There are lots of ways to save money on your regular shopping trip.
Come equipped with all the money-off coupons you have been clipping from your magazines and newspapers and saving during the week. You should also take advantage of the money-off coupons you can find on the world wide web. Just key a phrase like “money-off coupons” into your favourite search engine. You will be directed to several sites offering these and you can then print the ones you want. Look for supermarket own brands of goods like hairspray and furniture polish. They will be basically the same product as the branded one, but you save money by avoiding expensive packaging and advertising.
It is fun to turn up at the supermarket an hour before closing time when they reduce the price of perishable food that cannot be sold the next day. You can pick up some real bargains this way. In theory, you save money by buying large economy packs of foods, particularly grains and staples like rice, but you must be careful here. You sometimes have to be a mathematical genius to work out whether you are actually making a saving by buying a huge package. Take a pencil and paper with you and work out the price per pound to make sure you are actually saving money.
Always take into account the fuel charge when assessing the expense of food. Canned food ,in particular, can appear to be less expensive in some versions than others. The cheaper can is often helpfully labelled, “Value Brand” or something like that, so that you do not have to think about it. Think about it! Often, all that is different is that the value pack has received less pre-cooking than the others. You will spend more fuel cooking the food until it is palatable and the whole meal may thereby work out more expensive.
On the subject of fuel, if you are in the habit of adding salt to your food, do so while you are cooking, rather than waiting until the end. Adding salt while cooking encourages the food to heat up more quickly, thereby saving fuel.
To save money when shopping online, register with a discount site like Quidco http://www.quidco.com/user/34029/55667 You have to click through the discount site whenever you shop online and your spending will be tracked, resulting in a discount for you.
Saving money was simple for our parents and grandparents. To save money, make it yourself. All kinds of things can be made yourself, clothes, gifts, greetings cards, food etc. But the situation is different in these days because you are not saving money if your time is worth more than the cost of the article you are making. If you can earn ten dollars in an office, but you can hand-sew an article worth half as much in the same time, you are better off financially if you work in the office and buy the gift you need in a shop.
Always remember the hundred per cent discount. This is obtained by not buying the article in the first place! Ask yourself several times whether you really need this item, whether you have already something at home that will do just as well.
The situation changes if you have a”green” posture. Then although it may not be financially advantageous to make some things yourself, from the point of view of ecological sustainability, this may make sense, as you are not just saving money, but also saving the planet. The “green” posture also helps with your snobby friends. You can tell them you are not scrimping, you are recycling!
The next point is somewhat paradoxical: give yourself treats. There is absolutely no sense in saving money if that means your life is not worth living. Put money in its place. It is a servant, not a master. Never aim for a cheap lifestyle. Aim for a luxury lifestyle at cheap prices. Do you fancy a sauna? Pay lotsa lolly at the local parlor or open your own Turkish bath inexpensively yourself at home. Take the biggest plastic waste-bin liner money can buy. Make a few needle holes in it for safety. Then boil a large pot of water on the stove. Sit on a fluffy towel, perfumed with your favorite scent. Have some great music playing. Careful not to scald yourself, place the pot between your legs. Be careful, it’s hot! Put the bin liner over your head and soak up the heat. When it is all soaked up, finish with a refreshing bath or shower. NB Be careful to keep children away from plastic bags.
You do not need a credit card. Most people in the world manage without them. It is possible to get the better of the banks by being a “credit tart”, which is to say, constantly moving your savings to the credit card provider who is offering the best deal on the day. This is a little bit like playing in a casino. The bank will probably win in the end. Opt for a basic bank account with a debit card and then you will always be living within your means.