Saving’s caring: thrifty folk share ways to stretch cash
As the cost of living squeezes household budgets, people are finding ever more creative ways to trim costs. Carphone Warehouse quizzed more than 5000 people to unearth their favourite money-saving hacks.
Here is a selection of the everyday tips they compiled. There might be a few you hadn’t thought of before which could help you save some precious pennies...
● Wearing extra clothes instead of turning on the heating (recommended by 47% of people surveyed).
● Sewing ripped or worn clothes to make them last longer (31%). It helps to be handy with a needle and thread for this money-saving trick.
● Re-wrapping gifts to give to other people (31%). While this may give unwanted goods a new purpose, take care because you do run the risk of offending the original gift-giver.
● Shopping from bargain bins (25%). Getting to know the time of day your supermarket makes markdowns, and keeping an eye on social media and emails for alerts about stores’ upcoming sales, could help to save a fortune.
● Becoming your own hairdresser to give yourself a DIY haircut (23%). Just be careful you don’t end up needing to fork out for someone to put your “on-trend” new hairdo right.
● Growing your own food (23%). A healthy moneysaving option.
● Buying clothes from charity shops (22%). You can grab a one-off bargain and put money towards good causes at the same time.
● Only drinking tap water when eating out (20%). One in five people thirsty to make some savings have tried this one out.
● Sharing bath water (13%). How appealing this is to some people may rather depend on who you’re living with.
● Charging your phone or laptop at work (20%). One in five say they have tried out this one – but it’s wise to check with the boss first or risk getting into trouble. Plus, your colleagues may not take too kindly to tripping over a mass of wires plugged in at your desk.
● Stockpiling free condiments from restaurants (11%).
● Eating at a friend or relative’s house (8%). This could save you cash – but at someone else’s expense. If you start turning up to a loved one’s house with a knife and fork and a napkin tied round your neck, it could be a fast way to ruin a friendship.
● Brewing your own beer or wine (7%). If you love a tipple and have the space at home, this could be a good option to reduce costs.
● Searching for discount codes online (7%). A quick win to get instant money off an internet purchase.
● Watering down drinks such as juice or milk (7%).
● Buying books secondhand (7%).
● Negotiating utility contracts one month before renewal (5%).
● Asking shop assistants for discounts on damaged goods (4%). Good negotiation skills can go a long way when it comes to saving money.
● Using a cash back card for in-store purchases (4%). Money earned from cashback can soon add up.