9 Easy Ways to Save Money
1/ Have a Weekly Money Meeting – Set aside an hour every week to do money admin. Sort out and bills, make a spending list for the week ahead and stick to it. Look at shopping lists and expenditure and see if there are ways to cut back.
2/ Pick Your Plastic – Find the card that works best for you and your lifestyle. If you pay off your credit card in full every month, look for a card that gives you cashback. If you have a high balance, or plan to make a big purchase, shop around for 0% or the lowest interest cards available.
3/ Use Cashback Sites – Sites such as Cashback Ireland (www.cash-back.ie), Quidco (www.quidco.com), Top Cashback (www.topcashback.ie), Money Saving Expert (www.moneysavingexpert.com) and many more, all feature discounts from Irish retailers and companies, and are great for special offers and getting money off shopping. Install a cashback notifier on your web browser (most sites offer them), or download the apps, so that every time you shop you will be reminded that discounts are available.
4/ Set up a Shopping Email – If you don’t want to be spammed in your main account, set up a separate shopping email and sign up to newsletters from retailers and companies. Often businesses send discount offers exclusively to email subscribers.
5/ Hunt Down Discount Codes & Vouchers – These days there’s a discount code for almost everything. If it’s a new sofa you’re after, search online for ‘sofa offers in Ireland’ ‘furniture discounts’ ‘money off furniture’ etc. If you have found something you want to buy, search online for a discount voucher or promotional code for the retailer or company you’re buying from.
6/ Have ‘No Spending’ Days – Once a week, or at least once a month, have a day where you don’t spend a single cent. You’ll need to plan ahead, but it’s surprisingly satisfying and a great way of saving a few euros and making you aware of how much money you are frittering away on things such as take away coffee, shop bought lunches, taxis etc.
7/ Prep, Prep, Prep – Pre-prepare your lunch to take to work every day. Plan all your meals for the week ahead before doing a big shop, then make a list of everything you need and stick to it.
8/ Shop Online – When it comes to groceries, shopping online can save you money as you won’t be so prone to impulse purchases.
9/ Think in Time Not Money – Every time you want to spend money on something non-essential think about the price in terms of hours worked rather than cash. Is that new dress worth two days in the office? Is that takeaway worth two hours graft?