The handy tips for saving money thread.

[jonthefox]

I thought this thread might be useful in times like these.

 

 

I'll start. Can anyone recommend a debit/credit card with no foreign transaction fees. I'm starting to get fed up with paying an extra 3% every time i use my card. 

[ealingfox]

2 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

I thought this thread might be useful in times like these.

 

 

I'll start. Can anyone recommend a debit/credit card with no foreign transaction fees. I'm starting to get fed up with paying an extra 3% every time i use my card. 

 

Monzo - here is a sign-up link, have a read and see what you think.

 

https://join.monzo.com/c/jt0qc5z

 

[Tim'llFixIt]

There is an app called too good to go, it's a food wastage programe so shops, bakery's, restaurants ect will sell a surplus bag for a third of the price of full retail

 

Sometimes an affordable treat

 

 

[FoxesDeb]

9 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

I thought this thread might be useful in times like these.

 

 

I'll start. Can anyone recommend a debit/credit card with no foreign transaction fees. I'm starting to get fed up with paying an extra 3% every time i use my card. 

Wise generally has the best exchange rate, we use it all the time, just add money in any currency you like and use the debit card like you would any other. 

 

https://wise.com/invite/ata/debral113

[Sol thewall Bamba]

28 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

I thought this thread might be useful in times like these.

 

 

I'll start. Can anyone recommend a debit/credit card with no foreign transaction fees. I'm starting to get fed up with paying an extra 3% every time i use my card. 

https://www.chase.co.uk

 

1% cash back on any purchases, no overseas transaction fees and a instant access savings account paying 1.5%, you can pay in up to 250K iirc.

 

[FoxesDeb]

The biggest change I've made is to meal plan. I do a plan for the week before I go shopping so I'm not buying lots of random stuff which then gets wasted, and I use my slow cooker a lot more. It costs pennies to run, and if I double the quantities I can freeze it for another time. There's loads more you can do in it than just the typical casserole. Whatever I cook I try to make extra for the freezer. 

 

Our food waste has definitely reduced, our shopping bill has gone down, and with easy things in the freezer we have fewer take aways, as we generally had them on days I can't be bothered to cook from scratch. 

[goose2010]

Topcashback. 

 

Especially for insurances and bigger purchases. Even if you get a couple of £ it soon adds up. I have used it since i moved into our new house with the wife 5 years ago and we have probably have £1500 back from them. 

[grobyfox1990]

Complaining. Companies generally treat us fairly badly and if we don’t play exactly on their terms, we get charged for it. Therefore if they don’t do exactly as you expect, charge them for it. All these £10 off, £15 rebate, £20 off your next order do add up 

[StanSP]

44 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

I thought this thread might be useful in times like these.

 

 

I'll start. Can anyone recommend a debit/credit card with no foreign transaction fees. I'm starting to get fed up with paying an extra 3% every time i use my card. 

In addition to all the others mentioned, Starling Bank is good too. 

[Greg2607]

Add a smart plug to your sockets and have them set up to turn off all your appliances when you go to bed... it costs roughly £30 a year for your Router to be turned on, but you don't need the internet when you sleep.... same with things like TV's etc... anything on standby basically. 

 

It's not going to make you rich, but it might save a few pounds off of your Electric bill!

[boots60]

Take plenty of Euro's to Eindhoven.

As previously mentioned, 3% to your bank every time you buy summat soon adds up.

 

[Houdini Logic]

54 minutes ago, ealingfox said:

 

Monzo - here is a sign-up link, have a read and see what you think.

 

https://join.monzo.com/c/jt0qc5z

 

+1 for Monzo.

 

They use the interbank exchange rate and no fees. Also you can withdraw Euros (or whatever currency) from the cash machine and the same applies - no fees/good rate.

Just make sure when you're abroad you ask to be charged in the local currency - some card machines try to convert it themselves and take their cut!

 

They also have other benefits like clearing your wages a day earlier than other banks and their app is just generally good at showing you where you're spending money. You can also hide money in 'pots' so if you don't want a certain bill to come out then move it into a pot temporarily. 

 

 

 

[SemperEadem]

Taking your own snap to work. Really does save over time.

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

Do all your food shopping at Aldi, and never look back. A £75 Tesco/Asda trolley-load is probably £45 at Aldi

 

If money is really tight, making vegetable bolognese is probably just about the cheapest nice meal you can make. A pack of spaghetti, a courgette, jar of bolognese sauce, tin of sweetcorn, a large onion and a tube of tomato puree - costs about £2, makes 4-5 dinners, won't spoil in the fridge for a good few days either. 

[SpacedX]

To think Foxes Talk was once branded 'the Mumsnet of football forums' by the national press. 

[rachhere]

A few ideas:

- I have a spreadsheet of all my monthly expenses. I work out at the start of the month what my expenses will be, including paying off my credit card in full from the previous month and then from there work out how much I can afford to transfer into savings. I have a savings account for holidays and for house maintenance stuff. I find this works really well to account for all expenses at the start of the month, rather than just seeing what is left at the end. (In saying this I am very conscious that I am fortunate to be able to have money left at the end of the month and recognise that not everyone is in that position). I think seeing all your expenses written up that way can be really helpful in looking at regular spending and thinking about where you might cut back. Overall I am a big believer in saving up for things first rather than getting it on credit and then paying back, but that's obviously quite a subjective thing.

