This article has been provided to Saving-Sally.co.uk by Ella Rose of SelfishMum.co.uk
No matter what your income is, everyone likes saving money and bagging themselves a good bargain. No-one likes a money-grabbing miser, but my view is that whatever you can save on the boring stuff, you can put towards the fun things in life.
I’ve put together a few of my favourite money saving tips. I hope they’re useful…
1. Shop around for your Energy Provider
This is the most boring task in the world, but this is actually where a lot of people get screwed financially. I used to work in a call centre for an energy company, and so I am a bit of a stickler for getting the best deal. By using sites such as U-Switch, you can compare the rates and deals all energy companies offer in one go. If you can, it’s worth paying by direct debit; most energy companies offer their lowest rates if they know they’re guaranteed payment monthly. If you bag a good deal on a fixed rate for a few years, remember to shop around when your deal comes to an end!
2. Shop on a Sunday Afternoon
OK, so there are a million better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon, but if you can factor in a quickie to Morrisons or Asda, you’re guaranteed to grab a bargain. About 3.30pm on a Sunday afternoon is when loads of stock is reduced. You can get bread, fish, meat etc for peanuts! Granted, you have to freeze what you buy because it’s reduced because it’s due to go off imminently, but you can save a small fortune if you can organise yourself to defrost the night or morning before.
3. Shop Online
I have no willpower. When I’m in a supermarket and I see something cheap, sweet, tasty, new, exciting, shiny etc I get it, even if it’s not on my list. An awesome way to stop myself doing this is by writing a list of what I need for the week and ordering it online. On a really lucky day I can leave the list for Steve and he’ll get it done. This removes all temptation. Quite often supermarkets charge for delivery, but you can get it for free if you purchase over a certain amount, so I tend to order a two week shop in one go to save money here. Moreover, there are several e-stores that cater to specific products, such as Fish to Your Door for fish delivery, where fresh ingredients and a minimum charge for a certain number of ingredients are delivered. Perishable items cannot be stored for long periods of time. On days requiring fresh products or ingredients, it might be a good idea to make use of such a website. It might also save me from having to spend more money at once.
4. Home Bargains
Granted, you can’t get your meat, fruit, fresh and specialist items here, but if you’re lucky enough to have a Home Bargains near you, take advantage of it to stock up on pasta, rice, cooking sauces, soups etc. You can save a small fortune!
I hope you find some of these tips useful. I’d love to hear from you if you have any money-saving tips!
Thanks for reading,
Ella x
