I'm a massive geek in looking for the best deals online whether that's for home bills or for my personal spends. Here are some of my favourite tools for money saving and some referral links to get you going!
Mortgage
So, lets start with the first things first - mortgages. If you're looking to buy a house or looking to remortgage, I couldn't recommend using a financial adviser enough. These guys are super knowledgeable in their fields and will help you to find the best deal for you. You can shop around yourself, maybe check with your bank to see what they're offering however, financial advisers will be able to take the workload and stress away from you as you hunt for a mortgage. Do remember though, you shouldn't have a to pay for an adviser, they normally work on commission from the mortgage providers!
Utilities
Utilities are probably the most variable, inflation expecting bills of a household. You might not always be able to do much about your water bill but you can however shop around for your gas and electric. If you're looking for a good priced, great quality service that is environmentally friendly, look no further than Bulb! They can estimate your bill cost in quotation stage but I can happily say that I was paying under this quote each month (£63 for a four-bed, semi-detached house!), during summer, gas and electric costs me between £27 - £35 which is a STEAL! Not only that, when you refer someone to Bulb, both you and the other person receives credit in their account, and from now until Tuesday 23rd July, we can both get £75 added to our account which can either be left in for credit or withdrawn from the account! They do all of the switching for you, taking away any hassle and time from your own hands. If this sounds right up your street, be sure to check them out here (and remember if you use this code, we both get some extra pennies)!
TV License - do you even need it?
Now this isn't a high monthly cost, I think I was only paying around £12 a month at the time BUT, could this £12 a month be saved or better spent? If you don't watch live TV, or don't watch BBC iPlayer then you do not need one! If you're anything like me, I just live off Netflix and Amazon Prime and therefore, my £12 a month is better spent on those subscriptions rather than doubling the cost for entertainment. So, have a think, do you really need a TV license?
Council Tax - are you eligible for a discount?
Okay, we all know that council tax is expensive. This is a different cost for different parts of the country but did you know that you may be eligible for a discount? Each council has different discounts and exceptions, for example, if you're a student, single person or have a disability. You can find out more from the Gov website by popping in your postcode and checking out the exemptions for your local council.
Mobile bills - do you really need a new contract and phone - move to sim only!
I used this tactic around two years ago now! I was spending £40 a month on my contract for an iPhone 7 and my phone was in perfectly good nick when the contract ended. I spoke to EE and swapped to a sim only deal which had unlimited calls, texts and 20GB of data, all of £12 per month! So, if you're got a perfectly working phone in your possession and your contract is about to end, check out whether a sim only can be a better fit for you.
Shop online? Cashback, cashback, cashback!
I literally don't buy a single thing without visiting a cashback website before a purchase now. From clothes shopping to car and home insurance, literally whenever I know I'm buying online, I'll never go direct to the website. I'll always check both TopCashBack and Quidco to see which is the best deal (although I swear by TopCashBack and always have - I've earned back over £2,000 from them alone!).
Don't ever auto-renew your car insurance
This is possibly the worst move you can make when it comes to your car insurance! More often than not, your insurance provider will raise the premiums each year and, if you haven't done your research, you could end up paying far more than you need to. Take my other half for example, his renewal on our joint policy was over £700, after doing lots of research and moving away from the old provider, he saved around £250 on his annual premium! It's also cheaper to purchase your car insurance three weeks before the start date of the policy to get the best prices. If you're car insurance is due for renewal or even if it isn't, check out Money Saving Expert to see if you can find a cheaper deal.
Paying interest on credit cards? Stop now!
Paying interest on credit cards? Stop now!
Lots of people are paying interest on their credit card bills every single month either because they don't know that they can avoid the interest, aren't bothered (BUT WHY?!) or maybe just can't be bothered with the hassle! Owning a home, I put a lot of furniture and essentials on my credit card and point blank just refuse to pay any interest which is why I'm the master of the Balance Transfer! Constantly keeping tabs on when a 0% promotion ends and always ready to switch if I need to. If you are paying interest on your credit card, check out Money Saving Expert for the best balance transfer cards on the market as well as all of the tools and information you need to make the switch.
Think about your bank account
I'm not going to lie, I have about five different bank accounts, all with different banks, all for different reasons. I have one for my bills, a standard current account, another one for groceries, another for business and a final one for my monthly slush fund.
If you're paying for household bills out of one account, could you make some extra pennies with a cashback one? I personally pay £2 per month for my Natwest account and probably make around £8 a month on my bill cashback. It doesn't seem like much but over the year it adds up!
You could also opt for one of the latest disruptors to the banking industry (or, like me, have many!). Revolut, Monzo and Starling have all taken the banking industry by storm. I love Revlout for it's round up function (which is becoming more popular with other banks too) and it's also great for travel and foreign exchange - meaning whenever I go on holiday I always use Revolut over my standard bank card. Find out more about this digital bank here.
In terms of my slush fund (the money I have left over after expenses) I use Monzo which is FANTASTIC. With Monzo you can set up a budget and savings pots. The budget is very visual in the app and it's just a fantastic banking experience and I couldn't recommend it enough. If you use this link to sign up, we both get a fiver!
So, there you have it, my own, personal money-saving hacks! I'm currently on my debt free journey which you may have read about in an earlier post. If you want to follow my journey in closer detail you can head over to instagram where the debt free community is the best and friendliest bunch!
Also, a little disclaimer about the post: there are a lot of referral links but none of these brands have collaborated on the post with myself. These referrals are all standard with the brands, some of which we will both gain back from. This is in no way a sponsored post and they are all my true and honest opinions/life hacks that I swear by on a day to day basis.
If you're paying for household bills out of one account, could you make some extra pennies with a cashback one? I personally pay £2 per month for my Natwest account and probably make around £8 a month on my bill cashback. It doesn't seem like much but over the year it adds up!
You could also opt for one of the latest disruptors to the banking industry (or, like me, have many!). Revolut, Monzo and Starling have all taken the banking industry by storm. I love Revlout for it's round up function (which is becoming more popular with other banks too) and it's also great for travel and foreign exchange - meaning whenever I go on holiday I always use Revolut over my standard bank card. Find out more about this digital bank here.
In terms of my slush fund (the money I have left over after expenses) I use Monzo which is FANTASTIC. With Monzo you can set up a budget and savings pots. The budget is very visual in the app and it's just a fantastic banking experience and I couldn't recommend it enough. If you use this link to sign up, we both get a fiver!
So, there you have it, my own, personal money-saving hacks! I'm currently on my debt free journey which you may have read about in an earlier post. If you want to follow my journey in closer detail you can head over to instagram where the debt free community is the best and friendliest bunch!
Also, a little disclaimer about the post: there are a lot of referral links but none of these brands have collaborated on the post with myself. These referrals are all standard with the brands, some of which we will both gain back from. This is in no way a sponsored post and they are all my true and honest opinions/life hacks that I swear by on a day to day basis.
No comments