Lets face it, we’re not living in the easiest of times in terms of the financial climate. That’s why we need to save whatever we can, here are a few ways to help you save money:
1) Use online banking
This is a must. What better way to manage your money and see what you’re spending your hard earned cash on?
Some banks provide really detailed graphs and charts on their online banking services, making it easier for you to see where you’re spending what. These charts helped me see where I was going wrong, almost 1/4 of credit card statement was going on takeaways so I cut down drastically.
2) Use online voucher/daily deal sites – don’t buy anything without checking for a discount code!
Why should you spend more if you don’t need to? I do not buy a single thing without checking for discount codes, I’ve mastered which companies offer which discounts and how to get them. These voucher code websites can get you all sorts of deals, like 20% off, 2 for the price of 1 .etc. A few great sites to use are: VoucherCodes.co.uk, MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and Groupon.co.uk.
VoucherCodes.co.uk and MyVoucherCodes.co.uk are mainly for discounts from online retailers where as Groupon.co.uk is more for food, hotels and leisure.
3) Use reward cards
Why not earn points on your daily shop at your local supermarket, petrol station or utilities supplier which you can redeem as money off coupons or credit to use elsewhere? You can do this using cards such as the Tesco Clubcard or Nectar card.
4) Buy from wholesales, buy in bulk or using multi buy savings
If you’re using Start Smarter you probably have your own business which entitles you to certain memberships at certain wholesalers such as Costco and Makro. These wholesalers can save you a hell of a lot due to bulk quantities, large sizes and some instances of no VAT on certain goods. However don’t be lead to believe that wholesalers are always cheap, I’ve come across many things which are cheaper at my local Sainsbury’s or Tesco’s.
5) Set yourself a buffer on your account
Set yourself a buffer on your account, what does this mean? Promise your self that you will not allow the money in your account to fall below a certain figure (e.g. I will not allow my account to fall below £2,000), this is sure to see you through a rainy day and boost your confidence in yourself.
6) Use public transport or walk
Depending on the distance between your location and the destination in question, using public transport could be cheaper.
My business partner Adam lives in Northampton, I live in London. If I were to drive to Northampton and back it would cost me around £26.00 and take me around two hours. I can get a return ticket with London Midland for £12.00 with a journey duration of one hour. Not only do I save money but also time, which is money.
Walking is also a good one, if my destination is up to four bus stops away, I walk. Not only do I save myself a return bus fare I get some much needed exercise. Bus stops in central london (where I live) are fairly close. I wouldn’t suggest walking if this is not the case with your town.
As you can can see there are many ways of saving money, we’ve only listed six. Here is something important to bear in mind, never have the ‘it’s only a 20p’ or ‘it’s just a pound’ attitude because it’s the pennies that make the pounds and you chances of earning a considerable amount could be fairly limited if you do not value pennies or small pounds. A pound can be the the difference bet ween being a profit and braking even.
We’d love to hear about your money saving tips – just comment below.