FOOL'S EYE VIEW
Top Ways To Save Cash!

By Alison Hunt (TMFAlly)
February 23, 2006

There are few people that don't appreciate the opportunity to save some money. After all, with bills rising all the time while salaries often see increases that barely cover the rate of inflation, many of us are left feeling pretty broke! However, there are ways in which we can hang onto more of our cash. By spending a little time making sure you're getting the best deal or price for everything you buy you can save hundreds, if not thousands of pounds each year. And we're not just talking about the big items -- small savings soon add up, too. So why not check out these tips and see how many you can follow, and save yourself some cash.

1. Pay less for petrol/diesel

If you're one of the many people who fills up when the tank says it's running low, you could be spending more than you need. Petrol stations on motorways and main roads are notoriously expensive, and although a few extra pence per litre may not seem like much that extra £3+ spent on each fill up could add up to over £150 each year! Try to plan ahead -- if you commute you'll know roughly how long a tank will last.

Sign up for the free service from Petrolprices.com and you can check which petrol station in your locality has the cheapest prices before filling up. What's more, if your cheapest station operates a reward scheme too, consider joining. And why not follow our top tips to reduce your fuel usage, too?

2. Hack back your phone bill

If your phone bill is a constant cause of concern, there are ways to pay less. If you're a BT customer, why not investigate companies such as 1899 - you simply set up an account with them and then dial 1899 before any landline numbers dialled. You will only pay for connection (currently 3p) regardless of how long your call lasts. Other similar operators include 18866 and 18185. Companies such as Just Dial offer free evening calls of up to two hours duration.

Alternatively, work out when you make the majority of your calls and their duration -- by giving your provider a ring you should be able to find out which is the cheapest tariff for you. And for totally free calls, why not investigate PC-to-PC calls via VoIP? Companies such as Skype, Vonage and VoIPCheap provide software that allows you to call you friends PCs all over the world, for free. VoIPCheap also offers cheap or even free calls should you wish to call landlines, too.

3. Pay less for mobile calls

If you haven't checked your mobile tariff for a while, you may be paying more than you need. Providers are changing their deals all the time so it's worth finding out what's on offer. Check your phone bill for details for the times and durations of your calls. Plug those details into the OneCompare site to find out what kinds of offers are available for your usage. Many providers are currently offering deals that offer cashback. If you should decide to take one of these deals it's vital that you should remember to claim when possible -- or you'll miss out on mosty of the savings made. Switching provider is also a great way of getting a shiny new phone.

However, if you'd prefer to stay put, you can always try calling your provider to tell them about the deals available with their competitors -- many will match any offers and may even upgrade your handset, too. And finally, why not investigate the savings to be made by using Avantimobile? By using the Least Cost Routing technique with mobile phones it will route your call the cheapest way. Simply download the software to your handset and if there are any savings to be made on each call you make, it will automatically re-direct that call via the Avantimobile network -- if there are no savings to be made your call will sent in the normal way via your provider. Although calls to UK mobiles are often no cheaper, the savings made on international calls can be considerable -- for example, calls to the USA, Germany and Australia start at 5 pence/minute.

4. Don't forget Broadband

More households are signing up for broadband and competition between providers is becoming fierce. However, before snapping up any ultra-cheap deals it's well worth checking the small print. If you constantly download large files or use streaming you may find that usage limits imposed by the cheap deal providers will mean you're charged a small fortune in extra fees. And if you were a low user that occasionally checks their email, a super fast connection would mean you're spending more than you need. Check out our tips to get faster, cheaper broadband.

5. Save money on childcare

Any parents out there will know just how expensive childcare in the UK is. The average cost of a full time nursery place is now £7,400 a year, and much higher in London and the South. However, there are a couple of ways in which you can save money. By signing up for the Childcare voucher scheme, working parents can each sacrifice up to £2,600 of their salary each year, taking this money as childcare vouchers instead. By not having to pay the income tax or National Insurance contributions on this sum, taxpayers can save up to £1,066 a year. What's more, your company doesn't lose out either; as it doesn't have to pay its National Insurance contributions on this sum either.

And don't forget to find out if your family is entitled to Working Tax Credit -- approximately nine out of ten families qualify for help with childcare costs.

6. Pay less when shopping

Although many of us are happy to ask for discounts when purchasing insurance etc. few of us are as happy to do so when shopping. Obviously quibbling over the price of a can of beans in the supermarket probably won't get you very far, but asking for a discount when making a large purchase is well worth doing, especially if you're paying cash. Why not follow these top haggling tips?

7. Spend less

Of course, the best way to hang onto your cash is to spend less of it! Work out where your money goes each month and consider where you can cut back -- noting down everything you spend for a week or so may yield some surprises. If your company provides tea and coffee for free, why waste £2 each day buying one at Starbucks? If you constantly get home from work too tired to cook and reach for the phone, why not consider making and freezing batches of meals at the weekend? Two family takeaways each week at £20 each adds up to a whopping £2,080 each year, not to mention the extra weight they probably make you gain! Leave them for treats only and save your cash. And if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, that's around £1,800 each year you could be using for a better purpose -- get some tips to help you give up here.

8. Get paid to spend

And finally, whilst you're at it, why not get paid to spend? If you're the kind of person who pays off their credit card bills on time every month, why not benefit from your disciplined nature and use a cashback credit card? By putting every purchase made on the card you can earn up to 2% cashback, which can add up to a pretty tidy sum at the end of the year. Check out these cracking cashback cards and see how much you could earn.

So there you have it, eight ways to help you hang onto more of your cash -- why not give them a go and save some money?