Cheaper Supermarkets Have Become Increasingly Popular

Leading supermarket chains are in competition more today than ever before. They are all trying to compete on the most important aspect to all of us – price.

Recent consumer surveys are highlighting the cheaper supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl are becoming increasingly popular choices for millions of people all over the country. When once, families would loyally stick to one supermarket, the surveys reveal that families are now inclined to shop where they know they will get the best deal on what they are looking for. In fact, the majority of families shop in more than one place now, looking for the best prices.

An average family of four is said to be spending approximately £200 per week on groceries. Families that are struggling will often spend half that amount. So it is no surprise that so many people are turning to the cheapest options that still give them the quality produce they need.

Leading supermarkets like Asda and Tesco are still extremely busy, but it seems that people do not shop exclusively in one or the other, and many will buy items from each and then also buy many items they need from their local Aldi or Lidl. The trend seems to be to source the options that present the best value for money but that still offer the highest quality.

We believe this is good news for the consumer. The behaviour of shoppers has changed the way supermarkets are pricing their items, as they are made to realise that families are just not in a position to blindly and loyally shop, regardless of the cost.

Times have changed for good. Even though news suggests that we are slowly climbing out of a recession, the population seems to be far more cautious and sceptical than it ever was, and as a result, retailers of all kinds have to be far more competitive with their prices, and give customers a much fairer deal.

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How do you cut down your weekly expenditure?

Although this is not an easy task, it is one that millions of people are trying to answer. Cutting back on weekly expenditure is the best way to make your monthly wage last a little longer and go further. Unfortunately, with the costs of living rising while wages remain the same, it is increasingly difficult to make the savings we need to make.

Here are some simple suggestions and ways you could save a little extra money each week.

Packed lunches for the entire family - This is a much cheaper and an often healthier way to ensure your family eats well at lunchtime. The cost of buying lunch at the shops in town is increasingly expensive with the average price of a lunch being £6 per day. For a family of four, with parents, one teenager, and one primary school pupil, the weekly costs of lunches could be as much as £60 per week!

Switch lights and appliances off! – This may seem like an odd way to save money each week but it really will make a difference to your monthly electricity usage and as a result will give you a saving on the weekly cost of energy. Switch lights of, and any appliances that are on standby. Your Wi-Fi and all other electrical items should be switched off too when you and the family go to bed for the night. Studies show that simply doing this could save as much as £15 per week on energy bills. Putting timers on lamps and certain lights in the house means they will not remain on and forgotten about while they are burning electricity.

Refine the use of your car – Sometimes, we are so used to driving everywhere, we forget that we could save a significant amount by simply, walking or car-pooling. One family in a recently published consumer article, saved over £50 per week by cycling to school and work, and leaving the two family cars at home. In addition, they re-organised their shopping trips and weekly calendars to cut down on the number of trips they had to make in the car. Two car families spend an average of £65 per week on fuel for day to day traveling. More if they are undertaking longer journeys. Cutting back on fuel consumption is one of the easiest ways to save money.

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Take-Away Food – Bad For Your Waistline And Your Wallet

We all love fast food! As a treat, there is nothing better than a pizza, curry or Chinese take-away. However, if you are on a budget and trying to save money, cutting back on the amount of fast food you buy can make a huge difference.

The average cost of a take-away for a family of four is now £25. Just five years ago it was £12! Fast food chains have become very good at disguising how much they are charging by creating meal deals and changing their menus. And of course, prices have gone up across the board for everything, from the basic ingredients to energy costs and service charges. So it is no real shock that fast food costs so much money.

Instead of having a weekly takeaway, consider some other options. Freshly made pizza from the supermarket costs around £3, whereas pizza from a pizzeria will cost around £6. For three large pizzas for a whole family to share, you could buy them instead of having them delivered.

No one is suggesting we never enjoy ourselves or stop buying take-away entirely. However, cutting back to maybe one a fortnight instead of one per week will save a significant amount of money that you can put to good use elsewhere.

Indications are that the cost of living is going to continue to rise while the wages will remain fairly static. In addition, this means that prices at shops, restaurants, and take-away chains will also continue to increase. Unless our wages start to climb with inflation, there will be little option for the majority of us but to cut back and live more carefully.

Cutting back on fast food will have a huge effect on your diet and weight too. Fast food is known to be high in sugar, salt and fat, all of which are known to be triggers for heart disease, diabetes and cancers.

Give your body, and your wallet, a huge treat by cutting back on the amount of fast food you buy. Try it for just a month. You will quickly see a difference in your bank balance and your waist band!

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Are Credit Cards Good In An Emergency?

 

The simple answer to this question is - they can be. It depends entirely upon the nature of the emergency and whether you will need cash or not. If you are suddenly faced with an unexpected bill for car repairs or you need to buy a last minute gift. Or even if a vital home appliance breaks down and you need another one, using a credit card can be an excellent option which gives you the spending power that you need, instantly.

However, if you need cash, withdrawing it via a credit card can be hugely expensive. If you need cash, it may be better to consider other options like an overdraught or small short term loan, as opposed to taking it out on your card. Some credit cards can charge as much as £5 per day for cash withdrawals – that is a huge amount!

If you have savings, then the best solution is to use them in an emergency, with the strict understanding that you will put the money back in when you have it. Just as you would with an overdraught or credit card, that way, you will avoid interest charges or fees.

Borrowing money is perfectly reasonable and millions of people do it every day. As long as you exercise care and borrow from a source that is reputable and suits your needs at the time, you should have no problems.

However, if you are already struggling with bills or debts, then borrowing even more can make your situation even worse. In these situations, you should think carefully about the type of credit you are using and try to ensure that you use the cheapest form available to you at the time.

Financial emergencies are stressful and can be difficult to navigate. To avoid them, try to keep some emergency money to the side, just in case. In addition, it is worth having a credit card on hand that has available credit, or an unused bank overdraught. This will give you the instant flexibility you need if you suddenly need cash.

 

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What would you do with £1000?

Thinking about what you could do with £1000? For most people, there must be many things they could do with this sum of money. But you won’t need to wait until you receive an unexpected windfall on the Lottery, or are sent a surprise cheque from somewhere.

If you start saving today, you could have this amount much sooner than you think. Here’s how.

If you saved £100 per month, you could have £1000 in time for Christmas. That equates to £25 per week, which over seven days, comes to just £3.57 each day.

Could you manage to save £3.57, every day until December? It would not be that difficult. The strange thing about money is how quickly it builds up. You will already know this with your weekly supermarket shop. Even when we are being extremely careful, the total shopping bill creeps up higher and higher really quickly.

Consider credit card bills too. Even if you are fairly careful, it does not take a lot for it to add up and become a significant amount that you owe to the credit card company.

The same is true of savings. While the notion of saving £1000 in one go is more than the majority of us are able to achieve, thinking about saving just £3.57 every day is not so difficult, and certainly is not impossible. Most of us will have that amount of change on us on a daily basis.

