Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
How to save money on almost anything
Reading Time: 5 minutesWith everything increasing in cost these days, spending less (or receiving more for your hard-earned money) can be challenging. Fortunately, there are many tricks you can use to claw back some cash and save money on almost anything!
- Claim student discounts even if you aren’t attending uni
- Build up rewards using Amazon Prime
- Receive all of the right discount cards
- Become a code hunter
- Get the most out of your birthday
- Free stuff websites
- Haggle
Claim student discounts even if you aren’t attending uni
You don’t have to amass thousands of student debt to access student discounts. Instead, many part-time and short courses will make you eligible for a Totem card (which is what used to be the NUS discount card). There used to be a loophole that very cheap online courses gave you eligibility, but alas the NUS has cracked down on that!
Remember, you can also get a discounted or free Amazon Prime membership. If you’ve already paid for the full Prime package, you can request a pro-rata refund once you switch over to the student deal. Then, use the strategy below to double up on your rewards.
Build up rewards using Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime membership offers unlimited one-day delivery, which is great. But you can make even more cash by using no-rush postage incentives, including £1 credit for some purchase types. Rewards are available across millions of items on the site, be sure to check which ones at the checkout page.
To make the most of this deal, make your Prime-eligible purchases one at a time so you can earn a credit for everyone. Then you can either use your reward on the next eligible item that you buy or stockpile credits to purchase Kindle apps, music or videos.
Receive all of the right discount cards
If you decide to buy a discount card, you’ll need to make sure you’ll get your money back. So, do your sums before you buy.
– Tastecard: delay having to pay the annual fee by getting started with £1 trial for 60 days.
– Coach and rail cards can make their purchase price back in just a couple of trips. With some student accounts, you can get them at a discounted price or for free.
Become a code hunter
You’re never too late to attempt to score a great discount code!
While you’re doing your online shopping, always check for a voucher before you pay. To do this type the name of the retailer plus “promo code” into your search engine of choice.
If you’d like to be more organised, then sign up to retailer newsletter. Many of these newsletter offer discounts for first-time subscribers, so if you time it right it can really pay off.
Get the most out of your birthday
When it comes to getting money off, birthdays are brilliant. You might be able to get starters at a rock bottom price or a complimentary cake.
These offers are particularly lucrative as they’re valid for your entire birthday month. You’ll need to sign up for the retailer’s newsletter, and make sure you have their loyalty card or app in advance.
Next, plan the offers you’d like to receive.
Some of our favourites include:
– Get a free sweet treat at Patisserie Valerie, Krispy Kreme, Subway, and Gregg’s!
– A beauty treatment free of charge from Debenham’s beauty club. You’ll need to ensure that your date of birth is on your beauty card account and you’ll need to use the reward within 2 weeks of your birthday.
– A third off at Yo! Sushi
Free Stuff Websites
There are plenty of websites where you can hunt for the most recent free offers. From pet food to perfume, everything is there as long as you don’t mind jumping through all of the hoops first. It’s a great way to try out freebies first before buying the full product, and an excellent way to save money as well. Most have coupons that also can be used with your weekly shopping.
Our favourite sites:
There are also discounted or free TV licences covering the entire household. Also, if you happen to live with someone over 75 years old or who is registered as blind, then it’s worth having the licence put in their name since there is a cheaper deal that you can take advantage of.
Haggle
One of the easiest ways to receive a discount is the simplest ways: just ask! Retailers don’t always give you one, but it’s worth a shot:
– Compare prices ahead of time. If you see like-for-like, find out if the store will throw in extras or beat the deal. This also works with broadband providers.
– Are you purchasing accessories as well or more items? A discount might mean you could afford to purchase everything instead of only the cheapest item.
– If the store won’t agree to a discount, walk away. That could end up triggering a better deal. Also, telling utility, broadband, and phone providers that you are switching to a different service can end up getting you a call from their customer retentions department – and those are the people who have the power to cut prices!
– There are some retailers that offer their largest discounts on financing, plastic, or cash. Therefore, don’t show your hand before receiving their best offer. After you have locked your discount in, you can then choose the payment method that works the best for you.
Just one of these ideas can help save money on almost anything. However, in order to truly benefit, begin at the top and continue working your way through all of them. Make this the year that you stop paying more money than you have to!
Some great money saving tips.