Three ways to make/ save £100 per month

[FrankWelker]

Hi all! I need to save money in 2016. I'm aiming to save £100 per month in preparation for my hols in August . Can we each list 3 ways to try and save/ make £100 per month ( legally!)? Should get lots of ideas, some useful to me and some to others. Thanks- don't worry about repeating what someone else has suggested- it shows how useful that tip must be.

Dont buy bottled water, drink tap water in a reuseable bottle

Do not "auto renew" any regular bills or insurance, use comparison sites to shop for cheapest

Do not buy books, magazines, newspapers, CDs, videos use library or internet or swap with friends

Use a reusable shopping bag, stops you paying for bags

Do not throw any food away eat it or freeze it

Some banks I believe are offering "recommend a friend deals" where you earn some money or a new joiner bonus
www.ratesetter.com/welcome-bonus
or
Nationwide

Buy second hand or from freecycle

Thanks for the We buy books tip.

I do most of these already but that is new to me.

I love not paying RRP when I can. You can buy completely new Topshop jeans on eBay for half price - why buy them in store? You save £20 right there. I always google everything I am buying just in case it is cheaper elsewhere. Ive worried this makes me seem right but I just see it as smart..?! For example recently I needed a suede brush cleaner and just looked on eBay and got one for £2 instead of the £10 I'd pay in store.

And when it comes to daily savings, I eBay a lot myself. Every time I have a wardrobe clear out I stick it all on.

Aldi and Lidl are awesome. You can get some great food and not compromise on taste for a lot less.

Don't buy Starbucks. £3 a day adds up to a lot over a year!

Make the most of what is in your fridge - today i managed to make a butternut squash, rocket, halloumi and poached egg salad for me and hubs just by pulling out everything that I knew was about to go off.

I agree on meal planning, ebaying junk, drink tapwater and take your own lunch/coffee from home.

For big necessary expenditure always shop around, especially for online deals. White goods, computers, furniture, kids' main birthday presents etc - if you have a definite idea of what you want, it's often cheaper somewhere tucked away online.

If you're booking a holiday - try airbnb. It halves the cost of accommodation, and having a proper kitchen to cook in saves on meals out while you're away.

Book trains waaay in advance on fixed service deals. A journey can drop from £100 to £10 each way if you do this.

Have a left overs night once a week. Use up those single portions frozen in the freezer. DC love this.

Re the 123 Account, while it's still a good account and can get you loads of interest, it's now a fiver a month rather than £2.

If you are saving regularly, set a direct debit to go to the savings account on payday. Make sure you can only access the savings account by going in person (I used the credit union like this for 6 years of private school fees - was the only way I could be sure to have them saved)

TV - a satellite dish and decoder are about £100, charge to put them up about £50. If you can survive without Sky etc could save you £100 pm.

Ring round for insurance/check sites online - saved me £100 on car insurance last year and the year before.

Make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to. Check housing benefit because apparently I can have hundred odd quid a month - God knows how long I've been missing out on that!

Ring all your providers and threaten to leave - mobile/broadband/sky you get the idea.

Make sure you are submitting regular meter readings for fuel so they can't estimate your bill.

Have a treat cupboard and keep it stocked. Take a Tupperware tub out with you filled with small treats/choc and also a flask if you think you might go so where you have to wait around or be held up with the kids/on your own - impulse buying coffee/snacks out and about is like bleeding money. If you can get this under control you are halfway there. Do this with non perishable food or you end up binning it.

That's my tips - I must read the full thread now

And actually Netflix at 6 quid a month has been the best cash saving investment ever!!

If you work at a desk buy multi packs of crisps/choc and or sachets of instant porridge/noodles etc that don't go off - getting my lunch time splurging under control was a real life lesson for me and I've never quite regressed.

Council mot centre?

I second the electric blanket. Dp bought me one my god it feels like an amazing luxury I love it!

We have always had a stack of throws in the living room and the kids fully expect to use them to watch tv - if you are cold in my house layer up!

Branded baby goods/clothes will see on eBay - otherwise car boot it and devlutter as much as you can. My devlutter mission is doing well at stopping me buying crap just now.

Subscribe to brandalley and mandmdirect - if you like branded clothes but panic about the cost these sites are for you

These have worked for me:

Don't drink booze at least 6 nights a week

Don't buy cake, choc etc if you do go out for a cup of tea or fancy a treat after lunch. Healthier not to and I was spending £2-3 a time maybe 2-3 times a week, = £35 a month!

Change your phone contract. I'm amazed how many people spend £30+ a month

Draw out a set amount for housekeeping each week, and include everything in this, don't use a debit card, just the cash.
When you actually hold the money you can be more reluctant to spend it and only buy the necessary stuff.

If you have a cuppa out, have a latte, v filling and wont want cake etc

Bake a bag of jacket potatoes at once, one lot for dinner, rest for freezer, microwave for cheap, yummy lunches.

Do a big weekly shop online, easier to keep track of spending. We have a local co-op, great fir reductions.

Buy nappues, dw tablets, wipes off amazon

Eat homemade soup once a week. A couple of chicken thighs, celery, carrots, leeks will make a big pot of healthy soup. Cheap a d delicious.

Ask neighbours or friends to pet sit when you are on holiday.

I love these kinds of threads!

Yes to Aldi/Lidl - no-one in this house can tell the difference anyway

Once a week I make a larger batch of a really cheap meal that's filling and can last for 5/6 meals (so two suppers for two of us, and a lunch for me). My go-to recipe is a lentil and chorizo stew - chop onion, garlic and chorizo, brown in pan, add 2 cups of lentils, water and a stock cube, leave to simmer for 30 min.

Check your bank statements! I thought I was super-alert to this things, but my £10 p/m phone contract was massively out of date and costing £20-100 p/m. Did a quick switch, it's now (actually) £10 again.

Cut down on takeaways if that's a thing in your house - one less a month won't touch the sides.

Does anyone Else find aldi stuff goes off quite quickly? I had whole bunch of fruit and yougurt and milk going off within a day. Didn't buy from them after.

I think it might depend on the store coldest completely unhelpful - I do find I have to look a bit at fruit/veg in Aldi and Lidl to see that it looks OK, whereas in Sainsbury's or wherever I just bung it in. Some of it is on the turn, even in store, and I tend to buy bananas elsewhere. Yoghurt has always been OK.