However, much you can afford to save, this is a simple illustration to help motivate you, and to show how much easier it is. Even £100 saved up over a short period of time can make a huge difference. Instead of wishing you could save, why not just start? With whatever small amount you can afford you can get your savings off the ground. You really will be amazed by how quickly it builds up to a significant sum.

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Bank Accounts – What Are Your Choices?

A quiet night in watching television will result in you seeing a whole host of adverts promoting bank accounts of all kinds. So, how do you choose the right account for you? These days, it seems that all banks and building societies are trying everything they can to attract us and gain our business.

Current accounts – These are accounts that have a switch card facility. Sometimes they have overdraught facilities too. They usually do not pay interest and are used for day to day use and to pay in your wages.

Deposit accounts – These are simple accounts and do not tend to offer credit facilities like switch cards or credit cards. Deposit accounts are good for direct debits or for saving small amounts. They tend to offer a small amount of interest on credit balances.

Savings accounts – there is a huge choice of savings account and these vary from low interest accounts to high interest long term savings accounts and ISAs.

Most banks will offer two or three of each of these types of account and the general advice is that if you are employed and earning a regular wage, that you should have at least one of each. This may be true, but they don’t all have to be with the same bank. In fact, after recent years, many people have chosen to use more than one bank so that they are not left with nothing if something terrible happens and the bank closes, which did happen, to millions of people when the banks crashed.

It is also worth looking at building societies because they often offer excellent interest rates and have lower charges than many of the high street banks.

Take your time and choose accounts which let you stay in charge of your money, and help you make the most of the money have. Don’t be swayed by promises of free overdraughts or reduced home insurance premiums, these are not always a saving. Instead, look at what is on the market and choose the best option for you. Remember you are the customer, so you are in charge. Banks need us and our money even more than we need them and theirs.

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What should you do if you need money quickly?

If you are short of cash and need money quickly, there are a number of options that may be available to you. Here are some of them.

If you are able, you could borrow money from a partner or family member. This is often a very quick way to get the financial help you need. It is not always suitable though and many people feel uncomfortable asking family for money.

An overdraught at the bank can be arranged extremely quickly. If you have a well-kept account and a good relationship with your bank, you should be able to arrange an overdraught facility which will help you to get by and cover any shortage. Be careful however, it is easy to get into the habit of always using your overdraught and when this happens, you end up in exactly the same situation as before – short of cash! Overdraughts should not be used in the long term. Instead, they are something that should be used then repaid and left as an emergency option only.

Credit cards could be used for certain items if you need to make purchases but are short of cash. But again, this should only be considered if you know you can repay the amount owed. Running up credit card debt can be extremely expensive if you are not able to repay what you spend. Defaulting on a credit card will have serious effects on your credit score too.

A short term loan or payday loan is another option which will let you access money very quickly. Again, this should be considered carefully. You should remember that they are loans that are taken out for very short periods of time and then repaid in full. Make sure you only borrow what you can afford to repay when your wage arrives in the bank.

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How Credit Cards Work For You?

Credit cards are great, and they can be awful!

If you do not handle them correctly, they can cause huge financial difficulties. However, if you deal with them in a sensible and controlled way, they can actually help you with your finances. Here’s how.

If you have a credit card, then you should use it. The more you use it, the more your credit rating and score will improve. However, the key is, to only use it for amounts you know you can repay. And this is where it can be difficult.

Credit cards are like magic plastic tickets that pay for things, and we don’t need to worry about it until the bill comes in! If you clear the balance on your card every month, you will keep the charges down and increase your credit rating and score. But if you don’t the costs will rise and the amounts get larger.

Here are some examples of how to use a credit card to your advantage:

Many people use a Tesco credit card to buy fuel for their car. They earn points on it, repay it every month so avoid interest charges, and it boosts their credit rating. Although this may not be the best option for everyone, it does illustrate a way of using a credit card to save money, improve your credit score and benefit from loyalty points, which are the equivalent of money too.

Problems with credit cards only occur when they are used to make purchases beyond the means of the card holder. This is easily done, and often it can be very tempting when shopping online or out and about in town. The truth is that to own a credit card, you need to be responsible and strict with yourself. Credit cards are not as easy to get as they once were, and this is probably a good thing. Unfortunately the economic climate has made getting credit almost impossible. The good part about it is that it has forced us to learn how to live without credit. It’s not easy but it is possible, and much cheaper.

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Using More Than One Bank Account Can Help You Stay In Control

Having more than one bank account can make running a household and controlling your finances much easier. If you are employed, you will most likely have a current account that your wage is paid into. In addition, it is a good idea to have a simple deposit account. This can be used to deposit money for direct debits only. It’s a great way of being able to see your bills coming in and being paid. It keeps the statements simple and easy to read and it separates the money that is needed for bills, from the money that you can spend.

You can then take this a step further by feeding this account set amounts of money each month so that all your bills are covered over a year. This can include insurances, TV license, car tax and any other bills that need to be paid throughout the year. Work out how much they cost you per month and put it into the deposit account. As the amounts build up, and you continue to put in the right sums to cover direct debits, you will find you are in a rhythm and always able to cover your bills.

There is nothing more stressful than trying to figure out how to prevent your phone from being cut-off or how to pay a huge electricity bill. Instead, by budgeting each month and putting this money in a deposit account meant for bills only, you will gradually build up the amounts you need and be able to cover bills as they come in.

Increasingly, we are hearing about people who are working hard and yet they still cannot seem to make a dent in their finances. As a result they borrow money and the situation can get worse. Instead, taking control and being in charge, using a system that works for you, you can make your money go much further.

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Simplify Your Bills And Save Huge Money

Sometimes we can get out of sync with our money and feel as though there is never enough to cover everything. This is when bills can pile up and it can be difficult to get by without accessing some credit.

Sorting out your bills and making them more manageable can be one way to make your money go further.

Utility bills like gas and electricity are cheaper if they are paid monthly by direct debit. Your usage will dictate what the monthly amount should be, and in most cases this is slightly more than needed so you can get a rebate or carry over the credit amount the following year. But the real advantage is that you pay a small amount each month as opposed to trying to pay a huge bill every three months. Your phone bill and mobile phone bills will work in a very similar way too.

You can also set up monthly payments for your TV license, Car tax, car and home insurance and other regular bills. Pay them as monthly payments that build up over the year instead of dealing with the shock of quarterly, biannual, or annual amounts. Spreading the costs of these bills makes them much easier to cope with and prevents you from experiencing the ‘boom and bust’ feeling of enjoying a few months with plenty of money, and then a few where you are struggling to cover everything.

Money management is a way of taking control of your finances and being in charge of them, rather than letting it be in charge of you. By doing this, you will have a much better idea of what you really have to spend and save each month. And in most cases, opting for monthly payments will be cheaper for you. It is certainly cheaper than having to arrange an overdraught or loan just to catch up on paying bills.

