Ways the Internet can save you money

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

No doubt that having the Internet is an added monthly expense, yet its benefits can actually help you save money. There are several websites that provide excellent deals on quality household items and services as well as obtaining things for free or barter. Let's take a look at some of them.

Coupons

The Internet is a great place to acquire coupons for discounts on products and services. A simple Google search for coupons will yield a lot of results. You can also Google coupons along with your country's or city's name for more targeted results. If you enjoy shopping at speciality stores such as Barnes and Noble or Bed Bath and Beyond, check their websites for special “Internet only” offers. Many online retailers offer great deals for their online shoppers, providing you with a special code that you enter when ordering. more......

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

How to Save Money

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Saving money is one of those tasks that's so much easier said than done. There's more to it than spending less money (although that part alone can be challenging). How much money will you save, where will you put it, and how can you make sure it stays there? Here's how to set realistic goals, keep your spending in check, and get the most for your money.

Steps

1. Kill your debt first. Simply calculating how much you spend each month on your debts will illustrate that eliminating debt is the fastest way to free up money. Once the money is freed from debt payment, it can easily be re-purposed to savings. Plus, the sooner you pay off debt, the less interest you'll pay, and that money can be saved instead.
   • If you choose to start saving before you completely pay off your debt, however, look into consolidating your debts so that you're not paying as much interest.
   • The only money-saving that should take precedence over getting out of debt is to create an emergency fund (setting aside enough money so that if you lose your income, you can survive for 3-6 months).
2. Set savings goals. For short-term goals, this is easy. If you want to buy a video game, find out how much it costs; if you want to buy a house, determine how much of a down payment you’ll need. For long-term goals, such as retirement, you’ll need to do a lot more planning (figuring out how much money you’ll need to live comfortably for 20 or 30 years after you stop working), and you’ll also need to figure out how investments will help you achieve your goals.
3. Establish a time-frame. For example: "I want to be able to buy a house two years from today." Set a particular date for accomplishing shorter-term goals, and make sure the goal is attainable within that time period. If it’s not attainable, you’ll just get discouraged.
4. Figure out how much you’ll have to save per week, per month, or per paycheck to attain each of your savings goals. Take each thing you want to save for and figure out how much you need to start saving now. For most savings goals, it’s best to save the same amount each period. For example, if you want to put a $20,000 down payment on a home in 36 months (three years), you’ll need to save about $550 per month every month. But if your paychecks amount to $1000, it might not be a realistic goal, so adjust your time-frame until you come up with an approachable amount.
5. Keep a record of your expenses. What you save falls between two activities and their difference: how much you make and how much you spend. Since you have more control over how much you spend, it's wise to take a critical look at your expenses. Write down everything you spend your money on for a couple weeks or a month. Be as detailed as possible, and try not to leave out small purchases. Assign each purchase or expenditure a category such as: Rent, Car insurance, Car payments, Phone Bill, Cable Bill, Utilities, Gas, Food, Entertainment, etc.
   • Keep a small notebook with you at all times. Get in the habit of recording every expense and saving the receipts.
   • Sit down once a week with your small notebook and receipts. Record your expenses in a larger notebook or a spreadsheet program.
   • There are also many apps you can download to your phone that will help you keep track of your expenses.
6. Trim your expenses. Take a good, hard look at your spending records after a month or two have passed. You’ll probably be surprised when you look back at your record of expenses: $300 on ice cream, $100 on parking tickets? You’ll likely see some obvious cuts you can make. Depending on how much you need to save, however, you may need to make some difficult decisions. Think about your priorities, and make cuts you can live with. Calculate how much those cuts will save you per year, and you'll be much more motivated to pinch pennies.
   • Can you move to a less expensive apartment or house? Can you refinance your mortgage?
   • Can you save money on gas, or give up a car altogether? If your family has multiple cars, can you bring it down to one?
   • Can you get a better price on insurance? Call around and make sure you are getting the best price you can. Consider taking a higher deductible, too.
   • Shop the discount racks at clothing stores. Items on clearance are marked down considerably and could save you 50% of the price.
   • Can you drop a land line and either only use your cell phone or save money by calling over the internet for free with services such as Skype?
   • Can you live without cable or satellite TV?
   • Can you cut down on your utility bills?
   • Can you restrict eating out? Buy food in bulk? Start using coupons? Cook more at home? You might be able to save a lot of money when grocery shopping.
7. Reassess your savings goals. Subtract your expenses (the ones you can't live without) from your take-home income (i.e. after taxes have been taken out). What is the difference? And does it match up with your savings goals? Let's say you've decided you can definitely get by on $1500 per month, and your paychecks amount to $2300 per month. That leaves you with $800 to save. If there’s absolutely no way you can fit all your savings goals into your budget, take a look at what you’re saving for and cut the less important things or adjust the time-frame. Maybe you need to put off buying a new car for another year, or maybe you don’t really need a big-screen TV that badly.
8. Make a budget. Once you’ve managed to balance your earnings with your savings goals and spending, write down a budget so you’ll know each month or each paycheck how much you can spend on any given thing or category of things. This is especially important for expenses which tend to fluctuate, or which you know you're going to have a particularly hard time restricting. (E.g. "I will only spend $30 a month on movies/chocolate/coffee/etc.")
9. Stop using credit cards. Pay for everything with cash or money orders. Don't even use checks. It's easier to overspend when you're pulling from a bank or credit account because you don't know exactly how much is in there. If you have cash, you can see your supply running low. You can even bundle up the predetermined amount of cash allocated for each expense with a label or keep separate jars for each expense (e.g. a bundle/jar for coffee, another for gas, another for miscellaneous). As you pull money from a jar for that particular expense, you'll see how much remains and you'll also be reminded of your limit.
   • If you need to have credit cards but you don't want the temptation of having them available to use day-to-day, restrict that section of your wallet with a note or picture reminding you of your savings goals.
   • Credit cards are not inherently evil; it's all about your self control. If you use them responsibly (i.e. completely pay them off every month), you can benefit from them. But the reason most credit card companies make money, however, is because people end up spending money that they don't have. Unless you are one of the people who can religiously pay off the balance in full every month, you're better off foregoing the promotions that credit card companies use to lure you in (cash back, introductory APR, airline miles, and so on).
10. Open an interest-bearing savings account. It’s a lot easier to keep track of your savings if you have them separate from your spending money. You can also usually get better interest on savings accounts than on checking accounts (if you get interest on your checking account at all). Consider higher-interest options such as CDs or money-market accounts for longer savings goals.
11. Pay yourself first. Savings should be your priority, so don’t just say that you’ll save whatever is left over at the end of the month. Deposit savings into an account (or your piggy-bank) as soon as you get paid. An easy, effective way to start saving is to simply deposit 10% of every check in a savings account. If you get a check or sum of cash, say 710.68, move the decimal point one place to the left and deposit that amount: 71.07. This works well and requires little thought; over several years, you've a tidy sum in savings. Over decades, you'll be a millionaire.
    • You can set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings account.
    • Many employers allow you to deduct savings from your paycheck. The money is directly deposited in your savings account so you never even see it on your paycheck.
    • You can also have investments for retirement taken directly out of your pay, and the taxes may be deferred with this option.

