We aren’t talking cutting your own hair, eating week old leftovers and spending every waking hour on your sofa in the pitch black to lower energy bills. While everyone sees their lack of expendable cash as a problem with their income, it is much simpler and easier to look at your expenses and make initial changes here. There are hundreds of ways to save money, but the few listed below are achievable ways to make our hard-earned money go that extra bit further.
Switch up credit cards
The interest rates on credit cards can be extortionate, and they count on users being uninterested in searching out a new provider that will be able to offer them better rates once the initial promotional rate has expired. Transferring from these high interest rates down to a lower promotional rate of a new card could save you roughly 10% of your debt. Pay attention to the length of the promotional rate and the transfer fee % to get the best deal for you.
Check up on old Direct Debits
Whether its old insurance plans, sim only contracts or that direct debit you may have been convinced into getting by those friendly people in the street it is easy for a ‘cancelled’ DD to continue to withdraw these seemingly small amounts. Take the time to ensure any cancellations you made in the past have not continued to take money from your account, and follow the due process to reclaim any money that has wrongly been withdrawn.
Fresh Cooking and Homemade Lunches
The benefits of this are completely endless. A) Fresh produce is cheaper than ready made meals and sauce packages. B) Health benefits from eating meals that only contain what you added to them and without preservatives. C) Your cooking skills will increase tenfold and you’ll be able to pass these skills on to your children and loved ones. You’ll also be able to find better solutions for leftovers and turning them into better meal.
Coffee Craze
As coffee shops have populated every corner of every town in the UK it is unsurprising that coffee has become an everyday, two-a-day or even three-a-day habit for many 9-5 workers who need their ‘fix’. However, with the main coffee franchises charging roughly £2.70 for a standard coffee that could cost you between £5.40 & £8.10 a day. Across the year that expense is mindboggling, especially when buying one less coffee everyday could save you £500 a year. Saying goodbye to that extra cup seems easy when you can say hello to a beach break instead.
Mobile Phone
Shop around for a new contract without the handset! Mobile phones continue to increase in price as the largest brands continue to push their new model prices higher and higher. This has in turn fuelled users demand for long lasting mobiles phone, this improvement in quality means they last beyond than the standard two year contracts demanded by most providers. This means that if you can avoid the marketing buzz of the newest handset that comes out every 8-10 months, you can save yourself an unbelievable amount of money by keeping with your trusted and already perfectly set-up old handset. Whether you are keeping your old phone and getting a SIM only contract or you can’t resist the lure of the newest release, then the price comparison website Moneypug will help show you offers from all the providers for both options. While the cheapest option for customers is to pay upfront, it isn’t always a viable option without increasing your debt.
Make date night a weeknight
The amount of offers from restaurants, cinemas, bowling alleys and any other entertainment venue to bring in numbers throughout the week can lead to costs being reduced by almost 50% compared with the same weekend activities. Along with the bonus of a cheaper night, you’ll certainly receive better service at dinner, reduced chances of cinemas being full, more chance of a babysitter being available and something to look forward to during the week.
