A savvy shopper has revealed how she saves £300 a month using easy tricks.
Annie Ley, 24, a member of the money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, has shared her money hacks.
When it comes to shopping, Annie sticks to a "three-day rule" and buys everything through cashback sites, enters online competitions, applies for freebies and compares prices to ensure she gets the best deal, reports Birmingham Live.
Annie told the LatestDeals.co.uk community : "This year I’m on a mission to spend far less and save much more in order to go towards a house deposit.
“I decided to make a list of my biggest money-saving tips.
“Firstly, make a shopping list before you go with a budget, and make sure to stick to it so you don’t get drawn into offers and marketing gimmicks.
"Sometimes it isn’t always the best deal, even though the supermarkets try to portray it as one with their bright colourful signs. That way you only buy what you need when you need it.
“Try and buy reduced goods if you can - the best time to go shopping is at 7pm - but only if you definitely know you are going to use it or if you know you can freeze it.
"Sometimes although the price is really good - sometimes between 70% and 90% off! - if it ends up going off before it can be used, it’s just wasted money and wasted food. I’ve been caught out in the past with this before!
"Sign up to all of the loyalty schemes you can, such as the Tesco Clubcard, Morrisons More Card, Iceland bonus card, Lidl Plus, Nectar card, Boots advantage card and so on.
“Sometimes they will send you double points vouchers or money off vouchers for products you regularly buy. But again, if you were not planning on buying an item, don’t get sucked in with a 50p off coupon. Take your own carrier bags… always! I know this isn’t a massive money-saving tip, but the number of times I have forgotten a bag and have to pay for one adds up.
"Most stores only sell the bags for life now or the more expensive material ones, and these can add up when they are up to £1 for a bag. I always keep a few rolled up in an elastic band in my handbag.
"Delete the shopping apps and takeaway apps from your phone.
“It is so easy now to pick up your phone and have everything at your fingertips, but by deleting the shopping apps such as Amazon, eBay, Wowcher, Boohoo and ASOS, I have probably saved so much money by not even looking.
“Sometimes I’d just scroll through and end up buying stuff I didn’t even need, just for something to do during the lockdowns.
"The same goes for Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and other food delivery apps: I am far less tempted to browse and order food online now.
"If you do want something quick and easy as a treat, then try out TooGoodToGo, as you can get some real bargains on there.
“Occasionally I will get a Greggs magic bag for £2.59 and the contents will cover lunches or snacks for a few days. Sometimes it can be very hit and miss depending on where you live.
"Our Morrisons used to do massive boxes of surplus food for £3.09, but now they donate it to local charities and food banks instead, which you can’t really argue with. Other stores may still offer them.
"I remember one box in the summer of 2020 would have cost £68 full price, and came with punnets and punnets of fresh berries, tangerines, potatoes, vegetables and stir fry mixes.
“Another thing is don’t get sucked in by newsletter and email offers - a lot of the time I sign up to a website's email as they offer you so much off your first purchase, but then you get multiple emails a week with them pushing new products, so-called deals and promotions.
"If you can, unsubscribe to them, so there are no temptations to buy when you didn’t plan on it. Delete your card details from your phone and online accounts - that way you have to get up and get your card to pay with it.
"This really makes you think about the purchase before buying - it is just too easy to spend online now, with Apple Pay and PayPal. Always use promo codes - I rarely buy anything online without a promo code now.
“There are some great apps and Facebook groups out there where people can share discount codes with one another, and some can be up to 25% off.
“Also, there are some great desktop browser extensions such as Honey and Pouch which automatically search for discount codes.
"Take advantage of free click and collect services or delivery passes. Most online retailers have a charge for delivery if it’s under a certain spend, but then they offer free click and collect service instead, so always weigh up the option, and if you can collect it yourself, do it!
"This can save £3 or £4 a time in delivery fees, especially if you are only buying one item. However, if you do regularly buy from one particular retailer, it might be worth investing in a yearly or monthly delivery pass if they offer it, providing you know you will save more than you would have spent on the delivery fees.
“It is really worth it, for example with Amazon Prime or the New Look delivery pass.
"Use cashback websites if you can’t get a discount code - for example with insurance or websites that don’t offer promo codes.
"Last year I received £50 cashback on my car insurance through Quidco - which then covered the cost of the breakdown service for that year.
"Always read the terms and conditions though, as sometimes it’s only on certain products, and always compare cashback websites for the best rate. Over the past year, I have had over £200 back from cashback websites.
“Consider entertainment family plans - these are a great money saver if there are multiple people contributing towards the plan so you can get it slightly cheaper, whether it's family or housemates you share with.
“Always weigh up the cost of sharing a plan rather than each paying individually: I believe Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple Music and Spotify all offer family plans.
“Always check your cupboards before buying. Over the last week I have been having a good sort out of all my products, and I was shocked at how many “spares” I had in my cupboards and drawers - the amount of toothpaste, hand wash, and bubble bath I have was a big surprise.