Video

How To Be Smart About Saving on Howcast

 

Tips

• Always OVER estimate your expenses and UNDER estimate your income.
• If you can afford to share things you have, from food to living space to appliances, try to do so. What goes around comes around when it's between close friends, soon enough, you'll find your friends doing the same, and everybody benefits.
• Have a hobby? Match your funds. One important habit for saving is if you have a hobby, such as model airplanes, scrap-booking, dirt biking, scuba diving, etc., set a hard and fast rule that whatever you allow yourself to spend on your hobby, you match those funds to your savings. For example, if you buy yourself a $45 pair of riding gloves, another $45 goes to your savings. Serious about saving? Try doubling your matched funds! These savings plans will do two things: Save money regularly and quickly, and really show you how much you are spending on your hobby, when it costs you twice as much.
• If you receive unexpected cash, put all or most of it into your savings, but continue to set aside your regularly scheduled amount as well. You’ll reach your savings goals sooner.
• Make purchases with paper money, not exact change, and always save the change. Use a piggy bank or jar for your coins. Coins and change may look insignificant but when accumulated over time they can help you save. Some banks now offer free coin counting machines. When you redeem your coins, ask to be paid by check so you won't be tempted to spend your new found cash.
• Most people can save something regardless of their income. Starting to save a little will help build the habit of saving. Even saving as little as $5 a month will teach you that you don't need as much money as you think.
• If you can't bring yourself to destroy all your credit cards, at least freeze them. Put them in a container, fill it with water, and stick it in a freezer. That way, if you feel the urge to use credit, you have to wait until the ice melts, and during that time you may come to your senses and realize you don't really need to buy what you wanted to buy.
• If you get paid about the same amount on a regular basis, it'll get easier to budget your money over time. If you have a variable income, it'll be harder to anticipate your expenses because you won't know when's the next time you'll get paid. List your budget categories in order of importance and fulfill the most important items first. Play it safe; assume it'll be a while before you get money again.
• Use affirmations. For example, repeat this affirmation to yourself until it sinks in: Debt is not an option.
• Enjoy the simple pleasures in life. During the Great Depression, people still had fun, just not lavishly expensive fun. Children had soapbox derbies, teenagers had dance contests, and everyone played Monopoly, did puzzles, read, and listened to the radio. Get together to discuss philosophy or pray; play poker or make crazy quilt pillows; play instruments and dance. In those days, it took some imagination and ingenuity, but they had a lot of fun without hanging out at the mall, and you can too. Many of the friendships and alliances formed during the Great Depression on the basis of such activities stood the test of time.

