21 ways to save £100 this week
This can bring down your tax bill substantially and if you haven’t done it before, you could be owed a serious refund too. Tax refunds can be backdated up to four years and on average people can claim back between £2,500 and £3,000 according to tax refund company Tommy’s Tax.
SWITCH TO SAVE
SET aside a couple of hours this week to find the best deals on all your boring bills like energy, broadband, insurance and mobile phone.
Comparison sites such as Compare The Market, Money Supermarket and Confused can help you get cheaper versions.
If you haven’t switched for a couple of years you should be able to save about £1,000 over the year, particularly if you switch all your insurance policies.
SHOP AROUND
IF YOU’RE looking to buy something, it’s increasingly easy to search around for the best price.
Use comparison sites such as Onbuy, Idealo and Pricerunner to find the lowest price.
DO A BUDGET FOR THE WEEK
THE more we can budget and plan ahead the more money we save.
Use a free budgeting app such as Hyperjar which helps you apportion money for different types of spending and gives you 4.8% interest while it’s sitting in ‘jars’.
SELL UNWANTED GIFTS
ENOUGH time has lapsed since Christmas to make it acceptable to start selling the stuff you didn’t want.
Try Facebook groups, ebay, Gumtree and nextdoor.com to convert unwanted gifts into cash.
ASK FOR YOUR ENERGY CREDIT TO BE REPAID
DO YOU pay your energy bill by direct debit every month? If you pay the same amount each time it’s possible that you are nicely in credit now.
Check to see if you are and, if so, ask for some of your overpayment to be sent to your bank account.
According to uswitch.com, almost 13 million households across the UK are owed money by their energy supplier, with an average reclaim amount of £136.
MAKE YOUR OWN CLEANING PRODUCTS
SAVE yourself money and improve the environment by using homemade cleaning products instead of the chemical-based manufactured ones.
White vinegar, lemons, newspaper, bicarbonate of soda and sugar soap are pretty much all you need to clean the house safely and efficiently, as I showed in an article on that subject on moneymagpie.com
GET WHAT YOU’RE ENTITLED TO
SEE if there are any benefits or tax credits you’re entitled to that you haven’t applied for at turn2us.org.uk and use its calculator.
YOU COULD CLAIM A GRANT
WHILE you’re on the Turn2us charity’s site, see if you qualify for a cash payout from one of the many grant-making bodies it has access to.
There are hundreds and at least one is likely to apply to you. There is money for people who work or have worked in the drinks industry, in the provisions industry and the caravanning industry, for vegetarians or vegans under 25 and for Scottish people living within 35 miles of Charing Cross, London, for at least two years. That’s just for starters!
SPEAK TO LOCAL AUTHORITY
IF YOU did not get a furlough payment and don’t qualify for Universal Credit, speak to your local authority about getting a one-off discretionary payment.
Not all councils have the money to cover these but it’s worth a try.