The world is an upside-down place at the moment. Every time I turn on the news look at the papers or just speak to anyone. There is one hot topic the cost of living. We are all just getting over the pandemic and the financial burdens that were put on us all. But now wamp bamp we are being hit in the face with a very scary and unpredictable future.
Money is on everyone's minds. We are all feeling the massive pinch. I went to put fuel in my car the other day and could not believe how much this has gone up. I live in the Highlands and I rely on my car. I have heard many people say just don't do long car journeys but for example, my dentist is an 80-mile round trip. Yes, 80 miles and that is where my supermarket is. So how would I be able to live without doing long trips?
Then there is the energy crisis. Again I don't want to sound like a broken record but I live in the Scottish Highland. Whilst the rest of the UK has had a heatwave we have not we have cold and rainy weather and I have had to put my heating on. So I rely on a bit more energy than most people and I like you are concerned that this is just getting more and more expensive and energy bills are just going to get out of control.
Today I want to talk about ways to save money because let's face it, we all could use some extra cash right now
1. Your house
Firstly and foremost you need to really look at your house. How energy efficient is it? do you have good insulation? is your boil eco? how about that window are they letting heat escape? Summer is a great time to really sit down and think about home improvements.
Yes, sometimes you have to spend money to save money but these improvements will pay dividends in the future. There are lots of financing options available if you can not free up the cash from saving. I know I have used a loan for some big improvements you can check it out here.
But doing something like switching out your old boiler for a new one will save hundreds of pounds and will also help if you ever want to sell your house in the future.
I personally could not believe how much heat we were losing from our very old and badly fitted window. We had a surveyor come round and check the house and no wonder we were spending a fortune on heating this house. It was terrifying to see the sitting room windows had huge gaps underneath them.
It is really worth thinking about doing a major upgrade now before the cost of living gets even crazier.
2. Direct debits
Now how often do you check your direct debits? I am going to say if you are like me, never is the answer. One of my friends told me to check through my bank to really see what I was paying out in direct debits and make sure there were all still needed. I am embarrassed to say I cancelled a lot of unused items That I had been paying for for years that I do not use.
For example, I was paying for storage for an old iPad I don't have anymore. I had direct debit to streaming services I don't watch and to be honest, don't remember watching. I had one for 99p I still have no idea what it was for. Yes, that's a small amount but I don't know what it is for. So goodbye to you.
So the moral of the story check your bank accounts and save yourself some money.
3. Shop around
Hello, my name is Laura and sometimes I am lazy. I am normally so good if I need an item I will spend time checking it out and picking the best deal. I will find a coupon code too or use a cashback site. But sometimes I am lazy and will just buy something in a shop or department store. I know that is the most expensive place to buy anything.
By shopping around you can save yourself hundreds of pounds a year. It is also really simple. Pop the item in google and bam you have lots of options. I recommend signing up to cashback sites and using them. They really do make a difference and will help you earn money on the stuff you are buying anyways.
This goes for store point cards like the Coop. these have a great system where you earn points which can be converted to money to buy items in-store and you can also choose a local charity that your money will go to also a win-win. Also, it goes without saying to wait for a sale or discount code. These are always right around the corner so hang on in there if you can, especially for big purchases like vacuum cleaners and dishwashers.
4. Sensible switches
Now we can all be creatures of habit and continually buy the same products. I know I am partial to some high-end skincare and I do like M&S. But I have found by doing a little bit of research and shopping around I can save a fortune on my shopping, especially my weekly shopping.
I have switched to Aldi and I have saved a fortune don't get me wrong I still buy the odd bit in M&S but most of my food now comes from Aldi and I would go as far as saying it is actually better. The veg is fresher for longer and the saving are incredible. I spend £27 the other day on a weekly shop. Yes for a week of food for the two of us. I wasn't holding back that had all our favourite meats, veg, fruit and treats. I just made a conscious effort to buy alternatives to brand names and the saving was incredible. I have to say I haven't noticed a difference at all.
For skincare, I have switched over to using products from the inky list and the ordinary. They have all the best ingredients that my high-end creams and serums but at reasonable prices. Get on over there.
There are so many sensible swaps to make like changing supermarkets and skincare brands. This also goes for things like gym memberships why not check out the prices for all the gyms in your area I bet you can get a better deal somewhere else. It is always worth checking.
Whilst we are on the sensible swap. Always always check your insurance and get a better deal shop around check the comparison site and make sure you are on the best deal. This will save you a fortune.
5. Selling
One of the best ways to make some extra cash is to sell your unwanted clothing and item. Come on, tell me you use all your clothes and there are not clothes you have in your wardrobe that haven't seen the light of day in years? This could be due to a change in your style weight loss or weight gain what every reason. This could be money in your bank instead of it just hanging there doing nothing and losing value.
Get on one of the reselling apps like Vinted or Depop. I buy lots of items from these places. Because I can get high-end items at a low cost. I have bought lovely dresses for weddings that I plan on reselling back on there. These dresses I wear once then they just hang in my closet looking at me. So why not make money on them?
This goes for wanted sports items. Do you have a treadmill that is now a clotheshorse? What about that bike you bought in the pandemic that you don't use? Sell it and get the money. Why are you keeping it? Put it on your local buy sell Facebook group and get your sell some extra cash.
I hope this has given you some idea on how to save money and make a little bit of cash too.
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