Welcome back to Finance
Fridays after our Christmas break. Before the New Year we were
looking at winter
car care which contains some tips to keep you safe in the road at
this time of year. With 2016 upon us for this week it's all about
making the most of our money with some easy ways to save a few
pennies or in some cases pounds.
Loo roll – Toilet
paper, lavatory paper whatever you want to call it is one of life's
necessities. How much do you use in an average week though? If you
find yourself behaving like the Andrex puppy can you do with a few
less sheets? Try squeezing the the roll so it's more difficult to pull
(works particularly well on children). On subject of Andrex are you
seduced by the more expensive brands claiming extra softness? Try
switching down a price bracket and then perhaps going down another
notch in a couple of weeks. I promise you the value brands aren't
like the tracing paper they used to have in schools years ago!
Fabric conditioner –
I've never bought it on its own. Sometimes when the 2 in1brands are
on offer and cheaper from my usual brand I have purchased them. Have
I ever noticed any difference in clothes washed with or without
fabric conditioner? No. Do our clothes come resembling cardboard? No.
So save your money and save the environment from the extra chemicals
getting washed into your clothes and the water supply. Remember as
well fabric conditioner breaks down the fibres in your clothes making
them last less longer and reduces the absorbency in towels.
Ditch the gym – In
January gym new memberships are at their highest but few people who
start going are still so dedicated come 1st February.
Therefore the best thing to do is not join in the first place. Save
on the initial joining fee, any further monthly charges and all the
clothes, shoes and bag required. Instead opt for free exercise. This
week I only needed a few items from the supermarket so I walked there
and back. It also meant I couldn't be tempted into buying any extra
things I didn't need thus saving more money. If you're after more
structured or rigorous exercise try YouTube tutorials or get running
with the free weekly 5km events held by parkrun
each Saturday morning around the country.
Check your receipts –
Many things I buy are reduced or on offer but what price it shows on
the price sticker or shelf isn't necessarily what you are charged.
Always check your receipt after you have paid and before you leave
the shop. This Sunday I nipped into one of my local supermarket and
found the cream had been reduced to 10p. Since we were going to use
the cream that night anyway it was a bargain. Once I paid for
everything I checked the receipt and found I had been charged the
full price of 84p. One trip to customer services and the assistant
actually gave me the full 84p back.
Don't use contactless
payments – Being able to pay without putting your PIN in does
save a few seconds but it also makes spending much easier. Since you
don't have to think so much about every purchase and confirm the
amount your spending habits can run away from you especially now the
limit has been increased to £30. A lunchtime trip out could mean one
expensive coffee, a takeaway sandwich or salad and a magazine. In
around 10 minutes you could be around £15 down without thinking
about it.
What little things could you
do to save money this year?
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Some useful tips here - I think the contactless payments one is something that would catch me out easily. I always have to remember to ask them for a receipt, as I really would lose track otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI confess I loathe cheap loo paper, especially that awful thin stuff that comes on huge rolls in public loos, that you have to spend ages persuading to appear then have to pull out yards and yards because it's so thin and useless. I find nice thick loo paper actually costs less in the long run because you use less of it.
ReplyDeleteAs for contactless payments, it's something I really don't see the point of. Who needs to save a few seconds that badly? And in any case it saves ££££££'s if you make and take your own sandwiches!
Some really great tips here. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Can highly recommend Parkrun, My daughter goes to the junior one every week and it's great x
ReplyDeleteSneezing the roll! I always squeeze mine and it stops the boys getting too many sheets! My biggest tip would be just use less. Less shampoo etc. We often just use too much!
ReplyDeleteLove the toilet paper tip but so you mean squeeze, not sneeze ;0) - we buy large packs at Home Bargains for a fraction of the price than the supermarkets
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, I totally agree about fabric conditioner, I think it's an appalling chemical to add to things and should be banned! (Yes I'm that anti it!) Also agree about loo roll and the gym. Contactless payment hardly exists in France so that's not an issue for me but I can see how it would be easy to over spend using it.
ReplyDeleteThese are all useful tips. Instead of fabric conditioner, I use dryer balls in my tumble dryer to soften towels and bedding. I wait until they're nearly dry and then finish them off in the tumble dryer.
ReplyDelete