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Looking After Your Car Can Easily Save You Money

Cars can be a drain on our finances. In addition to the shockingly high price of fuel, the cost of upkeep, MOTs, and regular services all add up. Here are some tips to help you keep your car running well for longer and prevent some unexpected, unwanted expenses.

A recent consumer survey suggests that the majority of people do not regularly check the air pressure on their tyres. This is especially important in the UK climate because we have such huge rises and drops in temperature throughout the year. Keeping the air pressure in your tyres correct and checking it regularly will lengthen the life of your tyres. Having them balanced regularly will also help to maintain them because you will prevent uneven bald spots from developing over time.

Check your oil. A large percentage of people do not keep their cars topped up with oil. This can put extra pressure on the engine, which over time can reduce the life of the engine. An engine that is struggling to run smoothly will also use up more fuel. So by keeping the oil topped up and looking after the engine, you will get better performance, your engine will have a longer life and you will improve your fuel economy too.

Going on a lot of short journeys when you spend a lot of time in a lower gear uses up more fuel than one smooth, steady journey over a longer distance. If you are only nipping to the shop, walk, don’t drive! It will save you a fortune over a whole year and reduce wear and tear on your engine, gears and breaks.

Life is very difficult without a car, but for most owners, there are times when they are using their vehicles unnecessarily. In addition, we are all so used to modern cars, it is easy to forget they are machines that need to be cared for and maintained. Looking after your car and only using it when you have to, will reduce costs, in fuel and upkeep.

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Valentine’s Treats That don’t Break The Bank

Valentine’s Day is a time for romance and giving your loved one a special treat. If you look at the shops, it would be easy to presume Valentine’s Day means spending huge amounts of money on expensive nonsense that no one needs!

A quick look at social media will reveal a huge number of people who are saying no to unnecessary expense this year, and instead, they are opting for more meaningful and less pricey Valentine options. Here are some of the best ideas, seen recently on the internet.

Beautiful scented flowers – A bunch of cheap carnations costs at least five pounds. Garden centres all over the country are encouraging men to plant lilies for their loved ones. A bag of ten bulbs costs less than £5 and will be enjoyed all summer long.

A valentine themed box of chocolates costs more than £10, just because of the packaging. However, you can buy a huge box of fancy chocolates from a high street chain for £5, if the box does not have love hearts on it!

Does your loved one really need another £20 cuddly toy? Instead, why not use the money to buy a bottle of wine and rent a DVD for a romantic night in? Many people are choosing this option instead.

A recent survey revealed that the majority of people long to have their partner run them a hot bath and give them the night off. Do it. It costs nothing.

Write a note instead of buying a card. In the top ten of women’s romantic wishes, number three is receiving a love note or letter from a partner.

Although cards, red roses and fancy chocolates are all lovely, they can never replace real romance which is all about caring and consideration, and giving your partner the feeling that they are cared for and cherished. That is something that does not need to be branded, packaged, or cost a fortune.

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Give Yourself An Incentive To Save For Unpredictable Future

Saving can be tough, so sometimes it is worth having a good incentive. Saving towards something that is important to you will have the effect of keeping you focused and determined to succeed.

Saving for a holiday – This year, instead of dreaming about a wonderful holiday, or wishing you could go on a longed for break to sunnier shores, why not start saving right now and work towards the holiday of a lifetime next year.

Saving for a house – This can seem like an almost impossible task but it is possible! Here’s how. If you can afford a mortgage now, but don’t have the deposit, start saving the amount you would pay for your mortgage. It will mean being careful, especially if you need to pay rent at the moment, but by doing this, you are in effect, starting to pay for your house before you have even bought it!Saving £300 per month for a year will come to £3600 plus interest. If you save for three years, you will have £10,800 which could be used as a healthy percentage deposit on a house.

Saving for a car – People who urgently need cars, often opt for a finance package that allows them to pay a sum each month. However, if you already have a car, but really want a new one, instead of taking out finance, why not save the monthly amount you would pay for finance instead? You will have managed to save the amount you need for a new car in far less time than if you were paying for a car loan, which will have interest added to it too. Instead of paying interest, earn it!

One of the hardest aspects of the recent difficult economic climate is that it has reduced the amount of money being saved by hard working people. And yet, saving money is the best way to survive difficult times, and it is the best way to boost your finances and climb out of financial difficulties. It may not be easy, but it is easier than having to work hard to pay interest and charges on credit.

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Start Your Kids Saving At The Very Early Stages

Here is a simple sum. It is simple mathematics and not hard to understand.

100 x 300 = 30000

Now let’s put this same sum into a family context.

If you start saving £25 every week for your child, from the time they are aged five, by the time they reach the age of 30, you will have saved £30,000 for them, not including interest. The age of 30 is the average age for getting married, buying a house, and starting on a career path. Imagine being able to give your child a lump sum to help them buy a house or car, or to start a business.

But let’s put the £25 into context now, because when money is tight, this can seem like a large amount of money to set aside each week!

£25 is the equivalent of 5 x £5 lunches at work.

£25 is the equivalent of three average bottles of wine bought from the supermarket.

£25 is 3 packets of cigarettes.

£25 is one take-away for two or three people.

£25per week is just £3.60 per day.

Even if you cannot afford to save £3.60 per day, this simple article hopes to show you what can be achieved with any small amount. Life is getting harder as each year goes by and many parents are worried about their children’s financial futures. Starting to save some money for them, as soon as possible, will help you to keep control of your money, you will have savings which will help you if you need it, but it will be a nest egg for your child when they reach adulthood.

You don’t have to be rich to save. It is just a matter of understanding how money works and making it work for us. Saving a little every day can quickly build up to a helpful amount.

And statistics show that people with savings have better credit ratings, better chances of accessing credit, and they are less likely to need credit. Start with a simple sum and see how you get on. Save just £1 per day and watch it grow.

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Simple And Easy Tips For Saving Each Week

If you would like to start saving a little money each week, here are some useful tips that could help you.

Cut back on coffees and lunches bought at work. This is a great way to save a significant amount of money. The average price of a coffee bought in a high street chain is around £3. If you are normally buying one coffee per day, that can come to a total of £15 per week saved. Over a year that comes to approximately £780. That a huge amount!

Another great way to save money is to set up a small direct debit straight from your account into a savings account. It is a simple and effective way of putting some money to the side before you can spend it. Every month, we will all spend our money on items that are not necessary or more expensive than they need to be. By saving some of your wages as soon as they hit the bank, you will soon get used to the amount left and not notice the ‘missing’ amount.

And you don’t need to be earning a high wage to do this. Even a small amount like £40 per month, saved as soon as your wage arrives in the bank, can build up to a sizable amount over time. And it will always be there in an emergency if you need it.

Savings accounts come in many forms now and you will be able to choose an account that suits you. For example, you might want to start with a flexible account that gives you quick access to the funds if you need it. Or, if you want to leave it untouched, choose an account that has a higher interest rate and requires a month’s notice before you can access the funds.

