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Want to keep the same standard of living but spend less? One good thing about the recession is that the consumers have the power. We’re going to get pretty good prices on our own, but think how powerful you can be if you get together with your friends. There is big money to be saved from group discounts, free extras and simply buying in bulk. Read on for all our tips on saving money by getting together with your mates and making the most of your spending power.

• Bulk buying groceries
• Group discounts
• Holidays
• Networking to save
• Inviting friends to get discounts

Bulk buying groceries

The Moneymagpies are strong advocates of buying in bulk to save money. Cooking big batches of stew, pasta sauce or curry and then freezing them is a great way to feed your family with very little effort. But buying perishables in bulk just for yourself often leads to things going off and you losing money. Also, if you don’t have kids and just need to shop for yourself or for two then you can end up wasting a lot of money on food even though you are taking advantage of offers. But not if you get together with your friends for the weekly food shop!

You can pool your money to buy all the fruit, veg and dried goods you need and then profit from the great discounts for buying in bulk. Then divide the products up between yourselves and there’s no waste. Shopping with a few friends also means you can take advantage of all the offers like buy one, get one free, three for two deals and two items for £2 when one costs £1.55 (or something similar). For example:

• For buy one, get one free offers, two shoppers effectively get the item half price.
• Three for two deals can be divided by three for a discount.
• Offers that give you two products for a saving of something like 50p are very cunning. They induce you to buy products you don’t need for a measly saving. However, when there’s two of you there’s less chance of wasting and you do still get a bit of a discount.

Here are some examples we’ve found:

• Asda is currently offering 2 bags of Golden Delicious apples for £2.00. The original unit price was £1.50, so the offer saves you £1 – but you’ve got to eat 14 apples before they go off. However, divided by two, you’re only spending £1 each, saving 50p but you’ve only got seven apples to eat.
• Sainsbury’s has a great three for £5 deal on ready meals – a cheap, tasty lunch or dinner for you and your friends.
• Tesco usually has three for two offers on delicious fresh soups, which makes for even cheaper lunches if you shop together.
• Boots is great for bulk shopping, as they always have offers on. However, they do tend to be three for two deals – which is annoying if you’re just buying for you. Beat them at their own game by shopping with others – but you don’t want to end up with four shampoos that will last a year, so go halves with a mate for a better deal.

Electronics

If you need a new plasma TV and so does your best friend, you can get together and make big savings. Before you go, decide on an item and use a shopping comparison website like PriceRunner to see how much they cost in different high street shops. Take the lowest price you find with you to the shop and haggle (see our article on haggling here) for your TV using that price as a starting point.

See how low you can get the price before asking how much they can give them to you for if you take two? Remember, the worst thing that can happen is they say they can’t give you a discount. But selling two plasma screen TVs at a reduced price when you’ve got sales targets to hit is much better than selling none at all. So it’s always worth a try.

Group discounts

Train travel

When you travel with friends via National Rail you can get group discounts. The Trainline allows three or four passengers to travel for the price of two when travelling together. You can get discounts of up to 50% off, plus up to four children can travel with the group for just £1 each. When you search for your fares on The Trainline, it automatically looks for group discounts if you enter more than three adults in your journey requirements. However, you can also go down to the station and get the discount there if you want to avoid the £1 booking fee.

If you’ve got children or friends with children, you can also get a Family & Friends Railcard which gives you a third off adult fares and up to 60% off kids’ fares. The card costs £28 for one year and works as long as you travel with at least one child. It also gets you great discounts on restaurants, hotels and days out.

Eating out

Restaurants have been hit particularly hard by the credit crunch. They are struggling to fill up their tables and are thankful for a booking for two, let alone one for six or eight. So if you can go out in a big group, you’ve got haggling power to get a group discount, free bottles of wine or even negotiate a set menu with a price per head. This can save you money and it makes working out the bill at the end much easier. Eating out early in the week should get you even better deals as this is when restaurants find it hardest to fill up their tables.

Don’t fancy haggling with the restaurant direct? You can book and get 50% off the a la carte menu at tonnes of restaurants using the fab online restaurant booking service Toptable. You also earn points each time you book a restaurant with them and once you’ve got enough points you get a free meal. Here are some tips for restaurant haggling:

• When you enter a restaurant with friends, don’t be afraid to ask what they offer to groups – with the attitude that if their offer is not decent you’ll be going elsewhere. London’s Brick Lane is a perfect example. There are lots of restaurants in the area offering the same cuisine and so they are all fighting for your business. Let the doormen at the respective restaurants argue with each other about what they will offer you to dine with them and pick the deal you want.
• You can also enquire when you book direct with the restaurant. If you’re planning a meal out, phone a couple of places to see what they are willing to offer you. If you especially want to go to one place but another place is offering you something better, then ask them if they will match the offer.
• Take a look at our regularly updated article for the latest restaurant vouchers and special offers when two or more people are dining.  It’s bursting with 2 for 1 deals on mouthwatering menus from all the leading chains, so check it out now!