Warnings

• If you have spendthrifts in your circle of friends, you may need to formulate a list of ready excuses to explain why you can’t go out with them all the time.
• Do not go out "window shopping" with any money on you. You will only be tempted to spend money you cannot afford to lose. Only shop with a predetermined shopping list.
• After a long week of working, you may want to indulge in some luxury, telling yourself, "I deserve this". Remember that the things you buy are not gifts to yourself; they are trades, products for money. Say, "Of course I deserve this, but can I afford it? If I can't afford it, I'm still a worthy person, and I still deserve to meet my savings goals!"
• Unless you're in truly desperate financial straits (like 10 seconds from eviction and your three children are starving) don't try to cut corners connected to health. Basic preventative care for yourself, your family, and your pets might cost you a $60 office visit or a $30 heart-worm pill today, but the skipping it will contribute to expensive problems and heartache down the road.

Related wikiHows

• How to Buy Nothing
• How to Teach Your Child About Budgeting
• How to Save Loose Change
• How to Start Saving Using a CD Ladder
• How to Reduce Expenses
• How to Make Money in a Few Days

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Save Money. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to cut food waste and save money

Learn how reducing your family's food waste can save you up to £50 a month.

Source:http://www.direct.gov.uk

UK households are throwing away £12 billion worth of food and drink every year - for the average family, that's up to £50 a month.

According to WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme) that's the equivalent of 8.3 million tonnes of food and less than one-fifth of that is really unavoidable - things like bones and banana skins.

Wasted food doesn't just affect our purses, it has a big impact on climate change too. Most of it ends up in landfill sites where it rots and releases methane, a damaging greenhouse gas. The food and drink we throw away is also a huge waste of energy, water and packaging used in its production, transportation and storage.

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits of reducing food waste and has lots of quick and easy ways to help us all make the most of our food, such as:

more info here.........

How to save money on food when traveling

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

""~Look for discounts

Do your research and choose restaurants that offer an online coupon or regularly offer specials. Boston Chicken almost always has a coupon that you can print out, TGI Friday’s offers happy hour half price appetizers and all day Sunday. Applebee’s and Denny’s offer free kids meals on certain days of the week when an adult orders a meal. These are just a few of the discounts that you can take advantage of.

~Early bird specials

From 5-6:30pm there are many restaurants and diners that offered a reduced priced menu. This is to encourage people to eat at the earlier less busy time. When you have kids, eating early is a good idea and can save you a lot of money.

~Picnic

Who doesn’t love eating al fresco? It can be outdoors or it can be in your hotel room. Go to the local grocery and buy some paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, a whole roasted chicken, cold cuts, cheese and drinks."" more....

How to save money on parking

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

Paying to park your car is an unwelcome expense which should be avoided at all costs. City parking in particular can be an outrageous expense and one which eats into your daily wage if it is a necessity to pay to park your car for work. It should be an expense which is factored into your overall car running costs. On top of insurance, gas, road tax and car maintenance it can make you wonder if it makes running a car worthwhile. It really is a good strategy to think of ways to save money on parking.

If you use your vehicle for work in the city then opt for public transport instead. You can park at the railway station and hop on a commuter train into the city. Naturally this means you have the fare to find but this should still work out cheaper on an annual basis than the cost of driving into and parking in the city. more...

