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I've seen many of these floating around the blogosphere and seeing as it's the 30th anniversary of the £1 - it's only 10 years older than me, eeek - I thought I'd do my own. Being a student, I'm desperately in need of saving money whenever possible and I think I have a few good tips to pass on to you guys.
- Instead of going out all the time, go round to your friends house. Why go out for a meal when you can all cook together? It saves money and it's a lot of fun.
- If you're a student, make sure you sign up to UNiDAYS. I literally don't purchase anything online unless I've checked this website first. It's wonderful.
- Are you beauty addict? Make sure you get your own Boots Advantage Card. I wrote a blog post on taking advantage of your Advantage Card a while ago and it tells you how to make the most of it. It can save you money and earn you a little treat every now and then.
- As someone who drives, I can tell you this. Stick to the speed limits! Not only is it the law but it really does help you save money when it comes to petrol.
- Bulk buy. If something is on a good offer and it's something that you love, stock up on it! It might seem expensive in the short term but you'll definitely benefit in the long term.
- Before you go shopping, make a shopping list and stick to it. It's easy to put whatever you want in the trolley but I promise you, if you make a shopping list, you will save money.
- If you have the time, shop around for the best bargains. Why just go to Asda?! There's Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys out there too.
- Speaking on shopping, never ever go food shopping when you're hungry. You WILL buy random things that you don't actually need.
- Look through your wardrobe. Something that you thought was ugly a few years ago might be back in fashion now.
- Hold a blog sale. I'm currently holding one and so far, I've made a fair bit of money to buy even more make up, oops.
- Use eBay. I love eBay and if you're on it at the right time and you do your research, you can find yourself a bargain. My iPhone 4 only cost me £122!
- Clothes swap with your friends. It's the latest trend and if you're all the same size, you can wear something that's pretty much new for free.
- Use mobile and media recycling websites such as Music Magpie and Envirofone. That old Barbie DVD that you no longer watch could make you an extra quid or too.
- Budget, budget, budget. And stick to it. If you set yourself a budget of say, £10 a week and draw it out of the bank, hide your bank card so you can't draw any money out of it.
- If you're travelling, use MegaBus. The last time I went to London it only cost me £25 return, bargain.
- If you're addicted to Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Elle, Look AND Reveal don't buy them all. Come up with some kind of deal with your friends and then swap them so you can read them all by buying just one.
- Go to Iceland. Seriously, it's a wonderful place.
- Don't buy bottled water. I've never understand why people do. Yes it's only 19p for a big bottle from Asda but by investing in a water filter you'll save a lot of money.
- I don't pay bills but if you do, don't leave the tap dripping, turn off things you aren't using at the plug and unless it's really cold, turn the heating off.
- Speaking of heating, if it's boiling in the car, DON'T USE THE AIR CONDITIONING. It uses petrol like crazy.
- If you think your product has reached the end of its dear life, cut it open and see what's inside. I've had an extra years worth of Urban Decay's Primer Potion simply by decanting it.
- Go to car boot sales. I love them when I'm back home. Unfortunately I don't know of any in Lincoln but you can right find a bargain.
- Go to the Pound Shop. Brands for £1? Who can turn that down?
- If you're buying a new product, particularly high end, ask for samples and do your research. Don't waste your money because of the hype.
- D-I-Y. Don't go to the hairdressers for your hair to be coloured, don't go to the nail salon for your nails, do it yourself! It's fun and you can even invite your friends round for a pamper session.
- Takeaway food is the devil. It seems cheap at the time but £5 for one meal? No way. It's a lot cheaper to make it yourself.
- I'm a sucker for this as I love Boots Meal Deals but don't buy your food out. Make it yourself and take a packed lunch to work.
- Buy a jar to keep loose change in. I ended up having around £20 of 1p's at the end of my first year at university.
- If you see something that you want, walk away and decide whether or not you need it. You'll probably forget about it in a few days.
- Write a blog post like this. For every tip that you write (up to 30) you will earn yourself £1! Find out more about it here.
Do you think you're a bargain hunter? Do you know ways to save money? Then make sure you enter Money Supermarkets competition. You can find out more about it here! What are your tips on saving money?
xxx
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