Saving can seem like an impossible task, especially if you are struggling to manage. However, even small amounts like £5 can make a difference. If you don’t have savings at the moment, start now and you will see how quickly it grows and how easy it really is.

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Throwing a dinner party that won’t cost a fortune

Entertaining at home and inviting friends round for a meal is not only the pass time of the middle classes. We all enjoy entertaining and spending time round the table with friends and family. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that having a dinner party can be extremely expensive, and as a result, many people do not bother. Here are some tips to help you throw a fantastic dinner party that will not cost a fortune.

Menu planning is the key to making savings on your dinner party budget. Think about the foods that are in season and look out for special offers or discounts that are available when you go shopping. Deciding what you will cook, before you go to the supermarket, can turn out to be quite expensive because the items you are looking for won’t necessarily be available at a cheaper price. Instead, do what the Europeans do in France and Spain, go to the store and look at what they have, then plan your menu accordingly.

Dishes like casseroles, lasagne, roasts and pasta dishes are all very cheap to make. Main courses that can all be cooked at once, in the oven are an easy option too. Vegetables are cheap so you can create a wealth of food by having more than three or four choices of vegetable in addition to the meat option.

Save on wines by encouraging friends to bring a bottle with them. Or buy a box of wine which works out at half the price of the equivalent bought in bottles. Simple vegetable crudités and a humus dip are much cheaper than buying expensive processed and ready-made starters from the freezer section. A bowl of salad for six people, if you prepare it yourself rather than buying pre-prepared salads, will cost approximately 35p per head, instead of £1 per person!

Dinner parties are special occasions, and after working hard all week, we all deserve to enjoy ourselves and spend time with friends. Sharing a meal and relaxing in good company is a treat we should all give ourselves. And by avoiding pre-packed, processed foods, and making your own lovely meals, you can easily do it on a budget.

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Grow your own vegetables and watch your savings grow!

Did you know that growing your own vegetables saves you money? In addition to being a much healthier option, home grown vegetables are a way to save a significant amount of money each week during the spring, summer and early autumn. Here’s an example:

A kilogram bag of potatoes costs an average of £2.00. These are not speciality potatoes. They are basic white varieties, usually regarded as the cheapest option. An average family will go through 2 kg of potatoes per week. So over the course of 8 weeks, you will have spent £32 on potatoes. That may not seem like a lot of money, but when you compare it to the savings you can make per vegetable, it is huge.

For £2.00 you can buy enough seed potatoes to create a crop that will last you over 6 weeks.One seed potato will turn into one plant which will yield an average of 10 potatoes, or the equivalent of a medium sized bag of them.You’ll get around 20 plants from one bag of seed potatoes. That is a bumper crop and if you plant them in early spring you will have potatoes from late June right through until the end of August.

This works for all the other vegetables too, in fact, the savings are even greater, one bag of carrot seeds, or lettuce seeds costs around 99p and will yield you over 100 carrots and lettuces! You can’t buy 100 carrots or 100 lettuces for 99p anywhere.

There is a myth that gardening is expensive and hard work, and it is just not true. Planting seeds for vegetables is the easiest, healthiest, and cheapest way of giving your family wonderful fresh vegetables for a very low cost. And it is so rewarding! You can also preserve or freeze your crops after cooking, to be used during the winter months.

With a vegetable patch, you can cut an average annual spend on vegetables by up to 75%! Why give the supermarkets your hard earned cash when you can keep it and use for your family instead?

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Keeping your children happy on a rainy day can be expensive!

When the weather is bad, and the kids are off school, it can result in additional expense trying to keep them happy and occupied. Here are some great tips for activities and fun days out that will keep them happy on a rainy day, without breaking the bank.

It’s common knowledge that a trip to the cinema can prove to be very expensive. If you have a family of four or more, the costs can easily spiral to over £60 just to see one family film. Most cinema chains offer discounts and offers on certain days of the week. In addition they also encourage families by offering family tickets to the cinema and these can often save you around 25% on the regular ticket price. Check local listings and go online to see when the offers are available.

Local attractions, sports facilities, and entertainment complexes also offer a range of family tickets which makes visiting much cheaper. A day at the swimming pool, for example, can be very reasonable and the children will love it. Many swimming pools offer kids free places on Saturday family sessions, which will keep the price down and encourage your family to get active and enjoy some fun exercise.

Eating out can be especially expensive when you take your family out. Watch out for restaurant chains that offer great family meal offers. These are usually a set menu for four or more people and work out much cheaper than ordering from the a la carte menu. Kid’s menus are not always cheaper so take your time and compare prices on the menu carefully. Sometimes is better to order an adult meal and share it between two children rather than go for the lower quality kids’ option. Your children can enjoy the same good quality food that the adults are eating, and you will save money too. A side order of fries can be shared at the table, and a salad will bulk up what you have ordered.

With a little imagination and pre-planning, your family days out don’t need to be super expensive.

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Making your holiday money go further

After a year of working hard, there is nothing better than the achievement of enjoying a well-earned rest on a wonderful family holiday. Even if you have saved well and have a healthy amount of spending money, it can often get used up quickly.

Expenses like drinks and meals bought away from your hotel can add up, especially if you have a young family. Here are some simple tips to help you make your spending money last a little longer.

Soft drinks are extremely expensive abroad. Popular drinks like Coca Cola and other branded soft drinks are extremely expensive. Instead, choosing fruit juices with sparkling water is a cheaper option. The drinks are refreshing and they are certainly healthier for your children with much less sugar.

Fill up on a large breakfast. If you are staying at a hotel, breakfast is usually included and they are usually served as buffet style affairs with a wide choice of different breakfast foods. Having a large hearty breakfast will set you up for the whole morning and most of the afternoon. You’ll then be able to save spending on an expensive restaurant lunch by just having a quick snack until dinner. Try to stick to only one large meal per day, plus a large breakfast. You will find that you have more than enough to eat and you’ll save a lot of money too.

Food is much cheaper in Europe. The markets in countries like Spain and France are full of the most beautiful fresh produce. Instead of paying a premium for a sit down lunch, why not go to a charming market and buy fresh bread, cheese and some fruit and wine? It will cost a fraction of the price, and in the lovely sunny weather it will be a treat to eat alfresco.

When you are on holiday, you will want to treat yourself and live it up. You should do that, so why waste money on unnecessary expenses like costly restaurants and needless expenses? Instead, make savings where you can so that you can afford to buy that gorgeous souvenir or treat yourself to the experience of a lifetime.

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Switch of your electrical appliances and lights to save money every day

One of the easiest ways to save money is to switch off your lights and cut back on needless electricity usage. Consumer surveys and research have shown that the majority of families will be paying for electricity they did not need to use. Up to 20% of your electricity bill could be for energy that was wastefully burned when not required. Here are some tips to help you make very real savings on your electricity bill. And with the price of energy going up again, we all want to reduce the amount of money we have to pay the energy companies!

