100 ways to save challenge

charleybear

Anyone can join in. This challenge is about doing really simple and easy things to save money to go towards your financal or life goals.

There are no numbers to give out but if you'd like me to post your goals here then please do state them and I'll add them up here.

To take part,take a look at the list below to get some ideas on how to save,
Members are free to post the ways that they have saved money.

charleybear

1. Pay yourself first – put a certain amount into your savings account
2. Set your short term, medium term and long term financial goals
3. Save your spare change
4. Leave your credit / debit card at home
5. Bring your own lunch to college or work
6. Bring your own tea or coffee to college or work
7. Turn unused appliances off
8. Re-use bottles
9. Ditch the junk food, including energy drinks
10. Clip coupons
11. Pick up useful coupons
12. Use vouchers and deals whenever I can
13. Use the library more
14. Have a night in
15. Instead of a holiday, have a “staycation”
16. If you haven’t already, open a savings account & save whatever you can even if it’s not a lot
17. Repair your clothes
18. Dye your faded clothes
19. Wear clothes more than once if not dirty or you can get away with it
20. Make gifts – don’t buy them
21. Buy gifts in the sales
22. Buy gifts for Christmas year round – making effort to check the sales
23. Buy second hand
24. Don’t buy on impulse
25. Use the 24 hour rule – if you can’t remember the item after a day, you don’t need the item
26. Wait 30days before buying a big product
27. Research for a big item online first, then the highstreet, compare the prices
28. Use free online services
29. Try and do multiple errands or little bits of shopping in one day – saves time,money and cost of transportation
30. Shop around to see if you can buy the wanted big items for less or for a similar product that would suit you better
31. Only eat out once a month at most
32. Have more free dates or more free friend time
33. Use your city’s services
34. Check out free or really cheap events going on in your city
35. Buy video games with replay value
36. Avoid over draft fees
37. Avoid ATM’s that charge
38. Sign up to free loyalty cards or clubcards
39. Stick to a shopping list, only buy what is on there
40. Drink more water
41. Have a notebook on you at all times to jot down any items you’ve missed, wait until there are at least 5 – 10 items on your list before going to buy them
42. Don’t try to keep up with everyone else
43. Shop at discount stores
44. Shop at pound stores for everyday supplies
45. Always keep your receipts for a month – track your spending and see what you can give up or at least cut down on
46. Stop those horrible habits such as smoking,drinking etc…
47. Join MSE and take part in money saving challenges in the fourms
48. Create a budget weekly or monthly
49. Use the 50%,30%,20% method
50. Evaluate the ways of saving money, cross off any ideas that don’t work
51. Create a master list of everything that needs to be done and do them when you have spare time
52. Try the 52 weeks saving challenge
53. Make a shopping list and stick to it – only buy what is on there
54. Learn to save no
55. If you are still a student, use your student card whenever you can
56. Set a limit to how much you can spend
57. Use cash
58. Do more over time
59. Pick up any coins that you see on the ground
60. Pick up free instore magazines
61. Use free applications to ring/contact people
62. Have your friends email or facebook you instead of calling them
63. Bring your own re-useable shopping bags instead of using plastic ones
64. Use phone money saving apps
65. Swap expensive make up for cheaper brands
66. Save every £2 coin
67. Check pound shop for needed supplies
68. Stock up on Sauce sachets that are free
69. Save gift bags and tissue paper – re-use them
70. Set a limit to how much you spend on a person’s gift
71. Use the 10 second rule; ask myself WHY am I buying it and Do I really need it? If I can’t find a good answer don’t buy it
72. Go to the mall less
73. Don’t buy magazines – download free apps or look on website
74. Add any extra money into savings tin or savings account
75. Plan to shop for 1 hour
76. Set up a standing order to put money in your savings – you won’t miss money you don’t see
77. Create a management folder
78. Offer to buy items that are in good condition from neighbours and friends if I need it or would be a present for someone else
79. Keep track of repayments
80. Don’t buy music - Use spotify, youtube ect… for music instead
81. Watch all DVD’s you own before buying more
82. Swap with friends & family
83. Take the amount of cash you’d like to spend – no cards to be taken!
84. Research ways to be frugual
85. Don’t buy expensive clothing
86. Only go out when there are offers on like happy hour, 2 for 1 cinema tickets (I get it from orange my phone provider)
87. Take up a money saving hobby
88. Remind yourself that other “down market” brands are just as good or even better then the original item – Don’t waste money buying an ipod, a cheap MP3/MP4 is good enough
89. Use charity shops
90. Make the most of your lunch break – create budgets, read , etc…
91. Avoid cash back if you have used it a lot this month
92. Look after your items , especially electronics
93. Always check the reduced area first before shopping for your needed/wanted items
94. Plan for no spend days,Low spend days and high spend days
95. Exercise at home – play on the wii, go outside, take the dog for a walk.
96. Order tap water when you are out
97. When ordering fizzy on a night out, ask for no ice – you get more fizzy
98. Have a period of time where you are “frozen” from buying clothes or the item that you spend a huge amount
99. When you buy in bulk, spilt the cost with your friends, especially if they are the ones coming over for the night
100. Say yes to hand me downs or items people are giving away
101. Buy less fizzy, squash is cheaper
102. Try a month of not eating out - Dine out for special occasions only or if you are not paying
103. Have your savings goals in your purse/wallet so you can see it
104. Throw out the deals unless you really need something
105. Google promo codes
106. Buy with reward points
107. Find a passion for saving money
108. Know the usual price "For instance I have seen 2 x 32 ibuprofen for £1 in Poundworld. Not such a bargain when they are 29p in Savers"- Valli on MSEFourms
109.Cut face wipes in half – double the amount
110.Have a month(or less) of only buying things in the sales
111.Ask for change instead of notes
112.When going out, take our own drinks.
113.For everyday you have a no spend day, put an amount of money in your savings account.
114.Shop in stores that offer reward points / clubcard points (can combine so groceries in tesco & beauty products in boots etc...)
115. Pay yourself 50p each day (either in your savings tin or savings account)