Holidays

From hotels to flights, cruises and package deals, there is always a discount to be had when travelling in a group:

• Eurostar does special group deals and weekend getaways to destinations including Paris, Brussels and Euro Disney.
• Opodo is always worth a look for group deals, particularly on self-catering skiing holidays.
• Travelodge gives you cheaper rooms with group bookings.
• Virgin Holidays say that if you book with a minimum of ten adults you may qualify for a group discount.
• Remember, too, that if you go on holiday with a group of friends, you can make money from it by doing the booking for them. If you use a credit card with rewards you could get the maximum cashback or even earn enough airmiles to get yourself another holiday later on!

Networking to save

There are also lots of services that you can save on if you just get together with a few like-minded people. Skills sharing and time sharing between your friends and neighbours can save you a lot of money on everything from clothes to childcare to cooking. We’re not just talking about a few quid either. These are services worth thousands of pounds a year.

Swap shop

Don’t go out and spend more money on clothes you really don’t need. Hold a swap shop with a group of friends where you all bring a few garments that are in good condition. Throw them into a big pile where you can all choose something that is new to you. Everyone has a new item of clothing and no one spent a penny!

Childcare

Childcare is not only expensive to have but it’s also difficult to find places. Some childcare centres have long waiting lists and parents are left in the lurch having to find a friend or relative who can look after their child. Sharing childcare can be a more valuable experience.

• Get together with one or more neighbours to look after each other’s children. With two of you sharing you could each work half the week.
• If you have some cash to spend on childcare then you can save by doing a ‘nanny share’. Agree between you which home the children will be in on different days of the week then contact an agency (if you would like professionals to screen the nannies before you meet them) or put an ad on Gumtree.

Car pooling

Another obvious networking saver is finding someone who works and lives close to you, so the both of you can take it in turns to drive the other to work. One less car on the road, or several depending on how many seats everyone has in their car. You’d be paying for less than half the amount of fuel you usually would in a week, and have good company along the way.

You could go one step further and actually buy a car with a friend or relative who lives nearby and then share it between you. Work out who needs it on which days, and which days are negotiable, as well as whose turn it is to fill it up. Maintenance costs would be shared by both parties. Also, try national organisations like National Carshare and Liftshare to get together with local people going in the same direction as you.

Meal sharing

As we said earlier, the Moneymagpies think big batch cooking makes life much easier and the dishes cheaper to produce. However, you can get bored having spaghetti bolognese for yet another night. So instead, get together with a few friends and swap some of the meals you make in batches. Someone else’s boring old chicken curry could be the amazing homemade delicacy you’ve always dreamed of.

Each of you should choose one dish and bulk buy the ingredients to make enough for all of the families that are involved (if there are three of you cooking, then three families). Once you cook the meal, divide it into three containers/pots/dishes and swap them around. Voila – cheaper ingredients from bulk buying and three different meals to heat and eat.

For inspiration, have a look at our great article on making big batches of mouthwatering low-cost curry.

Holiday swapping

An increasingly popular and easy way to take a holiday is to swap homes with other families in the UK and abroad. Go to a house swapping agency such as HomeForExchange or Intervac. Sign up online and see where in the world you want to go.

Set up a profile that shows what kind of house you have to offer – size, number of rooms, whether there is use of a car etc. Then find someone who sounds interested in your destination and time period, as well as you in theirs. No money changes hands. You can even swap cars and some are happy to look after others’ pets.

Swap your swapping

Have a look at LETS Link UK, which stands for Local Exchange Trading Schemes. These are networks within the community where people exchange their goods and services without the need for money. It’s basically getting back to the good old days of trading sheep with labour, but 21^st century-style swapping. It does cost to join, but then you can trade all you have for all you need.

Inviting friends to get discounts

Officially the advertisers call these referrals – word-of-mouth is the most important form of independent advertising available and if you’re willing to recommend a company, they might be willing to give you a little something to say thanks. Many referral programmes allow you to get money back or a percentage of what your friends spend or buy. Here’s a few examples of ones the Moneymagpies have found:

Gym memberships

If you’re a member of a gym, you should keep a look out for any referral specials they run. If you tell your friends about a great deal and they sign up saying that they heard about it from you, there could be a month’s free membership or some great freebies coming your way.

2 for 1 vouchers

We love these. Basically, have a look out for vouchers in newspapers or if you’re signed up to our newsletter we’ll send you bargain alerts that include 2 for 1 vouchers on restaurant meals and happy hours. You can keep on top of the latest bargains here.

Keep your eyes open

As the credit crunch bites, restaurants and retailers will use whatever they can to their advantage to get you and your friends to join or buy from them. If there’s something you really need, all you have to do is ask if there’s anything in it for your friends too. Then split the profits or enjoy the bonus. Happy bargain hunting!

Useful links

• Boots
• Marks & Spencer
• mySupermarket
• The Trainline
• Lastminute
• Toptable
• Eurostar
• Opodo
• Travelodge
• Virgin Holidays
• LETS Link UK