30 money saving tips anyone can follow
I do like to spend, but I’m also a saver. Plus any chance I can get to save some money and get a bargain is a bonus. We all want to find easy ways to save money without really feeling we’re short of cash.
I’ve pulled together 30 simple ways to save money. Some I live by, others in an ideal world I’d live by, and others don’t apply to us but I know that they’re brilliant ideas and work for others. So here’s my list
30 Money saving tips
1, Use freebie sites to donate, and hopefully find items that you need. Our local freecycle website is quite active, and there’s also a Facebook version.
2, Swap clothes – have a clothes swap party (named ‘swishing’) with friends. You could do kids or adults, just make sure you’ve got a good mix of people, or all of similar size.
3, Swap services, so if you’ve got expertise in one thing, then barter it in exchange for a service you need.
4, Set up a local babysitting circle. Our estate used to have one as there were lots of families, a few tokens, and it meant people had free babysitting (well for x number of tokens). Saves a lot of money each night, and you don’t have a 15 year old teen looking after your kids…it’s not great for teenagers wanting to earn some money though.
5, Keep nail polishes in the fridge – they should last longer.
6, Buy a big vat of petroleum jelly and use it with cotton pads/wool to remove eye make up. Works as well as expensive eye make up removed, and costs a lot less
7, Train your hair to not need washing as much…I used to wash daily, then read Lulastic’s blog about stopping using shampoo. Although I’ve not gone to that extreme, by washing every other day, you use half the amount of shampoo in the same time.
8, Save cardboard or tissue paper from clothes packaging. The card can be used for kids painting/artwork, tissue paper for gift wrapping.
9, If you buy online, sign up to cashback sites. I use Topcashback – you either get cash back, or you can convert your earned cash to Amazon vouchers with an extra bonus.
10, If you’re signed up to websites for things like flash sales, watch out for referral links. Quite often if your friends sign up through your referral link, you’ll get credit to spend – it can be up to £10 per person signed up
11, Enter competitions. I shouldn’t say it because the more people who enter, the less chances I have of winning, but competitions are largely free to enter, especially online. You even get professional compers so the saying, you have to be in it to win it, really is true.
12, Stock up on stamps before the prices go up. Generally prices go up in April, buy in March 1st and 2nd class, and you’ll have a good stock ready for Christmas at a lower cost
13, Look out for 5% off stamps offers at places like Superdrug.
14, Use voucher websites. You can even use them through smartphone apps, so always have discounts with you at every moment.
15, Ask about different prices at your local leisure centre, eg if you swim a lot you might be able to buy block swims for a much lower price.
16, Use websites like Love Food Hate Waste to find out how to use leftovers
17, Cloth nappies work out cheaper in the long run – don’t buy lots before trying – you can often rent some from your local council or NCT.
18, Use nearly new sales for baby equipment and clothing.
19, Have a saved search ready for local only ebay auctions. Often local items go for lots cheaper, so you can get some real bargains.
20, Use your local library for books, dvds, magazines and games.
21, Have a staycation holiday….camp in your garden, visit local sites
22, If your baby is on formula and has no dietary/reasons to remain on a specific milk, then switch to follow on milk at 6 months old. My health visitor admitted that it’s essentially the same as newborn milk, but because manufacturers are allowed to advertise and promote it, you can buy on deal and get loyalty points when buying it.
23, When pregnant, sign up for every baby shop/supermarket club. You’ll get extra points, discounts/vouchers, information emails, and they often continue to early toddlerhood.
24, If you buy ebooks, watch out for free or book offers. Save links to free book lists and you’ll discover some new authors for nothing. If you have Amazon Prime, make sure you use the Amazon library (10 free books out at a time), and make use of the free read option each month.
25, Make your own wrapping paper. Get a big roll of brown paper, make some potato or apple stamps and print with paint. Personalised gift wrap.2
26, Reuse glass jars. Clean, then use glass paint, stickers or paint to make vases, or new storage jars.
27, Make homemade gifts. Foods like sweets, truffles, flavoured oils etc are fun to make and cheap especially if you’re re-using old jars and bottles.
28, Send in your tips to magazines – many will pay if they’re published.
29, Meal plan and make enough to have leftovers. You’ll not waste as much food as you’ll only buy what you need, and you’ll often be able to make enough for 2 meals
30, Don’t buy smelly products to make your trainers smell nice. Sprinkle bicarb inside, leave overnight (or a few days if they’re really smelly), brush off and you should have fresh smelling shoes for pennies.
So there you have it, 30 ways to save money. Put the money you save away in a savings account to get interest. Or if you want to put money away for a holiday or Christmas presents, just a sealed box at home will mean you’ll have a stash of money for when you need it.
How do you save money?