Money Saving Tips - Part II (Saving tips)

Member Name: Orenthal

Product:	Saving tips
Date:	28/01/09 (230 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Helps you save money

Disadvantages: None!

Money Saving Tips Part 2

Recently I did a review on DooYoo to help people during the credit crunch and also with everyday spending. It featured 5 essential tips on how to save money at home. This is now the second review from me and I'm going to give the DooYoo community another batch of helpful tips!

1. Shop around for your petrol. If you drive then you'll know just how annoying petrol prices fluctuating can be. They change every single day and it can jump significantly high if you don't keep an eye on it. When you go into town and need petrol, make sure you check out the competition. Supermarkets like Asda and Morrisions have been undercutting everyone lately selling petrol at almost 80p a litre (unleaded). If you put in a set amount of petrol every week like me (£10 a week) make sure you get as many litres as you can, and you'll have to fill up less often!

2. Car Boot Sales. These are absolute gold mines for saving money on essentials. Certain items me and my girlfriend get from boot sales save us a lot of money. For example, Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner, we used to pay around £3 for a bottle at Tesco but now we can get them from the boot sales. They're brand new and still sealed, exactly like from Tesco but only cost us 50p a bottle. Some other essentials you can pick up for a fraction of their supermarket prices are shaving razor blades, toothpaste, soaps, kitchen roll and an awful lot more. Just be warned, check the use by dates and make sure they haven't been tampered with. We've never had a bad item but it only takes one.

3. Recycle and Cash In. Do you have a garage, loft or spare bedroom filled with things you no longer use or want? As long as they're in decent condition then you can sell them in 3 different ways (these are my recommended ways). The first is an online auction website such as eBay, eBid or Amazon.co.uk. They will take a small fee from you but it's better than nothing. The second is Computer Exchange (CEX), they will buy any games, DVDs or electronics from you at a decent price. Take your items in-store or check online for a free price quote. They pay in cash which is always good. The third option is the local papers. They're free to list in and there is no fee at the end either. Anything up to £200 per item is free and payment is cash on collection.

4. Cashback Websites. Cashback websites are fairly new and not widely used, even though they're one of the best ideas on the internet today. They offer you a fixed percentage of what you spend online, back in cashback. The rate is often between 5-20% depending on the retailer, but if you spend £50-£100 a week on Tesco food shopping, that's £5-£10 back for doing nothing extra at all. The best online cashback websites that I've found are Quidco and TopCashBack. I've recently just done a DooYoo review on Quidco so check that out!

5. Mystery Shopping. Mystery Shopping involves you being employed to test out customer service for hotels, shops and restaurants. Normally you have to buy something and then fill out a short questionnaire of the shop/business to rate their services and products, and then send it back to your employer. It's free to join and you are reimbursed for every job you do, sometimes the reimbursement is more than what you needed to spend so you actually profit. You will frequently get free meals, drinks, hotel visits and lots of other freebies. I personally recommend Retail Eyes and think they're great for freebies and a little extra income for very little work.

Summary: Hope these tips help you!