Contributed post
Saving money is one of the best habits that you can form throughout your lifetime. It allows you to rest assured that you have money saved away for a rainy day, and to save for the luxuries in life that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. When your household income is low it can be hard to even begin to think about putting money away each month, because you know full well that you will be delving back into it to pay for your monthly bills. However, there are some tactical actions that you could be applying to your everyday life which could save you money! Here are some surprisingly easy ways to save money without depositing a penny into your bank account.
The first thing that you should be considering is how to get money back on the purchases that you make each week. And yes, it’s more than possible to do so. There are apps like Shopmium that you can download and check which items you will be able to get cashback on. It might mean you buying a slightly different brand that week, but if it means getting money back for it, doesn’t it make it worth the while? The app is well thought out and will tell you which supermarkets are offering this deal. All you have to do is buy your regular groceries, scan your receipt and claim the money back for you to enjoy (or most likely keep in the bank incase you need it). Either way, it’s a brilliant way of making money back on your groceries. Over time you could save yourself some serious money. If you want to be really clever about it, calculate how much cash back you’re receiving and put that away so that you can watch it build over time, you’ll be surprised at how much you can truly save!
One of the largest expenses that many households pay for is their car insurance, and in this day and age it’s hard to imagine life without a car. However, with the prices constantly rising you will have probably already noticed that so has your car insurance too (or at least it hasn’t got any cheaper anyway). You should search for a cheap car insurance comparison website like Money Expert. Remember that with all insurance companies there is room for a little bit of haggling too, as each company is desperate to keep their customers while gaining new ones. So, if you find yourself a cheaper deal with another insurer, haggle down with your current one before making any changes as it’s likely that they will offer you a better deal to keep your custom!
The same type of idea can be applied to other bills such as your utility bills. Have you ever looked at your monthly bills and had to sit down in shock that you’re having to pay so much for heating and electricity? Yeah, us too. Luckily, your providers can also be talked down in price, much alike car insurance providers. Often these companies offer what they call tariffs, and if you take the time to call them with the threat to leave for a cheaper deal, they will magically find you a cheaper tariff which I’m sure you will find much more agreeable. The same goes with phone bills, TV deals, and even your broadband supplier! Get yourself on the phone so that you can save yourself a few pretty pennies each month and let your bank balance grow!
Finally, if you’re in the UK it’s likely that your bank account offers a change saving service alongside your current account. This is where with each spend they will take the remainder of the change to make it up to the nearest pound, and deposit it into a separate part of your account. So, if you spent £5.48, the 52p would be deposited into another section of your account. As you can imagine, with each daily and weekly spend this amount soon grows. The best part? You can access it whenever you please and the interest rates are usually quite pleasing to look at too. Query your bank to see if they can offer you this service!
As you can see, you don’t necessarily have to work all of the hours under the sun to earn yourself a little spare cash each month. Apply these methods to your life and begin enjoying seeing that little bit extra in your bank account each month!