How to save money by haggling

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

Haggling can save you a lot of money on a variety of products such as cars, houses and more.  With skill, you can secure better prices. The following points describe how to save money through this practice.

Prepare first

Before you even start to haggle you should have an idea of what you should or want to pay for the item.  You should think of a maximum amount that you will be willing to give out so that you will know how to respond to their offers.  If it is a big ticket item such as a car or house then you will need information to help you while you are haggling.  This includes information about what others are paying for similar items (such as a recent sale of a house on the same block) or what the car dealership actually paid for the car. more....

NI cards to be axed to save money

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

National Insurance cards are to be phased out, and spare furniture sold online, under government plans to cut the deficit, the BBC has learned.

The government has also decided to cut the number of criminal checks for junior doctors.

The ideas, expected to save at least £1m a year, were chosen from about 100,000 put forward by members of the public and civil servants.

One union said getting the public to suggest cuts was a gimmick.

During the summer, the Treasury set up a website looking for suggestions on how to save money, eventually receiving more than 100,000. read more....

How to Save Money on Travel

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

People always ask me how I can afford to travel so much.  What is my secret? And I tell them all the same thing- travel is not as expensive as you think. Expensive travel is just a myth perpetuated by travel companies to get more money out of you.   Luxury hotels, luxury cruises, luxury this and that- they are all designed to make you believe you have to spend money when you traveling. Thus people think the most they can afford is that expensive week in Cancun. But that’s not true. more.....

Save Money on Your Shopping with Tesco Money-off Coupons

Online voucher codes in the U.K. save money online with promotional codes and vouchers.

In this day and age and the present economical climate saving money wherever consumers can is becoming more and more popular and no longer are people who hand money-off coupons over the counter at your local Tesco's supermarket regarded as stingy. This article covers these points and how you can find money-off coupons on voucher code sites that can be printed off and used over the counter or used online at UK online stores. 

 

In this tough economy thousands of people each week are turning to using coupons to save money on their weekly shopping list for food and other necessary items. There was once a time when coupons were a novelty but these days’ people are seeking coupons any place they can to save as much money as they can on their shopping bill. In the past we would come across coupons by chance in the newspaper or on the back of cereal boxes but these days with the growth in popularity of the internet and the online voucher code there are a number of sites that cater for your need to save money offering voucher codes, promotional codes and printable coupons for U.K. supermarket chains such as Asda and Tesco. 

 

Tesco’s average customer can save up to 600 pounds a year on their groceries and other household items by shopping online with Tesco’s voucher codes or in the store with printable discount coupons. You can save money all weeklong with Tesco’s coupons buying bits and bats here and there. Tiny savings like 50 pence off that we don’t think about at the time but over the week can turn into a few quid and can add up to a few hundred quid over the course of a year. Especially around Christmas time when your shopping list grows and grows storing up for the Christmas season and the addition of Christmas gifts. 

 

There was a time when people walking up to the till with a handful of coupons could look a bit stingy to others but in this day and age the usage of coupons has become more and more popular and no doubt the person in front of you or behind you in the Tesco queue is rummaging through their purse or wallet not to count how much money they have but searching for the Tesco coupons there about to whip out onto the counter, in the past the check out girl would have had a look of suprise on her face when this happened to but not anymore as this happens every minute of every day. 

 

The internet has not only made it easy to get your coupons online but it’s also made it so easy to do your shopping online and digital voucher codes used on check out at online stores are becoming just as popular or maybe even more popular than a paper money-off coupon at a brick and mortar store. Voucher codes can be used for anything from getting money off your groceries and your weekly shopping bill to saving money off larger household items, software, computer hardware, games, clothing, shoes, DVD rental and so much more. Just think of how much money you can save each year if you plan your shopping trips and look for the voucher codes you need before you go out to the shops to spend your well earned money. 

 

Voucher codes are free and are put out by retailers and online stores to promote their goods and attract people to shop at their stores and buy from them. Valid voucher codes can be found online at a number of sites that allow people to upload and share the voucher codes that they find in magazines and newspapers with other shoppers in the community. With certain sites such as www.voucheralerts.co.uk providing exclusive voucher code alerts to your email inbox so that you are kept up-to-date with the latest money-off coupons and voucher codes for your favourite supermarkets and stores. 

 

Get your Tesco Voucher Codes by clicking here.