25 Ways To Save Money- Part 2

Last month I brought you the first part in my ways to save money series and now I’m back with a second part.

With life getting more and more expensive so many of us are looking for ways to save a few pennies here and there. All of the money adds up even if it doesn’t feel like it.,

26. Get a tastecard for meals out

Getting a tastecard can half the bill of eating out if you go to certain restaurants. We love eating out and need to make the most of our tastecard even more to save some pennies.

27. Save money by keeping an eye on the latest deals

To make sure you get the best prices possible, check out all the hot deals available. The site is updated all the time so there will always be new deals and even competitions to enter

28. Car share whenever you can

The price of fuel is at an all time high right now so utilise car sharing whenever possible. If you’re currently driving to work see if anyone else lives local and you can car-share with. But also use it for events/ festivals, or anywhere where you need to travel. You can also use an app like BlaBlaCar. Not only will you save money but you’ll lower your carbon footprint.

29. Save money by looking for yellow label bargains

Supermarkets and shops will reduce perishable food in the evenings by as much as 75% to avoid it being wasted. So you can save money on fresh food by working out the best times to visit your local supermarket for the yellow label deals. Keep a special eye open for any great deals that you can freeze.

30. Ask for price matches

Some shops will offer price matches if you find a lower price on a branded item elsewhere. This could save you a lot of money on things like appliances and bigger ticket item. Have a look online to see which retailers offer it.

31. Save money by selling your old items

This isn’t strictly saving money, it’s making additional money. But we all have items in our homes or wardrobes that we no longer love or use. Make the most of sites such as Vinted, Depop and eBay to sell those items. If you have more niche or high value items you may be able to find specific Facebook or selling groups.

32. If you’re studying make the most of student discount

If you’re studying at university, college or even online through the Open University make sure you take advantage of student discount. Sites such as UNiDAYS and Student Beans can show you online and in store discounts. You can also purchase TOTUM membership which is £14.99 for 12 months to access a whole range of discounts.

33. Save by money by trading in old tech

When ever you upgrade your mobile phone, or something like an Apple watch look at trading in your old version as quickly as possible before it loses value. Most phone retailers will offer a discount on a new item when you trade in, or you can opt for cash/ vouchers. Luke traded in his old iPhone and it saved us about £15 a month on his finance for his new phone which added up to quite a lot over the 2 month period. You can also use stores such as CeX or websites such as Music Magpie etc.

34. Volunteer at events and festivals

Festivals and music event tickets can be expensive and that’s without what you’ll spend when you get there. But at most you can cut the cost by volunteering. You will need to work for some of the time but you’ll usually get some time off to watch the bands, or only work certain shifts over the weekend. You may be handing out wristbands, watching out on campsites or picking up rubbish. I talked about a few ways to get free festival access here.

35. Save money by swapping or quitting your gym

Gyms can be an expensive monthly cost, especially if you’re not making the most of it. Consider working out at home through YouTube workouts or apps such as Peloton, or choose a lower-cost contract-free gym like Pure Gym or The Gym for just £14.99 a month. If you’re not sure see if you can freeze your current membership for a few months and see whether you miss it.

36. If you’re on O2 or Vodafone use your perks

O2 have O2 moments, and Vodafone have their own version where you may be able to get freebies, exclusive discounts or priority items. It’s always worth keeping an eye on what’s available. I got free All Points East tickets with O2 a few years ago, and Vodafone have done some great discount offers before.

37. Save money by sharing subscriptions

By the time you add NetFlix, Disney+, Spotify, YouTube Premium and all the other subscriptions up it can work out expensive. Look at sharing some subscriptions with friends or family. You might pay for a family membership to Spotify, and your friend pays for NetFlix. That way you can have all the subscriptions without paying for them all.

38. Use calendar reminders to evaluate your finances

Utilise your phone or computers calendar to remind you when to check renewal prices, and monthly to evaluate your outgoings and expenditure. By checking everything regularly you’ll know what you’re spending and be able to save money before it’s too late.

39. Save money by swapping magazines for Readly

If you’re a big magazine fan you can save money by ditching physical copies and signing up to Readly. Through Readly you can read thousands of different magazines and newspapers without paying for them individually. It works out at about £10 a month, but can be far cheaper than multiple subscriptions. You can get a month for free to see how you get on with it.

40. Utilise the library

It took me ages to re-sign up to my local library as I assumed all the books would be older. But I was so wrong! My local library has all of the latest books and it’s totally free to sign up! I’ve saved so much money not buying books but borrowing them instead. Libraries have a whole host of things from cookbooks to graphic novels.

41. Save money by renting out your spare room

Again this is more making money than saving it, but renting out a room can give you a cash boost. If you have the space and don’t mind sharing your space this could be a great option. With the governments Rent a Room Scheme you can earn £7,500 a year tax free.

42. You can also rent out your car parking space

If you live close to a train station or major place such as a music venue, airport or shopping centre you can make some extra cash by renting out your car parking space. I rented a space from someone who lived close to Wembley Arena and I got cheap parking and they made a free pounds. Use sites such as Just Park or Your Parking Space. And if you’re looking for parking consider someones drive as opposed to an expensive multi storey car park.

43. Save money by using Snoop

There are loads of apps and websites that can help save you money by Snoop is a great one. It lets you see all of your bank accounts in one place and the app crawls your transactions, spending and bills to see if it can save you any money. It might suggest a discount code for somewhere you shop often, or somewhere to find a better deal on your home insurance.

44. Become a dog walker

If you’re in a job where you have days off during the week, or you work from home and can be flexible with your breaks then dog walking could be for you. Dogs need regular walks but not everyone can take them out everyday, so if you love dogs and want to stay fit this could be a good fit. You can sign up on sites such as Tailster or Dog Buddy.

45. Save money by not purchasing straight away

If you’re looking to buy items online and you don’t have to worry too much about stock levels create an account, fill your online basket and then click away. Sometimes stores will then email to remind you about your basket and they may include a little discount code.

46. Always look for a code

Before you buy anything online check for a discount code to save you money. I always Google the store to begin with, but you can also download a Chrome plugin called Honey that will look around for you. This is something I always do before ordering things like Pizza Hut and Dominoes as well as there’s always a discount code knocking about somewhere.

47. Save money by checking your phone contract

Too often we’ll go for the contract with the most amount of data, but we don’t always use it. See how much data and minutes you use on average and find the best contract for you. I opted for a £20 sim only contract as I didn’t need the additional data of the most expensive ones.

48. When using Amazon keep an eye out for deals

Certain items go on sale regularly on Amazon, so if you’re not in a rush you can use Camel Camel Camel to check the price history. You can also go to the website or app and set up deal alerts for particular products. This way if something you want to buy goes into the sale you’ll know about it straight away.

49. Save money on trains with a railcard

If you use the trains quite a lot there are lots of different railcards on offer that could save you money. I have a network railcard that cost me £30 for a year, but I save about £5-10 on each journey into London so it paid for itself in a little over a month.

You can input your local station, when you travel and who with and the railcard site will tell you which card will be the most beneficial for you.

50. Save money by splitting your journey on trains

Sometimes it’s cheaper to book two single train tickets than a return ticket so make sure you check all the different prices. And if you’re searching on your laptop use an incognito browser for the best prices.

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