Saving money on a daily basis is often many people’s New Year’s resolution, and for good reason! With permanently rising living costs in most parts of the country, many feel that they have to make cuts in many aspects of life.
This can be a daunting thought and it can be difficult to figure out where to start. There are some efficient ways, however, to save money without feeling deprived, the most common of which are explained below.
1. Plan your grocery shopping carefully
A big part of our monthly income is spent on foods and drinks. And this is also where we can save a lot! For a week or two, pay very close attention to how much from your shopping is really consumed and to how much actually ends up in the bin as leftovers or out-of-date produce. Once you are aware of what is really needed, you can plan your shopping accordingly.
Do not buy more just because it is on offer, as the total amount you spend will just increase. With the products you are definitely going to buy, it is worth comparing brands and go for the cheaper ones, that often have the same quality as the more advertised brands.
2. DIY
When something around the house breaks down, the easiest way is to call someone to fix it, which of course is reasonable in many cases where someone professional is indispensable. But in other cases, it might be worth to give it a try yourself. Do the walls need painting? Does some new furniture need to be put up?
These things often can be turned into fun activities with family or friends. The same goes for preparing meals instead of eating out or ordering food. Not only can you safe a lot of money here, but you can also gain or improve your skills and maybe discover a hidden passion.
3. Watch the electricity
A lot of money can be saved on electricity if you switch things off that are not needed at a given time. Avoid stand-by mode on your electric appliances and make sure the lights are off in empty rooms. Electricity can be saved on many ends. Simple changes include not charging your cellphone over night, as they normally are fully charged after a lot less time than your sleeping hours or not leaving the charging cable plugged in when the phone is not charging, as this will only waste energy.
Another good way to reduce your electricity costs is to get multiple-cavity connectors with an on/off switch as well as energy saving bulbs around the house.
4. Compare the market
When it comes to providers of any kind, competition on the open market is high. And this is good news for you, the consumer. There are numerous websites where you can find the currently cheapest provider for electricity, water, broadband, etc. And it is worth to check regularly and change providers whenever your contracts are about to end.
Many providers offer impressive bonuses for new customers so if you pay attention to when your contracts end, you can avoid getting trapped into an automatically renewed contract that will cost you considerably more and at the same time enjoy the advantages of being a new customer by switching to whichever provider offers the lowest rate at the time of your switch.
5. Actively look for voucher codes
When you buy or order something online you will often see a field where you can put in a voucher code. Most people don’t give this much attention, thinking only people who were actually given vouchers by someone can put one in. But you might be surprised. The next time you are given the opportunity to apply a voucher code, just go on your preferred search engine and type in “voucher” and the website you are about to make a purchase on.
Many websites explicitly gather different types of vouchers that are valid in the current week or month of your search. Look around and try the codes you find and many times you will get a nice discount on your purchase.