With the credit crunch biting into your wallet and living costs rising, everyone is looking to cut their outgoings, says Ruth Jackson. Here are seven money-saving tips
1. Visit car pool site Liftshare.com, says Fleur Britten in the Sunday Times Style magazine. You don’t have to have your own car to enjoy the benefits – just register and tap in your journey and the website will give you list of other people who are taking the same route and will let you join them. “It makes for quite a weird encounter, but a welcoming one,” says Britten.
2. Next, try Freebieworld, says Britten. It is a user-generated network on which people post information on offers and giveaways. Think vouchers, competition prize listings and general freebies. This week, popular posts include information about how to get free binoculars from the RSPB and a free sim card from T-Mobile.
3. Get cheaper food. Britten suggests road kill – but for those who would prefer to roam the aisles, rather than the A23, there are ways to cut your food bills at Mysupermarket.com, says David Budworth in The Times. The site allows you to compare the price of your usual shopping list at the big four supermarkets: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Ocado (Waitrose), and then order from the cheapest one. The website claims this can save the average family 20% of their weekly food bill. Otherwise, just head for budget chains Lidl, Aldi and Netto, where everything is cheaper.
4. Get an energy use meter from Theowl.com. These show you your household’s actual energy consumption in pence per hour. Get one and you’ll quickly start turning lights off and only half-filling the kettle, says Terry Slavin in The Observer – even the kids will get involved. “My children were transformed into eco shock-troopers over night”. Don’t want to pay Theowl.com for the meter? Then become a Scottish and Southern Electricity customer and sign up for the Betterplan tariff. Not only do you get a cost monitor for free, but save 10% of your annual energy usage and they’ll give you £15. E.ON is also planning to start giving the monitors away.
5. Use MoneySavingExpert.com to donate money to Burma for free. The site will give 50p to Oxfam’s Burma crisis appeal for every person who signs up to its free daily email before midnight on 11 May.
6. Start haggling. “Yes, you might feel rude trying to bargain down a price, but you’re not,” says Alison Tyler in the Daily Mail. Many staff in high-street shops, including Currys, Dixons and PC World, have a percentage of discount that they are allowed to offer – usually only about 2%. Also look for added extras. “Always try to get your batteries thrown in for free, or shoe polish with new shoes,” says Martin Lewis in the Daily Mail.
7. Have a cheap night out. You can get as much as 50% off a meal at a fancy restaurant if you book through Toptable.co.uk, says Jasmine Birtles in the Daily Express. You can get free drinks or big reductions on your meal and every time you book you earn points towards a completely free meal.
One to avoid
Invest in a sewing machine and save yourself a fortune, says Rosie Millard in The Independent, who managed to make two dresses with “no zips, buttons or pleating” for £15, excluding the cost of the sewing machine. It also took her eight hours. More of a hobby for the time-rich than a money-saving tip, we think.