As I get older, I'm getting more clever at saving money. I don't like to think of it as being meaner, as at the end of the day I'm trying to put money aside for a rainy day for me or my family, or so that I can enjoy a nice lifestyle and have a holiday or another treat sometime soon. It's just a weight off my mind and also something to look forward to if I know a few pounds are mounting up in an account I won't let myself touch.

So, I'm learning a lot of ways in which I didn't even realise I was wasting money - and I've discovered a lot of them learning from you lovely people here on dooyoo! The latest of those is Quidco, which seems to be part of a big growing trend. I'll review that in full as I'm a relatively new member and have yet to have a cashback payment (for the uninitiated, Quico.co.uk is a cashback website through which consumers can receive money back for their purchases - good economy if first of all it works - as I say I have yet to have any of my theoretical cashback earnings paid to Quico and therefore on to myself - and if you only use the website for things that you would purchase anyway), but this is a review of my experience with a company that I used because of their association with Quidco.

***PERFUME PLUS DIRECT***
As I said above, Quidco in theory is great if you can avoid the promotional offers there that you wouldn't usually go for, and instead look to use the site in a way which offers a small repayment on things you would normally buy.

I'm a bit of a cosmetic junkie but one thing I never change is my perfume. I found a scent which not only suits me on a chemical level - they do smell different on different people, after all - but also on a personality basis. I'm going to keep the scent in question a secret until I think I can pen a review that does it justice, as it is the one product that I unfailingly buy and take everywhere with me. In short, I love it.

Over the years it has also become somewhat more affordable, to the extend whereby I can pick up a 30ml bottle in stores like Wilkinsons for £10 - which I was always happy to do, and did so in person rather than online. But, having discovered Quidco and as part of my responsible spending regime, I am trying to see if any products I buy regularly like this could be found cheaper online. I didn't hold out much hope, as it is a popular brand and £10 is ridiculously reasonable for such a good perfume anyway.

However, a quick gander through Quidco revealed a few perfume retailers online. One of them was Perfume Plus Direct (perfumeplusdirect.co.uk), which was offering a pretty handy 8% cashback for purchases tracked through Quidco. I decided to click the link through just to see how the prices stacked up.

***THE WEBSITE***
The homepage is a bit cluttered but by far not the worst I've seen for this. There are promotions for their top products and seasonally relevant ranges, and it is quickly obvious that this retailer no longer just restricts itself to perfume - you can also buy aftershave and sun products, for example.

Down the right of the homepage is a search facility - you can search by brand, prices, categories and also just click through to grouped products, such as New Arrivals.

I found my product quickly and with ease - and to my astonishment, 20p cheaper than the high street's lowest price I had found to date! To the basket with you (clearly displayed in the top right of your browser). But wait a minute - what about postage?

The website proudly displays at the top by the company name that prices INCLUDE postage in the UK. Result, I hear you cheer! However, hold fire a minute - when I went through the checkout process I noticed that the default postage setting is chargeable for First Class - the inclusive postage is only for Second Class and you have to manually change this or you will be charged. It's always worth reading through your online orders anywhere thoroughly to avoid being stung like this, as to be charged for the postage instantly makes this false economy also.

That gripe aside, I found the website fast, easy to navigate, easy to join up, secure and also the website-generated order confirmation paperwork arrived in my inbox swiftly. So far, so good. Quidco soon tracked 79p of cashback and I waited for my product to arrive.

***DELIVERY***
I was impressed with this. Despite selecting second class, my product which I ordered on Tuesday was waiting for me when I got in on Thursday night. Luckily I have someone at home who can take in parcels for me - this arrived in an adequately sized brown cardboard box. There was a significant dent in one corner but this can be attributed to any stage in the postal process, so I can't deduct a star here.

In the box - which was securely taped with a clearly printed address label - my perfume lay snuggled in again perfectly adequate amounts of bubble wrap. There was no sign of the dent on the outer packing affecting the box of the perfume, and the bottle was intact.

In short, my perfume was delivered as I expected and in just-bought form as if I had picked it off the shelf myself. There was no printed confirmation of the order in the box as you commonly get with online orders, which is fine for me as I think it would be a waste of paper when you already have this on email.

***CONCLUSION TIME***
First off, a note on the website - there is an FAQ page and I would urge you to read it. As I was happy with my transaction I have had no need to use their returns policy but it is clearly laid out what you would have to do if you were not pleased with a product, and that you cannot cancel an order once placed unless returning the item within seven days after receipt.

I am very pleased with this website. My product is the cheapest I have found it, with free postage (75p First Class, you can also pay express rates) AND if you use cashback websites as well this is a savvy way to purchase a product that you would anyway. Delivery was efficient and swift and I will definitely be using this website to purchase future products and any fragrances I buy as gifts. I will also probably try buying multiple items together and trying their cosmetics if, again, they are cheaper than the highstreet.

Recommended! Thanks for reading.