Switch lights off every time. This may sound simple, but it costs a fortune to leave lights on all over the house when no one needs them. Walk down any street in the evening and you will see lights burning in halls and on landings while everyone is sitting in the living room.

Use sensor lights for security and outdoor lighting so that it only comes on when someone is outside. This will save money because you won’t get caught out forgetting to switch outside lights off, which is easy to do. Good security lighting can also help to reduce your home insurance because it is known to be an excellent security measure.

Put lights on timers. During the winter there is nothing worse than coming home to a dark house. Instead, put your lights on a timer, and set them to come on five minutes before you are due to return home. Likewise, put timers on lamps and other smaller lights around the house, then even if you forget about them, they will go off automatically.

Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby. Although the amounts are small, each appliance continues to use electricity while it is on standby, and if you have many appliances around your home, this will quickly add up to a significant amount of energy being used 24 hours per day. Likewise, always unplug phone chargers or laptops and PCs when they are fully charged or not being used.

If you take all these steps, you will see a real drop in your electricity bill. Compare it to the bill for the same time last year and you will see a marked difference.

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Cut down on food waste and you will save more than £500 per year!

£500. This is the average value of the food a standard sized family will throw out each year. There is no doubt that this is an incredibly shocking statistic. And the statistics are current. They were realised by the press in the last few weeks.

The problem is education. Many families are unaware of the good food they are throwing away. People do not have the cooking skills they once did and this is resulting in a huge amount of food waste.

In addition to the terrible waste of earth’s natural food supply, it is also a huge waste of money. Most of us have to make our money stretch, especially as the cost of living keeps creeping higher and higher. That’s why it is so sad that so many families are literally throwing money into the rubbish bin by wasting food.

Here are some tips to help you save your £500 every year.

Buy fresh not processed. Most processed food has already been frozen so you cannot re-freeze it. As a result, any remaining food needs to be thrown out. By only buying fresh produce, you can prepare it yourself, freeze leftovers and use them on another occasion. No wasteand a huge saving, because fresh produce is much cheaper than processed food. It is also much healthier and better for you.

Invest in a simple family cookbook. It will give you some great ideas on how to make food go further. For example, a roast chicken dinner on a Sunday will feed your family on the Monday and Tuesday too. You can use the leftover chicken to make a curry or casserole and then finally you can make a healthy and nutritious soup out of stock from the remaining chicken bones and meat. Did you know that over 30% of people use only the breast of the chicken and then wastefully throw the rest out?

If you are trying to save money and improve your health, the best thing you can do is change the way you shop, cook and eat. It will save you money and it will cut down on the world’s terrible record of wasting food.

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Kids’ lunchboxes on a budget

Feeding children interesting packed lunches can be really costly. If you are a parent, you will understand the pressure of buying your kids the ‘cool’ drinks, or the favoured brand of crisps and yoghurts. This can add up. Sometimes it seems as though the manufacturers know that parents feel pressured into buying these products and so they bump up the prices accordingly!

Here are some tips to help you give your kids a healthy and interesting pack lunch that will not break the bank but still keep them happy.

Instead of buying expensive mini bread rolls, just use bread and make little triangle sandwiches. Kids love them and you will pay a quarter of the price of a small child size bread roll.

Buying in bulk is also a good idea. Buy a big pack of sliced meat or a big block of cheese and then separate it into smaller amounts and store in the fridge and freezer in Tupperware containers.

Give your children fresh fruit instead of pre-packed fruit. One little tub of prepared fruit salad costs the equivalent of a bag of apples! If your child does not like skin or peeling fruit, do it for them and place the fruit in a bag or little tub.

During the hot summer months, give them water instead of juice. Put the bottles in the freezer over- night and in the morning when you pack their lunch, place the frozen water bottle in their lunchbox. At lunch time the water will be cold and as it thawed, it will have kept your child’s lunch nice and cool.

Crisps and sweets can be bought in bulk and as super saver bags. Keep an eye out for multi-buy offers and money off vouchers too. These are items that keep for a long time in the store cupboard so you can get away with buying a bulk amount to save money.

Avoid being pressured into buying the very expensive brands of juice cartons, yoghurts, smoothies and crisps. Your child will be just as happy with a generic brand. Kids who are worried about brands and keeping up withtrends have learned this behaviour from their parents. Instead, startyour children off well - by teaching them to appreciate the value of good quality natural food. Most of these branded are extremely high in sugar and preservatives anyway, so it is better for your child if you stick to the cheaper, natural choices.

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Do loyalty cards really save us money?

Yes and no! The truth is some loyalty cards can be useful and give you a reasonable return on your loyalty. Tesco, Boots, The Cooperative and Nectar cards are all regarded as some of the better cards.

Make no mistake; a loyalty card is a form of marketing. It is a way of encouraging you to continue being a customer and keep buying. If you are given a loyalty card for a company you usually use anyway, then it is a bonus. However, if you are only going to that store because of its loyalty card, you may not be making the savings you are hoping for.

There are many supermarkets that do not offer loyalty cards, but they sell their groceries at incredibly reasonable prices, and they are much cheaper than other leading supermarket chains.

Nectar points are excellent because you can shop in a variety of shops and all your points go into the one nectar account. Nectar points can be exchanged for many things, including air miles. There have been cases where a family has saved all its nectar points and been able to buy flights for a wonderful international holiday after just a couple of years.

It would not be accurate to say that loyalty cards save you money. They do give you a small percentage back on your purchases and over time this can build up, rather like a traditional dividend. If you really want to save money however, the best way is to find the items you need at their cheapest price. You’ll save much more money that way, than by relying on loyalty points alone.

The best loyalty cards are the ones that give you the most flexibility by giving you widest choice of how to collect your points, and spend your points.Regard them as a bonus for shopping, not a saving on your shopping.

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How to improve your credit rating?

Credit ratings are one of the most hated aspects of computerised finances today. People who have a good credit rating do not fully appreciate how debilitating a bad rating can be. Someone with a very bad credit score can find it difficult to even get a bank account.

And the worst part is that often, people who have bad credit scores are not bad people, they are not fraudsters or bad with money, they have simply fallen on hard times and found it difficult to keep up with payments.

Here are a few tips to help you clear a bad credit record and re-build it.

Pay your debts. If you are struggling with debt, go to a debt management agency or speak to the citizen’s advice. They will help you arrange manageable payments for all your debts. Even a small amount each month toward each debt will gradually repay it. It may take some time but as long as you keep it up, your credit score will not get any worse.

Once you have cleared your debts, the next step is to start to build your credit. One of the best ways to do this is using a landline phone bill, a mobile phone and a healthy bank account. If you pay your bills on time and keep your accounts in credit you will soon see your score improve.

This may sound odd but the final step to restoring your credit score is to use credit. If you have shown a successful track record of accessing and paying credit, you will have no problem getting more credit. The problem is that you must be careful. Do not over extend yourself.

