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money saving tips/suggestions - what are yours??
anna42hmr
Posts: 2,803 Forum Member
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over the last couple of years, i have finally got a handle of finances and start saving more than i have before, so it got me thinking, what money saving things do you wish you started earlier, or tips for others
for me the things i wished i did earlier were
1.join a cash back site as all the cash back i earn is fed into savings accounts i have had over £300 paid into my account over the last 18 months (ie www.quidco.com, www.topcashback.co.uk etc)
2. open the halifax reward current accounts (as if you pay in £1000 a month, they pay £5. (luckily i got in there before they stopped new applicants opening 3, so £15 a month extra is fed into a saving account)
3. stop raiding my coin tins, as i used to throw loose change in there before but raid it reguarly lol, now i dont, i bag it up and bank it
4. i would budget for getting the train home from work each night, but more often than not, would get a lift back from dad if he leaves his office the same time, so each time i didnt spend the train fair, i put that in the coin tin and put it into savings accounts.
i would also do this if i didnt buy the newspaper that day or the coffee on way to work etc, what i would have spent was put into a coin tin and then banked when it filled up
5. i opened a christmas saving account last year for this year with and has worked really well. Stops me having to pay for christmas in one go out of novembers/decembers pay check and earns a tiny amount of interest
6. I keep a spending diary for one month every three months to show what i am spending and trends (really opens your eyes as to what you waste money on) the one i use is www.spendingdiary.com
7. i wish i realised that airmiles could be used for things other than air travel sooner - great offers for days out/hotels etc!
8. wish i heard about travel west midlands friends and family offer for pass holders sooner ( £1 day return off peak any where in the network west midlands train area for companions as long as your pass covers those zones)#
9. wish i bought an oyster pass for london travel for when i visit london sooner, saves me fortunes now i dont have to buy day travel cards etc (as are capped by price and also as only payg only use what needed)
what savings ideas do you wish you started sooner
for me the things i wished i did earlier were
1.join a cash back site as all the cash back i earn is fed into savings accounts i have had over £300 paid into my account over the last 18 months (ie www.quidco.com, www.topcashback.co.uk etc)
2. open the halifax reward current accounts (as if you pay in £1000 a month, they pay £5. (luckily i got in there before they stopped new applicants opening 3, so £15 a month extra is fed into a saving account)
3. stop raiding my coin tins, as i used to throw loose change in there before but raid it reguarly lol, now i dont, i bag it up and bank it
4. i would budget for getting the train home from work each night, but more often than not, would get a lift back from dad if he leaves his office the same time, so each time i didnt spend the train fair, i put that in the coin tin and put it into savings accounts.
i would also do this if i didnt buy the newspaper that day or the coffee on way to work etc, what i would have spent was put into a coin tin and then banked when it filled up
5. i opened a christmas saving account last year for this year with and has worked really well. Stops me having to pay for christmas in one go out of novembers/decembers pay check and earns a tiny amount of interest
6. I keep a spending diary for one month every three months to show what i am spending and trends (really opens your eyes as to what you waste money on) the one i use is www.spendingdiary.com
7. i wish i realised that airmiles could be used for things other than air travel sooner - great offers for days out/hotels etc!
8. wish i heard about travel west midlands friends and family offer for pass holders sooner ( £1 day return off peak any where in the network west midlands train area for companions as long as your pass covers those zones)#
9. wish i bought an oyster pass for london travel for when i visit london sooner, saves me fortunes now i dont have to buy day travel cards etc (as are capped by price and also as only payg only use what needed)
what savings ideas do you wish you started sooner
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Comments
#2 money saving tip: If you can live for a week without it it's useless crap(*).
(*)Excluding insurance
How does that save you money? Just costs you time and money going to the bank if anything. What about using coins to tender the correct amount when you buy something, then you can put the coin tins on ebay.
Good thinking Batman!
I'm going to be watching this thread, the last one on this subject was the funniest that I'd ever read on DS, total entertainment.
That is perfectly true. And don't buy bottled water, which is EXACTLY THE SAME as the water that comes out of your tap.
Get over the idea that because some garment has an immensely posh label it must look good. I have walked through the designer rooms at Harrods and a lot of the stuff was garishly hideous. If anyone sneers at your high-street clothes they are clearly a moron.
Look out for genuine bargains in supermarkets especially frozen or stuff with a good long shelf life. If fortunate to have a choice of supermarkets then shop around.
thats so true, i used to spend fortunes on buying lunches!
It cost me a bloody fortune on my daughters packed lunches (still it saves her money )
Me i've to buy extra grapes , strawberries , raspberries , blueberries , pineapple, pears, apples (got to be granny smiths) oranges bananas , greengages, apricots. get the idea and thats only for her fruit salad. I still to get the yogurts, the wraps, and salad and the chicken too.
ditched sky and got freesat & hd media streamer(get stuff of a news server) and don't miss sky one bit. (saving £30 a month)
stopped doing lottery (£5 a week)
instead of fish & chips 3 times a week, there a treat for my 18 mile walk's(fat tax) fish price went up and got smaller, so just have home made chips/frozen chips and go chippy once a week. (saving about £10 a week)
and for xmas everyone's getting dodgy dvd's (kids love it) & saving a fortune
& the time you spend in jail for doing this will save you even more money
Ebay for gifts and lots else
Hotukdeals
MoneysavingExpert
Don't buy stuff you don't need (which is a lot)
Well done OP!
Stop drinking pints or bottled beer when you're out.
A short is way cheaper than a pint and has less calories in it.
When you're buying luxury goods, buy the thing you actually WANT.
If you want an iPhone or a Leica camera or a Rolex watch, just save your pennies and then BUY the damned thing.
If you don't you'll buy something cheaper instead and it'll feel good for about a week but then your desire for the original item will return and you will end up spending even more money.
and a massive tv!
Er, oh no you don't have to buy all that. What makes you you do?
god yes- tastes 1000 times better the 'meat' they put in most pre-packed sandwiches too!