Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
38 39 30 ways to love life ...without breaking the bank
If you want to eat out for less, there are always deals to be found, says Sarah Lewis, restaurant marketing expert and founder of The Golden Chopstick Awards. “Sign up to newsletters from your favourite restaurants, as they often send offers and some even give discount cards to regulars,” she says. Sarah also suggests signing up to restaurant booking sites for deals and discounts – try opentable.co.uk, bookatable.co. uk, londoncheapeats.com and squaremeal.co.uk.
“Whenever you organise an outing with a group of friends or other families, do a kitty at the start, agree how much you want to spend and all put in the same,” advises Clare Francis, Savings and Investments Director at Barclays. “It’s a good way to set a budget for the day and you’re more likely to stick to it.”
Don’t be seduced by expensive cocktails, and opt for house wine and beer on tap instead. Never get roped into buying rounds if you’re on a budget (it rarely works out fairly). Look for happy hours and eat before you go out so you’re not tempted to binge on pricey bar snacks or stop off for food on the way home.
Stuck for ideas for budget days out? Click on to visitengland.com, visitscotland. com and visitwales.com for free and low-cost things to do.
“If
you want to eat at a nice restaurant, book a table for lunch,” advises Sarah. “Some really smart restaurants offer great value set lunch menus. It’s the same delicious food you’ll have at dinner, but more affordable.” Splashing out on full-price theatre tickets can blow your entertainment budget for the entire month, but theatre clubs can offer discounted tickets by operating a seat-filling service and matinees. You can also get access to first nights and previews. Try myboxoffice. biz, theaudienceclub.com and theatreticketsdirect. co.uk.
Entertaining children doesn’t have to cost the earth. Clare says: “Young children are just as happy going on a muddy walk as they are visiting somewhere with an entry fee. But, if you’re heading to a theme park, booking in advance can mean cheaper deals than turning up on the day.”
With the average fee for babysitting coming in at an eye-watering £8-£10 an hour, it can put as much as £40 or £50 on to the price of a night out. Form a babysitting group with friends and take turns.
Sign up to ticket sites for music, comedy and other live shows and you’ll be first to find out about pre-sale tickets and dates for general release. Check out ticketmaster.co.uk and ticketline.co.uk.
“Cut travel costs and make the most of your local area,” says Clare. “People often don’t think to check for events in their hometown, but seek out the local area website to find free and low-cost events, from charity quiz nights to art shows and farmers’ markets.”
“If you go out regularly with the same friends, apps like Payfriendz are a good way to request or send money in real time so you don’t end up out of pocket,” adds Clare.
Online voucher sites such as groupon.co.uk, moneysavingexpert.com and vouchercodes.co.uk can cut the cost of everything from eating out and