Ladies, it’s time to start shopping like a man. With the summer sales starting, avoid the impulse buys and stick to buying the things you’ll actually wear. “It’s time for me to take a leaf out of my husband’s book,” says Lisa Markwell in The Independent. “He has just bought ten T-shirts from Gap to last him for the next year – and that’s it.”
Men are rarely caught out by the impulse buys that are a woman’s shopping downfall. Plan what you need to buy and stick to it. That way your purse can actually benefit from a sale, rather than spending a fortune on all those “must-haves” that then spend two years at the back of your wardrobe.
Avoid bank charges abroad
There is now another way to avoid paying bank charges while abroad. As well as Nationwide’s FlexAccount, which does not charge for withdrawing cash abroad, Abbey has launched the Zero card, which is free to use abroad.
Save money on concert booking fees
If you’re planning on going to concerts this summer, think before you buy, says The Independent. Booking fees have increased dramatically in recent years, so you can now end up paying an extra 20% on top of the price of the ticket in the form of booking fees, card processing fees, and postage. If you can get to the venue, find out if you can call in and buy tickets from the box office. You may still have to pay a card processing fee, but it will be cheaper than lining the pockets of booking agencies.
Stick to a high gear while driving
“You can use less fuel by using your gears wisely,” says Kara Gammell in The Sunday Telegraph. Always drive in the highest gear possible. A car doing 37mph in third gear uses 25% more fuel than one driving in fifth gear.
Make the most of your loyalty cards
27 million loyalty cards are clogging up the wallets of Britain, according to moneyexpert.com but “millions of us are failing to claim the points we have already built up,” says Ali Hussain in The Sunday Times. That means that businesses win twice by getting our custom yet not actually having to hand out the loyalty bonuses. So dig out that Advantage card or Clubcard and find out what you are missing out on. For example, if you have a Tesco Clubcard credit card you can exchange your points for money-off shopping. But the better deals lie in the clubcard offers. For example, 650 points can be exchanged for £6.50 off your Tesco shopping, or £26 worth of offers on the Clubcard website.
Get a cheap service for your boiler ahead of the winter rush
“Low summer demand means big boiler companies are offering cheap deals,” says Martin Lewis on Moneysavingexpert.com. British Gas’s service price is currently £49 down from £79 and nPower is offering £30 services on Tuesdays to Thursdays when you book before August.