The majority of people with a bad credit score, have got one because they over stretched themselves and took out more credit than they could comfortably afford to pay.

Unfortunately, life is difficult without credit like credit cards, mobile phones etc. But more seriously, a bad credit score can affect your ability to get a mortgage or a loan when you really need it. Taking care of your financial reputation will stand you in good stead for your whole life and in everything you do.

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Give Birthday gifts on a budget

If you have a young family, you will understand the need to always be ready for the sudden need to produce a birthday present for one of your children’s friends. And of course, there are family members and close friends of the family to consider too. Statistics suggest that the average family can spend approximately £300 a year, just on birthday gifts for class mates, friends and relatives. In most cases we imagine it will be much more than this.

Here are some tips to help you give lovely Birthday gifts on a budget.

Save on wrapping paper by starting a wrapping box. Gift bags and paper can be saved from previous gifts given to you and your family. Gift bags cost an average of £2 so it’s worth keeping them. To make sure you do not give a gift bag to the wrong person, keep the old tags on them until you re-use them. Then you will know who gave it to you! Whenever you see cards or wrapping paper on sale, buy a little and put it in the box too. It will come in handy. Try to only buy generic, one colour papers so you can use them for males or females and for any age.

Start a present box too. We all receive items and gifts that we will not use. Keep them safely, label them with a post-it so you know who gave them to you, and then if necessary, and you need gift quickly or are short of cash, you can go to your emergency present box and quickly find something suitable.

Pound shops are great places to find cool and easy gifts for very little money. They always sell little cosmetics, socks, tools or brush sets and often you will find some great bargains like books or pretty tea-towels and kitchenware. There is always something in a Pound store that any age of person will appreciate.

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Are you paying too much for your mobile phone?

There are so many mobile offers available it can be difficult to know whether you are getting a good deal or not.

Here are some simple suggestions to help you identify the best mobile phone deal.

The first way to save money on your mobile phone is to decide on your monthly budget rather than the phone model. Unfortunately, mobile phones like iPhones and high-end Androids are so sought after, often consumers sign up for contract deals that are costly, simply so they can access the phone they want.

Instead, deciding on your budget and looking for your phone within that price will keep the costs down.

Another tip is to look at what your monthly payment gets you. You may be entitled to free minutes per month, free texts, and free internet usage. Check what the offer includes and try to pick a tariff that covers your normal usage. If you go over your included free usage, you may find the costs spiral, as the standard tariffs for calls from mobile phones are extremely high.

If you and your partner and children all have mobile phones, it is worth contacting your provider to find out if you can negotiate a multiple phone contract. This can often save you significant amounts of money equivalent to the savings of one monthly phone contract for free.

The mobile phone companies rely on the fact that we all need and want a mobile phone, and that the majority of people will be looking for the latest and most desirable model. Before you are tempted by a seemingly good deal, check the fine print, check the standard tariff, and make sure you are not signing up for a service which will end up being very expensive indeed.

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Magazines and Newspapers are more expensive than they seem

  

Do you regularly buy newspapers and magazines? Consumer statistics indicate that most households will by one newspaper per day and a magazine per week. Let’s consider how much newspapers and magazines really cost. Would you save any money if you stopped buying them?

A newspaper costs between 50p and £1, with a national average of 75p per paper. If you buy a paper 7 days per week, that comes to £273.50 per year.

A woman’s glossy fashion magazine costs between £2.00 and £5.00. And the national average is £3.50 per magazine. If you buy one average priced magazine per week, the total cost in a year would be £182.

A men’s magazine also has a similar average price, so if the man of the house also buys a magazine per week it will be another £182 per year.

Children’s magazines cost between £1.50 and £3, the average being £1.50. If you have two children (the national average family size) and if both children get one magazine per week, it comes to a total of £156 per year.

So, in a year, you could be spending an average of £793.50 – nearly £800!

£800 pounds is enough to pay for a short family break for a week. It is just under the average amount of money a family will spend on household items at Christmas and New Year. Over many years, if you added it to your car or mortgage payments, it would help clear the loans more quickly.

With mobile web in the palms of our hands, access to the internet everywhere we go, and breaking news available on social media and major websites, there is less of a need for buying newspapers and magazines.

The next time you are in a news agent’s and tempted to pick up a pile of magazines, ask yourself; what you would use the money for if you saved it instead?
 

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How your freezer can save you money.

A recent consumer study revealed that on average, families throw out up to 1/3 of the food they buy and prepare weekly. This is a huge amount! In terms of money, and in terms of wasted resources, it seems like a horrifying figure. In Western society, we seem to have developed a habit for throwing food away rather than using it. With the costs of food spiralling and so many inequalities around the world, and people going hungry or relying on food banks and charity help, we should all do our best to cut down on the amount of food we needlessly waste.

Here are ways to use your freezer to cut down on waste and save money and time!

When you make a family meal, lasagne or bolognaise for example, there is often a portion left in the dish or pot. Instead of throwing it out, simple put the leftovers in a Tupperware container. Leave the lid loose until it has cooled, and then seal it and freeze it. It can be used as a quick lunch or dinner for any member of the family on a later date. All they will need to do is pull it out of the freezer and microwave it. One frozen microwave dinner costs an average of £3.00. If you save your leftovers and turn them into home-made microwave meals, you will cut down on needless waste, and you will save money on having to buy frozen meals. It is the simplest and easiest way to save time when you are too busy to cook, save money on buying ready meals, and save wasting good food.

There are many blogs online which will give you advice about what foods freeze well and which ones do not. Some simple research and taking care in the kitchen will soon cut down the amount of food you are throwing away and in time, it will make your weekly shopping budget last much longer.

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Do you really need a landline?

There has been a lot of discussion online about the cost of telephone lines in recent weeks. It seems there is a trend amongst many families for closing their land-line accounts in order to save money. Do you really need a landline or is it an unnecessary expense?

A landline was traditionally the only telephone a family had easy access to. However, today, we have mobile phones with us all the time. In a family of four, the chances are that at least three out of four family members will have a mobile phone. Statistics indicate that children as young as 8 years old are now being given mobile phones. With all these phones in a household, it is no surprise that so many people are choosing to remove their landlines.

Switching off your land line will save you between £10 and £17 per month, depending upon your telephone line provider rental fees. On average, that works out at 45p per day. Per year, it costs an average of £162 not including charges for calls.

What’s good about a landline?

Your landline is an emergency line, available if you need it when mobile coverage is not available.

Your landline is often needed to access broadband services into your home.

Your landline is used as a form of credit check. There are many credit providers who require their applicants to have a registered landline telephone number.

Your landline is also sometimes used as a form of identity check with credit providers.

We believe that the benefits of having a landline outweigh the cost of them. If you do not use your phone, you will not need to worry about large phone bills. Most telephone companies offer free local calls on evenings and weekends, and many offer discounts for international calls too. While these offers are available on some mobile tariffs, most mobile companies still charge high amounts for calls to other landlines and abroad. Having a landline can actually save you money on certain types of calls.