charleybear

Charleybear- £300 /£10, 000 by 2020 :eek:

charleybear

Cool I will make the money saving ideas again tonight so I can format it properly.


Today I brought my partners comic for him and the shop assistant put 10% discount on the purchase even though we didn't have the discount card


After we went into a music shop and they had band tshirts/hoodies on sale for £2-£3 so I got myself a shirt and hoodie,my partner a shirt and my sister a shirt for Christmas and it all came to £10.

charleybear

today I stayed home as it's the last day of my holiday,
i gutted out my room getting rid of all the clutter and bits and bobs that I don't need. I put a lot of items in a bag for my mum's work charity do.

Josslette

Really great list Charleybear!

charleybear

Thank you I'm currently redoing it as I've said a few things twice over.

cyclingyorkie

I agree with 'less fizzy' but can I point out that squash is a lot cheaper than juice? Hope this helps!

DomRavioli

How does checking your bank account regularly help you SAVE money? Simple answer is it doesn't.

Same with making gifts at home. I can pick up gift sets in poundland, which would cost me more to make at home (on average around £4 for a small gift set and packaging).

You've also repeated quite a few on the list, such as eat out less, cheap/free dates...shall I go on?

cheerfulness4

What a great list Charleybear. Some new ideas and reminders of some ole favourites.
Very handy to have them all compiled together for all of us.

paulineb_2

If you have a home bargains near you, use it, same with B and M, wilkinsons
Do a clothes, books, magazines swap with friends
If you have an aldi near you use it for the super six fruit and veg offers
Use the foods that you have wisely, for example make soup from leftover veg. https://www.supercook.com is also handy, shows you recipes you can make with what you have
Brew your own wine, beer, cider
Use groupon/wowcher/living social etc
Many colleges do very cheap haircuts/colours and beauty treatments
Buy a hand blender to make soups and smoothies
You can buy multivitamins identical to berocca for a third of the price at poundworld, they also sell heat and cool sprays for muscles after exercise for a pound and they also sell products similar to scholl foot spray for a pound. Same with many painkillers and other vitamin/herbal products
Poundworld also sell eco cat litter for a pound a bag, its around £4 in asda
Make meals that you can also take into work as leftovers, pasta, risotto, curries, soups
If you buy a travel ticket look into buying a 4 weekly one instead of a weekly, can often be cheaper
Have nights in with friends instead of going to a restaurant, ask people to bring a dish with them or a bottle of wine
Look at getting onto product testing panels/,mystery shopping
Use quidco
Use solid shampoo, will last longer.