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5 ways to save money the old-fashioned way
It turns out that when it comes to thrift, mother – and grandmother for that matter – really did know best. We’ve put together five vintage money-saving tips that are as effective now as they were back in the day. Put them to the test and see how much you could save.
1. Put a jumper on!
Turning down your central heating by just 1°C can shave £75 off your yearly energy bill. Put a jumper on and pop an extra blanket on the bed if you feel chilly instead of reaching for the thermostat controls and keep those heating costs down.
2. Learn to barter
If you need a small job doing around the house that you can’t do yourself, do you know someone who can? Think what you could offer them in return as payment or part-payment – it could be an evening’s babysitting, a few hours of ironing or even a car wash and valet.
Good old haggling can also save you money. If you’re buying in bulk, for example, ask for a discount and if you see something cheaper elsewhere, ask a retailer to price match.
3. Go cash-only
Before the days of contactless payments and credit cards, you had to save up and actually part with cash when you wanted to buy something. Get back in touch with this bygone era by leaving your credit card in a safe place at home and only using cash instead. You’re much less likely to burn through your money as quickly as it’s always hard to part with physical cash, and you’ll find you have loose change in your pocket at the end of the day. Put it straight into a good old-fashioned money jar – those pennies will soon add up!
4. Sell things you don’t need
Three words: car boot sale. If your home is overdue a declutter, now’s the time to take stock of what you own and what you really need. If you haven’t used that pasta maker at the back of the kitchen cupboard in two years, you probably won’t miss it. Honestly assess the condition of anything you want to sell and work out the minimum price you want for it. Then take the whole lot to a car boot sale.
Don’t forget to take a look in the attic too; dig out some old things that other people may find valuable.
Use the cash you make to buy the things you really want or to even boost your savings.
5. Cook up a storm
Cooking from scratch rather than buying ready meals or even prepared sauces can knock pounds off your weekly shop. It needn’t be complicated, and if time is an issue, get into the habit of cooking in batches and freezing what you don’t eat. What could be better than being able to pull a delicious home-cooked meal out of the freezer to reheat mid-week?
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