- As mentioned above, utilise meal planning to reduce food waste and bulk cooking for efficiency. However, a bit of a caveat there - food is fuel, food sustains us, don't over compromise and make sure you are giving yourself the nutrition you need. 

- If you are able ditch the car, walk to places or get on your bike! Look for ways to exercise for free - e.g. near us there are loads of public tennis courts you can book for free and there are loads of free workouts on Youtube. 

- Plan ahead - make use of advanced rail fares, take drinks and snacks with you if you are going on a day trip, make a flask of tea or coffee

- Look at places like Groupon or Wowcher for trips out - some of the deals are pretty rubbish, but there are some really good ones on there. E.g. yesterday I was looking at a deal for a local escape room with really good reviews which was £39 for up to 6 people. 

- Don't buy everything new. Good for saving, even better for the planet. Facebook marketplace can be a great place for picking up things that people in your local area no longer need. Look at places like Vinted for clothes, especially if you have little ones who grow out of things quickly. 

 

Edited 13 April 2022 by rachhere

[An Away Move]

2 hours ago, jonthefox said:

I thought this thread might be useful in times like these.

 

 

I'll start. Can anyone recommend a debit/credit card with no foreign transaction fees. I'm starting to get fed up with paying an extra 3% every time i use my card. 

Halifax Clarity Card

 

[Innovindil]

1 hour ago, goose2010 said:

Topcashback. 

 

Especially for insurances and bigger purchases. Even if you get a couple of £ it soon adds up. I have used it since i moved into our new house with the wife 5 years ago and we have probably have £1500 back from them. 

In this vein, quidco also do the same sort of things. 

 

No brainer for when ordering anything online to check there first, or for phone contracts, broadband, car home holiday insurance etc etc.

 

Do all my family's car insurance through it every year and it usually equals about £100 cashback. 

[goose2010]

2 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

In this vein, quidco also do the same sort of things. 

 

No brainer for when ordering anything online to check there first, or for phone contracts, broadband, car home holiday insurance etc etc.

 

Do all my family's car insurance through it every year and it usually equals about £100 cashback. 

I used to use Quidco but never seemed to tracker... So went for Topcashback and never had any issues. 

 

 

[Crinklyfox]

Little savings here and there are helpful and add up but the reality is that most of us will see and increase in our energy bills in the order of £1000/year (mine is more than that).  Take that increase with fuel hikes and the inflationary pressures they bring and we'll have to save more.  So the bottom line is that unless you have sufficient disposable income now, you're going to have to make a major saving somewhere.  Consider the following:

 

1.  Smoking - if you smoke giving up will save you a heap of cash and improve your health at the same time.

2.  Mobile phones - contracts can be pricey so if you can stand either moving to a Pay As You Go or getting rid of it completely then that would be a significant saving (my generation managed without them for decades).

3.  Satellite TV - a full package can cost over £1000/year.  It's nice to have entertainment but food and warmth is better.

4.  Takeaways - it's quite a lot cheaper to cook yourself.  And the savings mount up over time.

 

I don't expect any of those options to be popular but if push comes to shove......

[Izzy]

On the other side of this coin, you could always look at ways to increase your earnings.

OT if available, a side hustle, second PT job etc.

Or, use your free time to research/learn and get additional qualifications. And if your job doesn’t pay you what you think you’re worth, apply for jobs that pay more. You never know…

 

[Samilktray]

I was buying a meal deal every day on my lunch at work until recently. £70 a month on crap sandwiches, made me feel grim 

[Dahnsouff]

24 minutes ago, Crinklyfox said:

Little savings here and there are helpful and add up but the reality is that most of us will see and increase in our energy bills in the order of £1000/year (mine is more than that).  Take that increase with fuel hikes and the inflationary pressures they bring and we'll have to save more.  So the bottom line is that unless you have sufficient disposable income now, you're going to have to make a major saving somewhere.  Consider the following:

 

1.  Smoking - if you smoke giving up will save you a heap of cash and improve your health at the same time.

2.  Mobile phones - contracts can be pricey so if you can stand either moving to a Pay As You Go or getting rid of it completely then that would be a significant saving (my generation managed without them for decades).

3.  Satellite TV - a full package can cost over £1000/year.  It's nice to have entertainment but food and warmth is better.

4.  Takeaways - it's quite a lot cheaper to cook yourself.  And the savings mount up over time.

 

I don't expect any of those options to be popular but if push comes to shove......

Not popular I am sure you are right, as I used to

• Smoke
• Be on a phone contract
• Have a lease car, changed it far to frequently
• Go out more
• Get plenty of takaways

Being a tight boring old bugger sure savesme alot of money!!

 

...then children came along  

[Guest Electric Yetis]

Just now, Samilktray said:

I was buying a meal deal every day on my lunch at work until recently. £70 a month on crap sandwiches, made me feel grim 

This is my main issue. Need to get my arse into gear and start taking lunch from home. 

[rachhere]

11 minutes ago, Rain King said:

This is my main issue. Need to get my arse into gear and start taking lunch from home. 

Do you have a fridge/microwave at work? I find reheating leftovers from the previous night much easier. I am not particularly a fan of cold food though (unless it's ice cream).