Vouchers

Its been a while since I last posted - busy week. 

I have been looking at vouchers I have received recently, this morning.  Firstly, I received a capital bond voucher in the sum of £5.00 from TNS, then there is a Boots voucher in the sum of £5.00 that I received from GFK, and this week I received £5.00 M & S voucher for getting an insuranced quote from Churchill which I didn't believe would turn up. 

I also have a voucher from Pavers which I received through a complaint I had which I may well spend next week in the sum of £20.00 and my darling OH has given me £40.00 in Next vouchers for our anniversary.

I note that I also have £60.00 worth of vouchers to come from nationalshoppingmonitor which I will use as Christmas presents.  I have about £20.00 of Nectar vouchers to come which I will spend on Christmas, £10.50 of Tesco vouchers and goodness knows how many boots points I have but its over £20.00. 

Most of my vouchers are obtained through surveys and scanning shopping so I am pretty pleased with myself this morning.

Using up what I have none grocery items

In my bedroom I have a stacker which you can get from Argos which is about 5 drawers deep.  I keep most of my personal hygiene products in it such as hair care, bubble bath (I also have some in the bathroom and scattered around the bedroom), skincare items, and other bits and pieces.  I have a lot of make-up and perfume too.  I am going to set myelf a mini-challenge where I have to use up what I have got - which is not easy when living in a town.

I think it is good to do this for a while so that I can save money, clear up the clutter and enjoy using products that I had forgotten I had.

Wish me luck.  Will let you know how I get on.

A few moneysaving tips

I read MSE everyday so I do not want to repeat the forum's tips.  I am trying to recall some that are not well known.

My main one is buying men's disposable razors.  They are cheaper and more robust - they last me ages - okay so they are not pink.

Another one is I live in town so no travelling to the supermarket.  I live near Sainsburys, Aldi and Asda.  I also live near M & S, Wilkinsons and all the usual suspects.  When I first moved here I spent more than I do now as you get used to it.  There are many charity shops.

Living in town and it is quite quiet, means that I can catch the whoopsies or reduced items.  I also live near the sea so I can go on walks in the summer near where I live which cost nothing.

I do not want to appear dirty but I only wash my bedding every two weeks in the Winter although if it needs doing before then I do it.

I shower most days and just have one bath per week.

I hang the washing to dry over the radiator even in the summer - live in a flat and no washing line.

I turn off all appliances at night - nothing is on standby in our home.

I often cook and we have the same meal the following night as leftovers.

I do like Heinz baked beans and branded coffee but other than that I have done down a brand some are value or economy.

I am a vegetarian and that saves money and I believe it is more healthy - just my opinion.

Before I go shopping for non-groceries i.e. Loo Roll I look at mysupermarket.com to see who has the better offer.

I only used my car where necessary - I get mileage if I drive my car for work which quite often pays my petrol and more.  I only work 6 minutes from home - need to drive my car as I may need it urgently.

Close curtains at dusk to keep the warmth in.

Only put the heating on where necessary.

When heating is on make sure I have enough clothing on and keep the heating to a minimum.

I have had my drier for 14 years and it cost be just over £100.  I empty the fluff compartment every time I use it and I believe this has helped it last for so long.

Use vouchers I have earned from surveys throughout the year to pay for the bulk of my Christmas presents.

I always shop around when spending a large amount of money - my laptop was the last one in Tesco and they reduced it by over £100.  We saw the TV we wanted in Tesco and then my husband did an online search and ended up getting it - wait for it over £350.00 cheaper - it is a big TV my husband likes his TV. 

As I have said previously I am not tight I just want what I want for a more reasonable price.  I am ready to save in some areas so I can have what in want in others.

I cannot think of anymore tips that most of you don't  know already - I  hope you found at least one thing helpful.

Other websites I look at are moneymagpie.com and lovemoney - both of which help me save money.

P.S I am so pleased that I have a follower - never thought anyone would be interested in my blurbs.

Saving money

I managed to save over £250 on my insurance this week. I received my renewal and including breakdown it came to over £650. I tried some comparison sites and it brought the price down a little. I then logged on to Direct Line for a Quote and it came to just over £400. Needless to say I was very pleased with myself.

I ready a popular forum everyday in the hope of saving more money. I have been trying to understand the concept of "clicks", "matchbetting" and also free scratchcards on bingo sites. I have done surveys for ages, including Television as scanning in my shopping and of course every little helps. I even do the odd click but the matchbetting and the bingo sites scare me. I am worried that I will end up in debt.

This scares me so much. I have been in debt in the past when I was student and I have no intention of doing this again. I don't spend ages on looking at special offers in shops and looking for voucher codes just to blow my hard earned money on gambling sites. I will continue to investigate how they work but who knows.

Need to keep on blogging

To be honest I lost my way a little with this blogging lark. I wonder, who will even read it?

However, after watching a free premiere of Julie and Julia I have renewed enthusiasm.

I have also won a Vodka Cocktail kit and received a free packet of pringles in the post. I have started comping again. Within the last few months my biggest wins have been two meals out with my local radio station.

My blog will essentially about my attempts to save as much money as I can. I am not tight perhaps frugal but its about getting more for less money.

As I said in my previous blog, I work and I am not poor but I do have limited funds. My main aim however, is to reach retirement and not to have to worry about money at all and to be able have a relatively worry free lifestyle when I get there.

I must say that since I have been considering my future I have started to spend less. Very rarely do I ever spend in the week and my changes include taking my own packed lunches to work. I spend less on shopping as I meal plan from week to week. It is not really that difficult because if we do not fancy a meal one night we can chop and change.

Don't get me wrong we do have the odd takeaway but try to keep it down to once per month.