The world is coming round to my penny-pinching ways. A new survey from uSwitch.com reveals that frugality is fast becoming the norm. These days, 51% of us take packed lunches to work, 52% have dusted off their piggy banks to hoard small change, and 36% of Britons are more likely to pick coins up off the street than they were a year ago.
However, some may be taking things a little too far. Of those surveyed, 20% are saving money by cutting their own, or a family member’s, hair. So expect a surge in pudding bowl sales.
Get discounted clothing from ‘flash’ sales
Sign up to discount sites, such as Vente-privee.com or BrandAlley.co.uk, and they will send you email invitations to online ‘flash’ sales that can last anything from a few hours to several days, says Huma Qureshi in The Observer.
Last month, Vente-Privee was selling off Cacharel dresses for around £25 compared with a usual retail price of £200. Or head down to a sample sale to bag a designer bargain. You can sign up at websites such as Samplesaleslondon.co.uk, Designersales.co.uk, and Dailycandy.com to receive more information about when sales of samples are coming up near you.
Squeeze bigger savings from your railcard
If you are lucky enough to qualify for a railcard – there are several around aimed at 16-25s, Friends and Family and the elderly or disabled – you can get discounts on more than just train travel. Check Railcard.co.uk to see what offers are available with your card. At present, deals include 10% off holidays with STA Travel; a free trial and two free cinema tickets from Lovefilm.com; 25% off a meal at Bella Italia; and 10% off everything at Dress-for-Less.
Eat for less
Cheap food comes courtesy of Zizzi, who are offering 50% off main courses on Sundays-Thursdays until 31 May. Just print this voucher. Or if you fancy seafood, head to Loch Fyne with a voucher from www.lochfyne.com and get £10 off your meal.
And one to avoid…
Anyone hunting for cheap train tickets should “think twice” before booking tickets through TheTrainline.com, says Which? The site was taken over by a private-equity firm in 2006 and complaints have rocketed since then.
Customer problems include incorrect payment amounts, difficulties with cancelling tickets or obtaining refunds and tickets not arriving on time. There were just 91 complaints in 2006, but in 2008 there were 276. TheTrainline.com operates 14 out of 18 booking websites, including those for Virgin, Chiltern and South-Western trains.
If you want to avoid using it, try booking tickets through Raileasy.co.uk or NationalExpress.com.