If you have a landline already, it could be just as advantageous and economical to keep it.

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Does Pet Insurance really save you money?

This is a question that is often asked by pet owners around the country. If you have a beloved pet, you will know that vets fees can be extremely expensive. Our pets are members of the family so if they get sick or have an accident we will want to ensure they receive the best veterinary care possible. This costs money.

One way of saving money that many pet owners choose is to purchase pet insurance. This is designed to cover emergency treatments and vets fees that your pet may incur. In theory, it could save you a significant amount of money. Take care though, Pet Insurance, like all insurance cover, has changed significantly over the years. Most pet insurance now includes a significant excess that has to be paid and which is often around £150 to £200. Most consultations for cats and dogs are less that £40! So you see it would not be worth claiming on your pet insurance unless it was a problem that involved serious operations and significantly higher costs for medical treatments and medication.

In addition, there are many types of treatment that are not eligible via insurance now, so it is always best to check the terms of cover carefully before committing. If you have many pets then Pet Insurance may be a sensible idea for you. However, if you have just one or two pets, then it would be just as economical to create yourself a private pet fund. This is something many people do and it has ensured their pets are well cared for, the vet’s fees are always covered, and there has never been a need for expensive pet insurance. Here is how it works.

Open a simple savings account, like a post office account, or a basic savings account at the bank. Make sure the account will give you access to the money quickly, then, each month, save between £20 and £30. This is your pet fund. It will gradually grow and you can leave it there, knowing you have funds available to care for your pets. For the majority of people, their pets are fit, healthy, and have no problems, so years could go by without any need for accessing the pet fund. However, the money is still yours, you can use it for something else in an emergency, or you can just let it grow and have the comfort of knowing you will always be able to take care of your pets.

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Enjoying a romantic Valentine’s Day on a budget

Romance can be difficult if you are on a tight budget and don’t have a lot of money. For Valentine’s Day, there can be a lot of pressure to spend money that you may not have. Here are some tips to help you surprise your loved one and show your love without breaking the bank.

A special meal – Making your partner a special meal is a wonderful way to celebrate and enjoy romantic times without the expense of a fancy restaurant. Sometimes it can be even more special to have someone cook for you, and to enjoy an intimate private meal at home, rather than going to the expense of a meal out.

Make a card – Valentine’s Day cards are big business! It is another reason for many shops to encourage us to spend, and it is not always necessary. Instead of paying a premium for an impersonal card that millions of others have bought and sent, why not make your own card or write a special note or letter to your loved one? It will mean just as much, if not more.

Flowers – Statisticsshow that the cost of flowers doubles two weeks before Valentine’s Day and for two week after! Instead of paying such high prices for flowers that will die, why not buy a rose bush to plant in the garden, or an Apple Blossom tree, or any plant that will last for many years to come? It could be an indoor or outdoor plant, either way it will last much longer than a bunch of flowers, and it will be more meaningful too.

A helping hand – Often when life is busy and the rituals of work and family take over, romance can suffer. Rather than spending a fortune on Valentine’s Day merchandise that is expensive and unimaginative, why not treat your loved one to a day of being spoiled and a day together. Make them breakfast in bed, have someone take care of the kids, and arrange a special day out for both of you to enjoy.

The UK average spent on Valentine’s Day for men and women aged 25 – 45 is a shocking £250! With a little thought, imagination and pre-planning, you could still give your loved one a wonderful gift, card and special day for a fifth of that amount. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

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Save On Heating Bills This Winter

During the winter, our heating bills can sky-rocket. It doesn’t help that most of the energy companies have raised their energy rates over recent months. Here are a few tips which could help you keep the fuel bills under control this winter, while you stay warm.

Draft proofing – This is essential in order to preserve the heat in your home. Check your doors and windows. Can you feel a draft coming in? If you can, then make plans to urgently have them properly draft proofed. There may be some help available for this so it’s a good idea to check with your local council. For tenants of local authority housing or housing association tenants, contact your nearest housing office and ask for advice. As a tenant, you have the right to report drafts in your windows and doors. For private home owners, it is still worth checking online. At times, and for certain geographic areas, there are grants available offering loft insulation and draft proofing either for free or at a discounted rate.

Curtains and blinds - During the winter months, using blinds and curtains for longer in the day will help to keep the heat in. As soon as the daylight starts to fade, which in the middle of winter can be as early as 4pm, shut your blinds or curtains and let the heat build-up in your home.

Set your thermostat just one degree lower - This may seem like an insignificant amount but it will make a marked difference on your energy consumption. And lowering the temperature by one degree will not result in a noticeable difference in temperature inside the house.

Stay cosy - Buy some lovely, comfortable throws and blankets to snuggle up with when you are watching television or relaxing. When we are at rest, we can often feel colder because we are not moving around. Having an extra layer to wrap around you will keep you cosy without the need to turn the heating up.

Put your heating on a timer - You don’t need to have the water heating on all day to have hot water all day. Put it on a timer so that your water is hot in the mornings and then heat it again for a few hours around 5pm. This will ensure you have hot water throughout the day. Likewise, if you have your central heating on a timer, you will save on the amount of energy you use.

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Spring-Clean your house, And Make Money At The Same Time!

Giving your home a good Spring-Clean is a great way of keeping busy during cold winter days, but it is also a way of making some extra money.

You will be amazed by the number of items you will find, and you will be able to sell them on after a good clean-out. Here are some ideas to inspire you:

Clear out your drawers and cupboards for unused items of clothing you could sell on E-bay.

Everyone has a few unwanted gifts they no longer need. Save money by putting them to the side to use as gifts for other people, or, get them together and sell them at a local car boot sale or on E-bay or a similar website.

Books, DVD’s CD’s and other items are popular at car boot sales. You can sell them for a few pounds each, and if you have a lot, the money will soon add up!

Check the attic, the garage or anywhere else in your home that has become a dumping ground of ‘stuff’. Why keep these items if you are not using them? Instead, give them a good clean and get them ready to be sold to someone who can use them.

Spring Cleaning helps you make your home fresh and give it a new lease of life. Getting rid of unwanted and unused items will give you more space at home, make you feel good after having a clear-out, and it will make you some extra cash!

A spot at a car boot sale or a table top sale is not expensive. Websites like E-bay and Gumtree are great ways to sell items you no longer need.

Spend some time this weekend giving your home a much need pre-Spring clean. Then treat yourself to something new with the money you make.

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Entertaining The Family On A Budget

If you have a young family, you will know how difficult it can be to keep them entertained without breaking your weekly or monthly budget.

You will also know that it can be extremely expensive to take a family of four out for the day. A trip to the cinema for four can cost as much as £60. Even a meal out at a reasonable family restaurant can cost over £50. Here are some great ways to entertain your family on a budget.

