To ask for your best money saving tip?

[AirFried]

What have you found genuinely made a difference? I’m thinking things that are accessible, not ‘paid off our mortgage early’ or ‘put £10k savings into this that or that or the other’ stuff which is suitable for lower incomes too…

is this a joke? walk about in the dark? You know most light bulbs now cost about 1p to run per day?
For the sake of 0.0005p I'd probably just switch the light on rather than break my neck falling down the stairs in the dark.

This is the thing about money saving tips, loads of people don't have much of an idea what things actually cost and spend a lot of effort on something which results in minimal savings. You need to find the fine line between saving money vs effect on quality of life and whether it's proportionate

yes to cashback in all its shapes and forms - nectar, clubcard points, sign up for topcashback AND quidco - even better get a friend or DP to sign up then refer you, so you both get the referral bonuses, then you refer another friend, etc. Bank cards that do cashback - currently nationwide do 5% on all food shopping and chase 1% on all spending. you can team these together too so you get multiple cashback with a purchase.

Switch bank accounts regularly to get the switching bonuses.

Haven't read the full thread, so may have been mentioned, but I completely disagree with the no credit cards. They give important consumer protection. Use them wisely for this.

Also, isn't it a good idea to use credit occasionally, to maintain a good credit rating?

If I ever have to buy something over a few hundred pounds, it goes on my credit card for the reason @marshmallowfinder mentions (and then I pay it off same month).

I've not put my heating back on the thermostat and will just switch it on as needed dor the foreseeable. It's gone below the temperature that it would've clicked on and it's been fine.

Reusable thermal coffee cup / bottle for trips out.

Stop assuming kids are bothered by expensive days out. I've realised mine genuinely love the park or scooting etc.

Online grocery shopping makes it easy to compare cost by 100g etc.

Unsubscribe to relentless promo emails.

Eat all food at home

If you live alone, don't have broadband. Get a SIM only deal of 100GB for around a tenner and use the mobile hotspot for internet instead of Wifi. Then, sign up to Airtime rewards and get cashback towards your mobile bill. I've had free mobile and internet for months. 100GB is enough to do all my Teams/Zoom work meetings, as well as basic streaming and general internet use.

Don't feel that you need a second car

Run whichever car you have into the ground

Food mainly. Eat some seriously cheap meals a few times a week like dahl or chick pea curry and rice. Eat a more special meal at home rather than eating out it getting a takeaway.
Spend the bare minimum on going out. Meet friends for walks or invite each other over.
Look at all the free events in your area and do those.
Have a look at £10 a day threads in the money section and spend your online time earning some money.
Send a dc out to work (mines a teenager and has just got a job. Hooray)

Neither dh or me drive but we use buses instead on the £2 a trip journey. Bus fares are high where we live,so we save the difference we would have paid normally and put it in a tin as it's 'already spent'.
Tumble dryer died yesterday after upteen years and our saved bus money has covered the cost of a new one over five months of saving.

On needing something I tend to look second hand first then buy new if I cannot find it within a reasonable timeframe.

I look for yellow sticker foods where possible and plan meals around those. I think about what I am buying food wose more now to prevent waste.

Use a blue light card for discounts if you are eligible for this card. For people with disabilities check if there is any discount travel cards you can apply for (disabled railcard etc) and the cinema cea card for a free carer access.

I disagree with this. You can still eat what you love in moderation

You get the same from your debit card these days.

Saying that, I do have a credit card, but clear it off in full each month if I do use it... typically for things like flights and holiday accommodation booking, then pay it off a bit each week until it's cleared down.

I'd also recommend paying annually for home and car insurance... it's cheaper that way and removes a monthly DD.

Don't window shop (or if you do don't bring any money/cards with you).

Stop following influencers or anyone else trying to sell you stuff online.

Don't be loyal. Renegotiate everything when your term is over.

Honestly?

Don’t live alone! Share your home with family, friends, partner.

Think about it- The biggest expense is your home. Splitting rent/ mortgage and all your bills is a huge huge chunk.

( just have to find someone you don’t want to murder!)

I have saved a fortune by taking my own lunch to work. Plus I eat healthier too now bc of this

We have found that shopping local and not using supermarkets as much has saved us alot of money. We now use our local butchers, greengrocers and bakery for meat, fruit/veg and bread. Although some things are slightly more expensive (talking 10-20 p difference) the quality is much better and we end up being fuller from our meals. We are so far saving at least £30 a week because I'm not just walking around the supermarket and adding extras to the trolley. For everything I can't get we try to bulk buy when possible. For the last two months I've only had to buy milk from the supermarket. I appreciate how lucky I am to live somewhere with all these options in my local area, but it had made us really look at all of our spending and explore alternatives that we had never considered in the past.

To learn how to cook and not to throw food out.

I disagree. I want a safe car for my family and for people I meet on the road.

Eh?

I saved £12 per month by swapping from Vodafone to Lebara. Lebara even works on the Vodafone network so getting the same signal etc

Some absolute garbage “advice” on this thread -so instead -

1. Do not walk around in the fucking dark.
2. Do have occasional treats
3. Build a healthy history of securing, using and reliably paying off credit
4. Make sure your car is safe

I find I spend more doing this because of all the special offers they show me when I'm filling in the online bit.

Batch cook. I don't mean spending hours purposely batch cooking tho. I mean cook extra when you cook so you have a couple of extra portions in the freezer.
Saves money on gas/electric if you don't need to cook another day. And stops you getting takeaway if you feel tired or get in late.
I LOVE leftovers!

Cancel Amazon for prime. Anytime i needed something I just primed it. When I canx it I often decided I didn't need the item

Plan all meals and snacks, and only buy what you need - preferably online. Also means no food waste! Batch cooking as well saves on energy and means you have something in the freezer rather than buying fast food. Get a refurbished phone and have a SIM only plan. Check and shop around all direct debits and bills. I rarely buy new, almost everything on Vinted and eBay.