Money saving advice

It seems everywhere you turn at the moment, everyone's talking about the credit crunch ... so I've decided to jump on the bandwagon (after ensuring I got a good deal on the fare) and share my money saving tips. Hope you find them useful:

1. Don't wait till you run out of something before buying a replacement. This goes for all toiletries (I can't remember the last time I paid full price for toiletires or cosmetics) and food items with long expiration dates on them (such as confectionery, crisps, condiments, jams, frozen food). A few weeks (or even a good month) before running out of something, start comparing prices in different shops and if something's on a good offer, stock up!!

2. Don't do your weekly shop in the same supermarket. You'll only benefit from one set of offers. Go to a different supermarket every week and keep your eyes peeled for their offers. Even if you don't need something yet but it's on a good offer and you've got room to store it, take advantage. Take note of what supermarket has the lowest price on your weekly essentials (eg milk, bread, fruit/veg)

3. Compare prices and work out the cheapest option. (You might need a calculator for this, or use the calculator on your mobile. That way people will just think you're texting your friends and organising your hectic social life). For example, would buying loose apples be cheaper than buying bags? Or would buying a better quality loo/kitchen roll or cleaning solution mean you use less and make the product last longer?

4. Only buy what you can use. Don't get suckered in with every 'special offer' sign you see. It's all very well for supermarkets to coax you into buying two bags of apples so that you save 50p, but will you actually eat them all before they go off? Also, if you spot a giant tub of chocolate muffins reduced half price because of a short expiration date, will you eat them all before they go stale or you throw up, or would it be cheaper to buy a smaller pack? It can be cheaper (not always) to buy in bulk; see if you can split goods (and therefore costs) with a friend.

5. Only buy what you need (or really, really want). When it comes to apparent bargains, ask yourself if you'd consider buying the item (this goes for food, household goods, clothes etc) at full price. If not, perhaps you'd be better off not shelling out £2.99 for that bargain basement DVD if you're not that interested in seeing an early performance in Nicole Kidman's career anyway. Regarding clothes, Primark do sell incredibly cheap clothes. But do you really need all five different colours of a t-shirt? They might be only £2 each ... but you'd save even more money (and space in your wardrobe) if you only bought a couple.

6. If you have the time, cook/bake at home rather than buy ready meals. Shop bought cakes/biscuits are absurdly expensive and can't compare to home-made. (If you've not had any luck in home baking, my next blog entry will be a thorough guide to baking good cakes.) Cook in bulk and freeze meals. Don't cook more than you'll eat and don't throw away left overs, either freeze it or heat it up the next day (probably not advisable for previously frozen food, especially meat). I've heard that a left over roast dinner tastes great fried up for breakfast. If you get through a lot of bread, buying a bread maker could save you money.

7. Focus on quality, not quantity. If you're after goods to last several years (from clothes to household appliances), it may be cheaper in the long run to buy something more expensive that will last longer. eg if you're after a plain black cardigan as a wardrobe staple, buying one every winter from a cheapie shop for £10 is more expensive in the long run than buying a £25-£30 cardi that will last several years. Make sure you follow washing instructions to make your clothes last longer too.

8. Buy second hand, eg books, DVDs, CDs, clothes - all cheaper when someone else has broken them in first. eBay's great for this, but do be cautious of pirate DVDs/CDs; you can search for 'used' items only which can eliminate the more expensive new items and possible pirate items. I use auctionsniper.com, which bids on your behalf in the last few seconds of an auction. Great if you're not at your computer when an auction's ending or if you're a total scatter brain. Sellers won't see your payment details either; credit card payments are handled by paypal, a company that passes on your payment to the seller, minus commission. Paypal is free for buyers.

9. Home electric/gas; wear another jumper and turn that heating down. Turn lights off when you leave the room. Don't boil enough water for an imaginary group of tea addicts, just boil what you need. Put lids on saucepans to retain the heat. Don't leave the fridge/freezer door open (also helps prevent it frosting up). Don't leave things on stand-by (microwaves, computers, hi-fis, DVD players, TVs...incidentally, I used to live next door to a fireman who told me a major cause of household fire is faulty TVs left on stand-by. Unplug appliances instead). Turn the heating off overnight and get a big, thick duvet instead.

10. Loyalty cards eg tesco clubcard, boots advantage, nectar. They're great as the more you spend, the more points you earn ... which is exactly the myth shops want you to think so you are loyal to their shop only. Loyalty cards can certainly give you great bargains (I paid for my RAC membership with Tesco's clubcard points), but don't limit your cash splashing to just Tescos or Boots thinking it'll be cheaper because of the loyalty card. For example, Tesco gives you a point (=1p) for every £1 you spend in their shop. That's basically 1% off your shopping, so if you spend £100 in Tesco on your weekly shop, they give you a £1 off in clubcard points. Not exactly generous. You could save a whole lot more than a £1 by testing out other supermarkets for good offers/lower prices. Also, don't equate bonus points with saving money if you'll spend the points on things you wouldn't normally buy.

11. Don't think that the above advice will only save you a few pennies here and there and isn't worth following; when you think of all the items you buy (including groceries), saving a few pennies on each item will soon add up to several pounds, a lot more if you have a big family. Something as simple as going to a different supermarket every week won't take up much (if any) extra time (once you get used to where everything is!)

12. For extra income, if you have a spare room consider letting it for a week or two to a student (enquire at local colleges that run English language courses). A colleague does this and it fits around her family life very well.