Keep an eye out for special offers at the cinema or at other family friendly venues like bowling alleys, ice-rinks, climbing walls, adventure playgrounds, and farm parks. They will all be keen to attract customers and most companies offering entertainment and activities for families will regularly give customers the chance to visit at discounted rates or purchase a cheaper family ticket on certain days. Keep a regular eye on the websites and sign-up for email updates. This will keep you informed, and you will learn about offers as soon as they become available.

Volunteering can be fun! Look for some local organisations in your area. There are many groups looking for volunteers which include young families. Helping clear up a local park, taking care of the countryside, or volunteering as a family to help others, are all ways you can get out of the house and have a great time while you help other people or care for the environment.

Create adventures. Children love adventures and will be thrilled if you tell them you are taking them on a treasure hunt! Hide a few items, like sweets or little toys, in safe locations in a park or in the nearby countryside, somewhere where they will not be easily found by other people. Now, make a picnic and take the family out on an amazing treasure hunt, complete with cryptic clues! You will have fun thinking up the clues, and you will all enjoy time together in the fresh air as you hunt for your hidden treasures.

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Looking Good For Less

We all have times when we wish we had more money to spend on clothes, accessories and fashion items. Unfortunately, for most of us, even when we work hard to earn a living, it is not possible to regularly buy the most popular designer labels and fashion must-haves.

Here are some clever tips that will help men and women look good for less.

Buy from the sales - Sales are great places to find bargains that cost a fraction of the full price items. Be careful to only buy what you are looking for, and always check sales items for faults or damage. The mistake many people make is buying items at sale price when they don’t need them. If you use the sales as an opportunity to buy the things you need at a bargain price, you will save a lot of money in a year. The clothes will not be out of fashion, and if you shop carefully, you will find excellent quality clothes made by leading brands.

Re-vamp your existing wardrobe – You can save a lot of money by giving your existing clothes a new lease of life. You don’t need to be a sewing expert or a fashion designer to transform older clothes and give them a new look. Try replacing the buttons on an old coat to give it a brand new, up to date look. Simple white t-shirts can be transformed with some fun decorating using fabric paints or fabric pens. A set of fabric pens will cost as little as £5 online and you can use them to add doodles, funny quotes, or crazy patterns to a t-shirt.

Accessorize – Using scarves, hats, belts and other accessories in an imaginative way can make an outfit look completely different. Instead of spending a huge sum on a new outfit, why not buy new accessories to transform your existing outfit? No-one will know and in most cases, the clever use of jewellery, scarves, shoes, and mixing and matching different items in your wardrobe, will make an old outfit look brand new.

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Giving great gifts and presents on a budget.

Even when money is tight, there are still times when we need to spend money on luxury items. Buying a gift or present for a family member or friend is one example. If you are on a budget, how can you buy wonderful gifts that will not break the bank?

There are many ways you can save money and still give your loved ones a special gift. You can also do some simple things to save money on the gifts or cards and wrapping paper.
 

Here are some tips and suggestions for great budget gift buying:

Keep a look out throughout the year for bargains and suitable items that would make a good gift. During the sales, or on the discount shelves of stores, there will be items that are heavily discounted, but that are still good quality and in excellent condition. For example, accessories like scarves, gloves, socks, hats and costume jewellery are always available at discounted prices. They may be out of season but they will still be good quality and make excellent presents for men and women.

Crafts are a wonderful way to enjoy yourself and master a hobby while you make unique gifts for your friends and family. If you enjoy crafts, think about starting a new hobby like embroidery or pottery. The items you make could easily be used as gifts.

Photography is a wonderful way to give a very special and personal gift. Have a look at your family photographs. Make a montage of a special occasion, or choose an image of a loved one from years ago. Frames are not expensive and can easily be purchased for a high street pound store. Framing a special photo and giving it to a loved one is a charming gift that has meaning and emotional value too.

Use astorage box in your home to store cards, gifts, leftover or saved wrapping paper and gift bags, all ready to re-use. Very soon you will have built up a store of gifts and cards you can use whenever an occasion requires it. You won’t need to worry about your budget or finding some extra money. You will always have something ready that will make the perfect gift.

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Where can you find good money advice online?

There are many sites and blogs online featuring information, guidance and advice on how to save money, and how to deal with your finances. But how do you know which advice is correct? A few searches on financial subjects can reveal conflicting advice. As a result, they can sometimes cause more confusion instead of answer questions.

If you are looking for money advice online here are some suggestions on how to find the answers to your questions.

If you need advice about a particular product or service, your first port of call should be the company in question. Most companies will have a customer service team who will be on hand to answer questions and deal with any problems or queries. For financial issues like bank accounts, credit facilities, or savings and insurance policies, you should contact the institution directly and ask to speak to an advisor that specialises in that area.

For information on mortgages you could contact your bank or building society. There are also a number of independent mortgage advisors who have websites full of useful tips and advice for consumers seeking a good mortgage deal.

If you are dealing with debts and need advice on debt consolidation or debt management programmes, your first contact should be an advice service like the Citizen’s Advice. Be cautious about approaching a private debt management company. Although many of them are extremely reputable, there are some that charge high fees for their services. Debt management plans can be set up on your behalf,for no additional cost, by debt services run by public agencies.

If you are looking for general money saving tips, websites like Money Saving Expert are excellent. They offer advice, feedback and comments from other consumers, and tips that can be extremely helpful. There are also many independent financial advisers who can work with you to identify the best solutions for savings, accounts, investments, pensions, insurances and more.

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Do Insurance comparison sites really save us money?

 
Whether we agree with it or not, we all need insurance. Unfortunately car insurance and home insurances are both essential parts of everyday life. Many people are using insurance comparison sites in order to find the best insurance deal. But we wondered if they really work? And now that there are a number of comparison sites offering a similar service, does it matter which site we use?

The answer is, comparison sites will show you a range of insurance policies and it will be easy to see the cheapest option, or the option which gives you the best deal for your needs. However, none of the sites quote every single insurance company, and all the comparison sites are doing business with these companies.

Here is how it works:

A comparison site will negotiate with certain insurance providers, offering to include them on a website for a percentage of successful sales. The insurance companies have the chance to be marketed by another company, and it is worth their while to offer insurance at a better rate in order to be more appealing in a search so they agree. And yes, basically, it means if you choose the cheapest insurance deal from a comparison site, you are getting a bargain compared to the other policies listed on that site. But it may not be the cheapest on the market.

What many people do not always realise is that search results, and insurance quotes change from person to person, car to car, site to site, and from day to day! In fact, rather like tickets for airline flights, no one really knows how much insurance is, and that is the point, and how insurance companies get way with charging high premiums for insurance.

In order to really save money on insurance, and get a true comparison, you will need to do some of the work yourself. Sometimes simply calling your own company and negotiating can reap rewards. Many people are now comparing the comparison sites! It all may sound like a lot of hard work, but if you can save yourself hundreds of pounds on an annual basis, spending that extra time could just be worth it.

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