There are many ways that someone can save money, but there are some more specific methods that I have personally used and found to be particularly successful. Click through to see them:
Create a budget
The most important thing to do when trying to save money is creating a budget. Budgeting is essentially devising patterns, and humans are creatures of habit by nature, so the more you do it, the easier it will become. And it’s easy to begin with. Take your monthly income, take off your expenses (bills etc) and essentials (food etc) then decide how much you want/need to save from the remaining sum. It’s easy as that! There is even plenty of free budgeting software and apps out there that can help you plan and stick to your budget.
This could be full!
Sell what you don’t use
If you’re like me, you probably have a load of things lying about your house that you don’t need. These can range from old mobile phones, old computers, games, DVDs, books, furniture, electrical goods…the list goes on. So, why not sell all of this? Today, there are so many places, online and in the real world, where you can sell all of this. You might not get a lot of money back for each thing, could be something like 50p per DVD, but if you take into account all of the things you have but don’t need, it could add up to a tidy little sum. You can even sell things that don’t work. I recently sold my broken PS3 on eBay for £17! £17 for something that doesn’t even switch on! The buyer said he “needed the parts.” I didn’t question it, I just took his money and went on my merry way. There is always going to be someone who will buy your stuff, you just need to look for the proper places to sell them. Gumtree is a godsend for this, especially as it has localised listings.
Not necessarily worthless!
Brand Names
Particularly when it comes to food/grocery/household shopping, it is very, very tempting to always buy brand names because they are ‘better’ or ‘tastier’. While I can’t comment on people’s personal opinions (well, I could, but I probably shouldn’t) what I can say is that the store brand ‘cheap stuff’ does the same job as the brand names. If you really, really have to have the brand names because you love the taste of Frosties but hate Frosted Flakes then I suggest you shop smarter. Shop around first before making your shopping list, and this leads me on to the next piece of advice.
No Frills = Savings
Shop Online
Despite my fear that the human race will turn into those floating fatties from WALL-E, I still believe that we can save ourselves a lot of trouble and money by sitting in front of a computer. Online shopping is generally cheaper than shopping in store due to factors such as not paying for staff, premise rental etc. But even more (secretly) important is the fact that stores take advantage of those who are not technologically literate and have no choice but to stick to bricks and mortar shopping . But, you made it here so I’m sure you can shop online also. The fine people of the internet are making shopping online even easier for us, especially when it comes to groceries. The lovely people over at mySupermarket allow you to virtually complete your shopping list, and they will let you know which store will be the cheapest to go to. Isn’t that great? They can also arrange for home delivery. You’ve got to love the internet!
Online Shopping is Easy
Reward Yourself
If you do in fact listen to my advice, and start a budget and sell your stuff and blah blah blah, you should be rewarded. Or, at least that is my thinking. If you set yourself a goal each month and save X amount on your food shopping or save Y in your piggy bank, then you should treat yourself. Why not? It’s good for the spirit AND it’s an incentive to keep on saving, saving, saving. I like to go out to dinner as my treat, and I quite often use 5pm.co.uk or something similar to grab a bargain while I’m at it, because we don’t want to spend the whole amount we’ve saved on the meal, do we now?
Make yourself smile!
