Thrifty M.E. part 2.

 

My friends and family laugh at me for being so careful with my money – but that doesn’t stop them from coming to me for advice when they want to buy something.  Recently my cousins

visited because they had photos to get printed.  I managed to get them 600 prints delivered for less than £10, and even better, managed to gain £6.75 cashback for myself in the process. Let me explain…

 

A well kept secret on the internet is the fact that when a website

directs you to an online shop they get commission.

Quidco collects that commission and gives it back to you.  In 18 months I have received over £100 back, almost entirely from purchases my family or I would have been making anyway.  The total received a recent boost when a magazine company credited me with £10.50 for the privilege of reading 5 issues of their new magazine!  Currently you can make a profit while

trying online DVD rental, photo processing and gambling companies (they say the bookie always wins – but not if I have anything to do with it!).

 

     You may well have heard Martin Lewis on the TV or radio.   He runs

     a fantastic website called, appropriately

        enough moneysavingexpert.com                                                                                                  

 

By using all the information on this site you make very substantial savings on absolutely everything.  If you have access to the internet, I highly recommend you visit and also read the forum. Also good for purchases is hotukdeals.com, although some of the bargains (with coupon codes and cash back) are so good you can easily spend on things you don’t actually need.

 

Also on the MSE website is a great deal of financial advice, including how to use credit cards and the best rates on bank accounts and mortgages. 

 

 

If you have had the same bank account a while the chances are you will no longer be getting a good rate.  Banks rely on customer inertia to make the bulk of their profits.  Slowly over the years their rates slip and new customers get all the best deals.  The first thing you should do is check the website above or the best-rates table of your newspaper for the current

interest/mortgage rate.  Then you should go to your bank and tell them what you can get

elsewhere.  They may offer a customer review and you may get shifted onto the newer

competitive rates.  If not you should consider moving – and tell them that. As we go to print

the best instant access savings rate is from Sainsbury’s Bank at 6.2%, but you can get 6.3% from NS&I in their cash ISA and pay no tax on £3000 per year.  It’s a sign of the times that the best deals, however, are usually to be found exclusively online.

 

Following up last newsletter’s energy saving info:-    Scottish Power are giving 4 free energy  saving light bulbs to anyone on a benefit and you don’t need to buy your electricity from them to take advantage – call 0844 800 0444.