| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
8) Raise extra cash
You can raise extra cash by selling unwanted items from your home, car boot sales are a great way of raising extra funds and can be a lot of fun too, you may even find a bargain there for yourself too helping you to save even more, auction web sites are also another good way of raising cash quickly. If you have a spare room you could take in a lodger which could add hundreds of pounds to your monthly income, but think carefully before you do as it is a big change to your home environment.
|
|
9)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21. Do DIY
We're a nation of obsessive DIYers and for around £100 you can take a course at your local adult education college to improve the skills needed to tackle most household repairs. If the college runs plumbing courses you could soon be on track to wiping out costly call-out charges and extra insurance policies once and for all.
Saving: £100+
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
48. And if you do take a packed lunch...
Buy in bulk. One pack of crisps costs around 45p. A six-pack, £1. And £2 for a sack. That's enough packed lunches. (See 37)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
51. Avoid the car wash
There has been a boom over the last couple of years in the hand car-washing industry. Every car park now seems to have one. And every one seems to have a queue of drivers willing to part with up to £40 [I've seen one at £125] for a Gold , Silver or Titanium wash. Maybe it's a pride thing. I don't know. It is, however, money down the drain. My last car wash cost about 4¼p in electricity to power the vacuum cleaner and heat the water. The water and cloth (old pants) are already paid for and the free exercise is a bonus.
Video: How to wash a car
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55. Grow your own herbs
This may seem like a trifling little thing so let's put it in perspective. Any self-respecting cook will use a lot of herbs and if you're happy with dried this probably won't apply. But even if you only have a windowsill or two it is quite easy, planting seeds at regular intervals, to set up a nice little production line throughout the spring and summer months. You can save up to £100 over the growing season.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
56. Repair things
The sad reality in these green, carbon-neutral days is that you can't repair your toaster. Or little else, for that matter. I tried to get my toaster fixed and while everyone was sympathetic I was forced to claim my little plot of landfill along with the rest of the country. You can, however, hold on to salvaged materials, off-cuts of wood and screws that, while irritating your spouse, come in handy when it comes to repairs around the home.
(Aside: why is it you can only buy nails and screws in bags of 100,000?)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
58. Never pay for parking - and especially not for parking tickets
You pay your car tax, VAT, petrol tax, road tolls, congestion charge and obligatory insurance. You pay for tunnels and bridges and child seats and hand-free mobile sets and speeding fines. So don't pay for parking. And make sure you park legally to avoid parking fines. It means you have to walk a bit further. But is that such a bad thing?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
65. Use the internet for things you otherwise wouldn't think of using it for
I knocked 85% off the cost of a couple of items with a few clicks of the mouse. But for cables and batteries, online stores are probably an obvious destination. However, a reader says: 'I saved £30 recently by buying two new car tyres via the internet from My Tyres and had them fitted locally. This was for two skinny tyres so I expect that four bigger tyres would save much more. Every little helps.' Quite right. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
68.
|
|
69. Drink tap water
A simple puzzle for you: if you drink 1.5 litres of water a day - roughly the recommended daily dose for adults - and you satisfy this need with bottled water at 75p a litre, how much are you spending a year on water? Answer: £472.50. Turn the tap on folks. It's as good as free and in most cases it's as good as bottled.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
70. Make the most of your lunch break - it could change your life
Sorry folks, more maths. (Bear with me, it's worth it). If you work typically 48 weeks a year and have one hour a day for lunch, it adds up to 240 hours of spare time. If you normally work an 8-hour day, then your lunch breaks add up to the equivalent of 30 working days (a whole month) in which to do something worthwhile. You can study for a new job, knit jumpers, sell stuff on eBay, write your novel - or, as a lot of people seem to do, wander round in a daze and buy shoes and sandwiches (see 1). You choose.
The New Spend Less Revolution
|
|
71. Do they know it's Christmas?
The retailers surely do. For them, Christmas starts around the end of August and continues for a quarter of a year. In '50 ways' we covered buying next year's gifts - and birthday presents - in the sales. But: 'Another tip is to ask friends and relatives to buy you gift vouchers for Christmas. Once the sales start you can often get double the value of the gifts in the sales. You can save £100s.' |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
76.
|
|
77. Never take what you see on the internet at face value
Anyone can set up a website within a few minutes and the internet is awash with self-appointed experts in every subject imaginable. But beware the money experts – they're lining their pockets not yours. While you have to take your hat off to their ingenuity, for heaven's sake don't fall for it. There's no such thing as free money.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
78. Five money-saving quickies – it all adds up
-
Electricity: Switch off the lights, turn down the thermostat, turn off the telly properly. (This works best if you're not intending to spend a quiet night in watching Coronation Street. In winter.)
-
Telephones: If you use an 0870 number to phone a company to sort out a problem of their making, ask them how much the call is costing and insist they call you back.
-
Wine: I'm sure the rule used to be that you got six glasses from a bottle. It's down to about three these days - and the bottles haven't any got smaller. So remember, if you're going out and drinking wine in a bar you might as well share a whole bottle than buying by the glass. It's much cheaper.
-
Motoring: Use an independent garage to service your car, not a dealership.
-
Small print: Always read the small print. You see, there are only four money-saving quickies in this list of five. (Or are there?)
|
|
79. How to save money on dental treatment
Good grief, my mother was right. The best way to save money on dental treatment is to avoid it. No, I don't mean neglect yourself until you turn into a bag lady or tramp and try to get a place on Reality Teeth Makeover TV.
I mean clean at least twice a day and eat fruit, not sweets. A spoonful of sugar in your tea causes your teeth to decay for two hours. So, a cuppa every couple hours and you're going to be making regular contributions to your dentist's pension fund. |
|
|
|
|
