Despite encouraging economic news with the UK manufacturing industry reporting record growth in the past two years, the fact remains that standard of living for most British families has continued to fall.
With the costs of basic goods and services such as food, fuel and transport continuing to rise, this year it’s important to gather as much information as possible on how to save money in your household.
Check out these how-to tips for saving money if you’re on a budget.
Change supermarkets
You may be used to shopping at one of the more expensive or middle-range supermarkets like Waitrose or Sainsbury’s, or you might even shop at a lower-priced store, but always buy branded goods.
Whatever your situation, there is always room to slim down the cost of your weekly shop. First, try shopping around different supermarkets each week to find out which ones have the best value quality goods for you.
Another way forward is to save money by purchasing your fresh goods from the more expensive supermarket and then your longer-life items from the cheaper one, as the quality of such things is not impaired in the same way.
Shop online
Whether it’s clothes, makeup, books, records, furniture or DVDs, there are always fantastic deals to be had when you shop online.
Not only do you cut out the hassle of physically looking around the shops on the off-chance you’ll actually find what you want (and then queuing for a lengthy period to pay for it), you can check out what’s available on the websites of shops you want to visit, and see at the click of a mouse which of them has the best deal on the product you’re looking for.
Often, retailers offer online discount, which happens less when you’re shopping in-store unless there’s actually a sale on.
Use comparison websites
From car insurance to paying for your next holiday, comparison websites offer the most quick and effective way to find out what the best deals are, instantly.
Do an online search for the best tried and trusted price comparison sites, and enter your search terms. You should then see a comprehensive breakdown of the difference in prices for whatever it is you’re thinking of purchasing.
Get a cheaper car
One of the most expensive products we own are our cars. From making repayments on a new car, to the £3,000+ average yearly cost of running them, if you have the wrong car you can seriously dent your pocket.
Do some research to find out if the car you own is currently economical. Add up all your yearly costs, then look at your car’s emissions, insurance bracket and miles per gallon to see if you’re actually paying over the odds.
If you discover that to be the case, then you could do worse than check out the best car finance deals to see what options you have on getting yourself funds for a new (or new to you) set of wheels.