail price, set a limit and do not bid above it. I have seen bids on there where people have 'auction fever' and bid above the actual price! If possible, only bid at the end of the auction time otherwise you are just bidding the price up. I've picked up a £77 fridge which retails at over double the price so bargins can be had. It has a few little dents in the side which do not show between our kitchen units. Items are guaranteed. Delivery costs vary from low to very high according to where you live in relation to the product so check this out on the site before bidding as you need to factor in delivery costs. Note: Be wary of washing machines without transit brackets. Transit brackets are there for a reason!
Tricia writes: There’s quite a bit of snobbery involved in shopping, especially in a charity shop. Some folk won’t go near a charity shop, others go overboard the other way. There is a more relaxed approach. You can just pop into a local charity shop or two every couple of weeks to have a quick look for anything you require. Recently I’ve purchase egg cups in perfectly good condition and items for the Christmas shoe box for children in Eastern Europe, as at this time of year you can pick things up really inexpensively, which would be a different story near Christmas time. The obvious advantage of using a charity shop is that it is the perfect way to recycle goods; brilliant not only for the charity but also for the environment. Your budget will benefit too. A year ago, I had a lucky find of a pair of light brown Gap trousers. They looked brand new, fitted perfectly and cost just under £5.00 . I have worn them time and time again and they are still in good condition. Last month, I spotted a perfect Joseph top. It was exactly the style I love; this designer label top was in new condition and retailed at £3.75. To match my outfit, I purchased a brand new pair of shoes in Scope by ‘Skills’ at just under £14.00. A top, trousers and shoes for around £23.00 with the charity also benefiting. It may not happen often, but it's perfect when it does. * Tips for Purchasing in a Charity Shop Keep popping in from time to time to pick up an occasional bargain. Have a list of your wardrobe requirements in your beauty notebook to keep you on track. If you already have six black tops you don’t need another one even if it appears to look lovely and be a ‘bargain’. Check for holes, worn patches, underarm marks, worn ends of sleeves and hems. Check for stains, marks etc. (remember to wear your glasses if necessary). Look at the garment label. If it is in new condition the garment will have hardly been washed, if it is faded and soft the garment has probably been well worn. Don’t be disappointed if nothing seems to suit your requirements. It’s hit and miss. London shops and shops in larger or wealthier towns may have a better selection. Ensure you do require the item. It’s easy to get carried away with a ‘bargain’ you will never wear. = New Shoes: When I buy leather soled shoes, I take them to a cobbler to have some more robust soles applied before I wear the shoes. Most cobblers will be able to supply these soles in a pale colour, to match the original leather shoes, so they will still have that ‘new shoe’ look. Useful websites: www.cantbarsed.com/fashion for discount vouchers and promotional codes for top high street brands. www.bigwardrobe.com for on line wardrobe swaps.
Hair: Some very popular salons charge lower rates on days early in the week than on Fridays and Saturdays, while others salons have specific days when apprentices give haircuts and styles, under supervision from qualified hairdressers. You may have to ask to find out about these rates. Also, it may be possible to simply have a dry cut, but not all salons offer that service. Lipstick: When the lipstick is almost used up, a make-up brush will extract the last of the product, giving you extra use. Products in Tubes: Cut the tubes of almost empty products. You may find enough product for another week of use. To prevent the product drying up, use cling wrap to seal between use.
www.moneysavingexpert.com Try looking at this site on a regular basis for new ideas. www.myvouchercodes.co.uk Always explore a voucher codes website such as this one (there are several) before making an internet purchase. You can often get free delivery or 5 to 10% off purchases simply by typing the appropriate code in the check out box. Offers change. Comet, Currys, John Lewis are a few examples. When buying on-line, consider logging on through a website such as Quidco or air miles to gain cashback or airmiles on your purchases. The cashback soon adds up. Magazines: There’s no doubt that buying magazines can be a drain on your purse, now that some of them cost almost £4.00! If you enjoy reading magazines, try making an arrangement with your friends to share magazines. If you have a favourite magazine that you purchase every month, watch out for special subscription offers. These can save money, and sometimes come with a ‘free gift’. To make the most of these offers, do not let the subscription run on past the period during which the price is reduced – publishers are relying on ‘customer inertia’ to help them make a good profit! = Free stuff! Try out the website http://www.gumtree.com/ Especially useful for money saving, there are sections on freebies, swaps and rideshare (remember personal safetly issues here though). It's free to post some ads too. To access information relating to your local area, click on the change town facility at the top left, otherwise your page will probably come up relating to London.
Food prices seem to be constantly rising which is a huge drain on most budgets. However, in the West, many of us are wasteful with food throwing away quantities each week. Why not help the enviornment and your purse by planning your meals before you shop? If you make a habit of planning your weekly menu then making a shopping list accordingly this should save wastage and cash. http://hubpages.com/hub/Menu_Planning_ Thinking of buying a take-away meal because you haven't got the food in your kitchen to make a meal? Here's a website that we like, because it suggests dishes that you could make with the contents of your fridge and cupboard. Take a look: www.cookingbynumbers.com Herbs: It's lovely to have fresh herbs to use in your cooking but these can be very expensive purchased from the supermarket. Consider potting up your favourites to grow on your windowsill or in pots on your balcony or patio. A packet of seeds will last for several plantings. You can even plant up extra pots as gifts. Ready Meals:These can be really expensive and are often not particularly nutritious. When you do have time to cook, freeze a portion or two so that you have home made ready meals in your freezer for when you are in a rush.
If you are planning on eating out, especially if you have restaurants from chains in the area, check out the special offers before deciding where and when to go. You might grab a freebie such as a 2 for 1 meal or a free bottle of wine. http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/tipnote/cheap-restaurant-deals Great page on this fantastic website. http://www.toptable.co.uk/casualdining/ At the time of writing, there are 50% off offers on this website. http://www.westendrestaurants.co.uk/london/restaurants/specialoffers.asp For a special occasion, offers at the more expensive end of the market. Mainly London but some local too.
Become a Representative. Tricia writes: If you love make-up and chatting to people, consider becoming a Body Shop, Virgin Vie, Arbonne or Avon representative. When my daughter was small, I had several part time jobs fitting around child-care. One was as an Avon representative. It wasn't the most lucrative of jobs but it was fun and I did meet quite a number of people. My daughter even came with me in her pushchair as I called on people with the catalogues. Having no car at the time, I sold on an Avon round very local to my home, plus to friends and family. It provided a few 'little extras', plus a discount on Avon purchases and rewards for reaching sales targets. For those with access to a car, Body Shop or Virgin Vie parties can be great fun, plus with Body Shop you are helping to promote the ethical side of the buisness. This year, I held a Body Shop party in my home. We enjoyed trying out the various products in a themed party based around hands. I could have chosen make up with a face make over or foot products. The representative at our party enjoyed her work. She often sold at day-time Body Shop parties for mother and toddlers groups etc. hence it wasn't all evening work but you do need to be out-going enough to be able to encourage people to hold parties. With these plans, it is usually possible to build up your own team of representatives you recruit and receive a small percentage of their earnings too. Consider earning a second income An evening or two working in a bar, restaurant, as a carer or exploring the possibility of earning extra cash from a hobby or skill could be worth considering.
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