Surviving the Cost of Living Crisis - 5 Easy Money Saving Tips
The cost of living is rising, that’s a fact we cannot escape and with the Holiday Season fast approaching we’re all feeling the pinch this Autumn. However, we’ve put together some of our top, easy money saving tips, which include quick fixes you can do from your laptop this evening, to those that you’ll have to put into practice, like driving more fuel efficiently.
From subscriptions, to transport, beauty goods and homewares necessities, we’ve all got quite the list of monthly outgoings, so read on to see what you can save on!
Save money on gifting
Holiday Season is fast-approaching, and there’ll be wishlists coming in sideways from family and friends, so… why not try out some of these tips and tricks to save a bit of money?
Make your own gift wrap… Grab a roll of plain brown postage paper from the supermarket and either doodle on it, paint it, make some festive stamps with sponges and paint or leave it as is and just decorate with a bit of ribbon! This will save on all those fancy rolls of gift wrap that really add up.
Make your own cards! A great illustrator or just love to make things? Grab a pack of coloured card from the supermarket and doodle til your heart’s content! Or, as above for the gift wrap, cut dish sponges into festive shapes and stamp with paint to doodle on top of!
Got a group of friends to buy gifts for? Suggest a Secret Santa type gift exchange, or better yet… a secondhand version! Have a spending cap and head to the charity shops for little homewares treasures, funny jumpers and more.
When buying gifts online, use cashback sites such as TopCashback or Quidco when making purchases - this can also be done in store too, depending on the brand, via cashback apps!
Save money on beauty and hygiene products
Our biggest tip… bars last longer than bottles! Whether shampoo, conditioner, skincare or hand soap, there’s so many options of beauty products in bar form now! (Also meaning less plastic waste!).
Like to give your opinion on products? Why not become a product tester; shops such as Boots, Tesco, Amazon and market research sites such as Valued Opinions and Ipsos iSay allow you to give feedback on products for yourself or for the home, all you need to do is sign up and have your say!
Swap your full-price hair or nail appointment for a discounted, (or sometimes even free), ‘hair model’ or portfolio appointment! Many hair salons, and the odd beauty salon, are after ‘models’ for trainees to get experience on, or for marketing or portfolio photos. These appointments often have a BIG discount and are sometimes even free! Head to a couple of your local salons, and see which services they need ‘models’ for soon!
Save money on transport
Need access to a vehicle occasionally? Looking for a car to hire right near you? Hiyacar offers deposit-free, subscription-free vehicles available for hire, from just £28 a day! With cars across the UK, there’ll likely be one right up your street, and if there’s not one as close as you’d like? Why not spread the word about Hiyacar, refer your neighbours and earn money for referring them?! Register your interest in becoming a Hiyacar Ambassador.
Whilst on a hire, why not give some of our fuel efficient driving tips a go, to save on the petrol you use during your journeys! From smooth driving, to mindful gear changes, there’s bound to be a tip to put into practice.
A little lesser-known money making tip is that Hiyacar are happy to give out credits for use on their platform, in exchange for a bit of your time - an in-person or online interview about their product and services. Reach out to a member of our support team to schedule a member interview with our Head of Product in exchange for some credits. To make getting around even more affordable!
Save money on subscriptions
Undoubtedly you’ve heard this one already, but all those free trials you forget to cancel add up! Here’s your friendly reminder to think back on what you’ve signed up for to make the most of a free gift or trial this past year, and to check the account settings to make sure you cancelled your subscription! From food subscription boxes to streaming sites you’ve not had time to open, there may be money spilling out of your account that you’d not noticed.
Next, weigh up the pros and cons of keeping the subscriptions you currently use… are you making the most of them? Are they good value for money? If you’re just watching the odd movie on a certain streaming service, can you live without it?
Save money on homewares
Looking to do some home improvement soon? Budget a bit too tight for any major changes but really need to refresh your space? Why not try secondhand homewares sites such as eBay or Gumtree? Or even check out the furniture goodies going for free in the local area on sites such as TrashNothing and Freecycle? Perhaps you won’t find the specific brand of item you’re looking for, but who knows, you mind find a hidden gem that you love much more!
Looking to cosy up and get stuck into a new book this Autumn/Winter? Don’t buy new, instead, try eBay, World of Books, Oxfam’s online store, or even head to your nearest charity shop and browse the shelves! An even better, and free option, is head to your local library! Most towns, London Boroughs and even villages will have a library service - many with online database search options (so you see what’ll be on the shelves before you get there). Support your local library service and borrow a couple of good novels!
Inspired and after more money saving and money making tips? Have a read of our post on how to make money with what you already own