"At least now I know not to buy any more until I actually need it. This can be the same for food: take an inventory of what you have actually got in the freezer, especially if you have more than one, as it can be easy to lose track of what you have bought. Plan ahead on gift-giving and buy early if you can - if you know you have a lot of birthdays or anniversaries you like to buy gifts for through the year, try and plan ahead and grab some bargains in the sales, particularly after Christmas.
"I tend to stock up on a few gift sets and stocking fillers which make huge savings throughout the year - things like beauty gift sets, puzzles, games and more.
“These can be put away and gifted later on in the year, If you plan on doing this with foodie gift sets, always check the use-by dates before buying.
“Also, a lot of unwanted gifts end up on Facebook Marketplace, in charity shops or at car boot sales, especially after Christmas and after people's new year clearcuts.
“This is the best time to buy gifts for throughout the year: I’ve bought designer perfume gift sets for £5 from my local charity shop in the past, still brand new and sealed as well as books, box sets, and brand new clothing for a few pounds each - it’s a great way to grab a bargain and good for the planet too.
“To get freebies, there are some great apps like CheckoutSmart, GreenJinn, Shopmium and ClickSnap which allow you to try new products for free.
"In the past six months, I have had over £200 of freebies from these apps alone (I wish I knew about these sooner!).
"There are also some great websites and Facebook groups which share freebies on them too, everything from free samples of skincare products or perfumes, which are great for on the go, to free baby products and more!
"Another great one to sign up to is phone rewards programs like O2 Priority and Vodafone Veryme - you can often get some great freebies like free coffee or a treat from Greggs and cafe Nero.
"Facebook Marketplace is a great way to get freebies too, in particular toys and furniture - some items just need a bit of cleaning up or a bit of paint and they are good to go.
"My brother had almost all of his furniture for free when he moved into his first flat. A lot of people gave him the items for free as it’s better than paying for the council to come and take larger goods away. So many brands also offer competitions and giveaways on their social media pages.
“When I had the time during the first lockdown, I used to enter so many and I won thousands of pounds in prizes, from a camera bundle worth over £1,000 to luxury skincare or makeup prizes, electronics, toys, games, clothing, cash and gift cards.
"All of these were either given as gifts, sold or donated to charity. But now I’m back to full-time work, I don’t have the time to enter them. There are also dedicated websites and groups that share competitions for people to enter.
“I’d also recommend comparing everything, from groceries, toiletries and petrol to hotel bookings, insurance and bills - it is absolutely shocking the difference in prices from one retailer to another.
“My favourite physical stores are Lidl and Home Bargains as they sell their own products and branded goods, often much cheaper than other supermarkets.
"Car insurance was one of my biggest savings this year just by comparing. I am a young, relatively new driver, so I expected the insurance to be high for the first few years but it really doesn’t pay to be loyal, especially when the difference was almost £480 from my old provider to my new one. Another saving I have made over the last two years or so was made by cutting my phone bill down as low as I could make it.
"I am lucky enough to be able to buy my phone outright - I’ve had it for about five years now and have no plans to upgrade it as it does everything I need it to, so instead I looked into my usage and it turned out I hardly used what I was paying for.
“I always have WiFi when I’m at home and when I’m at work, so I rarely use my data, I rarely make phone calls and tend to use online messaging instead of SMS.
"I was paying £18 for a SIM-only deal, but I knocked it right back to £6 a month.
"It is perfect for what I use it for without paying over the odds.
“This is almost a £300 saving since I switched it, and I’ve never looked back!
“I also stick to the three-day rule - if there is something I see that I really like the look of but isn’t essential, I take a photograph or screenshot of it.
“If I still really want the item after three days then I will go back to get it.
“This stops impulse purchases and makes you really think about the price and if you really need it that much or if it will end up dumped in a drawer or cupboard.
“Also, save those receipts! There are a few apps that reward shoppers for uploading copies of their receipts to see what people are buying, such as Storewards, Shoppix, SnapMyEats and HuYu.
"It’s not a huge amount per receipt but it all adds up and you can get rewards in the forms of Amazon gift cards or cash directly into your bank account.
"Take lunch to work and make coffee to go, too.
"In my old job, I used to buy lunch almost every single day, and I used to think 'it’s only £4 or £5 a day' but over the course of a month, it was around £100!
"When we went into lockdown and I wasn’t travelling to work every day, I noticed how much money I was saving by having lunch at home. It’s always the little purchases that add up!
"Luckily one of the perks of my new job is a free lunch while on shift. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a treat, a night out, a little splurge and that is totally fine now and again, but using some of these tips definitely helps and makes a difference and can save a lot of money in the long run.
“Using these tips, I estimate I save around £300 a month!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Whether you’re saving for a holiday, car or house, just the thought of starting to save can seem like a hugely daunting task.
“But Annie’s clever hacks have proved you don’t need to change everything overnight to make meaningful money-saving changes.
"Every little helps, so whether you use cashback sites to buy those essentials, or make an inventory and shopping list before heading to the supermarkets, you’re already making a difference to your bank balance.
“Before you know it, saving will be second nature, just like it is to super saver Annie!”
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