Years of being able to spend whatever I want has ruined me. It’s not that I am rich, but getting a decent job straight out of uni and living in a house share meant that I had a fair bit of money left each month after all my expenses – more than most graduates. I never went crazy, but if I wanted to buy something, I could buy it.
It wasn’t until I moved into my own flat a few years ago and I was paying everything myself that I realised how much I was spending on things I don’t need! A year later, I moved in with my boyfriend. This did mean I was financially better off, but I had learnt my lesson and saved money instead of spending it. Here’s how I did it.
Shopped around for car insurance.
Not only did I make sure I shopped around for car insurance, but I also checked websites directly to see if I could get a cheaper deal if I didn’t go through a price comparison site! I even checked my current insurance company as a new customer. Sometimes it’s cheaper to cancel your existing policy and start again, rather than continue with your current one. I did look into the best Motor vehicle bond but realised that 0ption was out of my price range. By a lot.
Research reliable companies online.
Whether you want to get a gold bullion, book a holiday or buy a new computer – ensure you research the company you are buying from. Sadly, there are many ways that people are getting scammed these days through offers that are too good to be true and fake products or websites.
The same goes for when you buy from eBay – remember that time I bought a fake Naked palette? I was trying to be thrifty and save some money, so shopped around and saw the palette on sale a lot cheaper than anywhere else! It looked too good to be true.
Guess what – it was.
Not only can fake products cost you money, but they can be poor quality and even dangerous.
Always research, especially when it’s a high-value product!
Allow some luxury.
Trying to save money doesn’t mean you have to give up your favourite things! You just need to limit buying some things and shop around for cheaper ones.
Wine lovers can find plenty of websites that offer discounts or special wine clubs to save money, like Naked Winery, for example.
There are websites such as Groupon where you can get various discounts on trips, entertainment and experiences as well as sales on throughout the year for almost everything, happy hours and half-price menu times are also a good thing to look out for! Always look for the best offer.
Batch cook.
Food can end up costing lots of money if you buy by meal and don’t use all your ingredients. A way around this is to batch cook. You can freeze meals or take them to work the next day.
I’ve recently started cooking more food and making two or three days worth of meals for work out of it! It means less food goes to waste (usually veg and herbs spoil and end up in the bin) and I don’t need to spend more money at work!
Know product life cycles.
I know you might be keen to get things when they soon come out but sometimes waiting a few weeks or months might save you some dollar! For example, last week I spent £18 on a Xbox One game that was £46 when it came out in September! Worth it!
How do you ensure you’re being a bit more thrifty with your cash?
