Get Penny Pinching

By Author: Carolyn Clayton
Total Articles: 497
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There was a time when being called a penny pincher or Scrooge would have been an insult but with the results of the credit crunch we can be cash savvy and feel very good about it. Thousands of pounds are wasted by the British public on bad credit deals and leaking energy in their homes. Switched onto some money saving internet sites by a friend I was really very surprised at how many ways there are to save cash and how much we pay out that is unnecessary.

Simply by checking out the competition and changing a few habits, we can rake back hundreds of pounds. Just by turning the heating thermostat down by one degree can save you up to £50 a year alone. Not leaving the TV, Satellite and the DVD player on stand-by will also save you the wonga as well as the planet. Britons use the equivalent of 2 power stations, producing 800,000 tonnes of carbon, by leaving their electrical items on stand-by, which is a massive drain on our wallets and our resources. Norman Baker the Environment Minister from the Liberal Democrats calculated that the emissions from this habit alone is the equivalent of 1.4 million long-haul flights. Extraordinary!

Easy ...
... to put into practice are some basic money saving tips like:

wash clothes at 30 not a 40 degree temperature
disconnect your mobile phone once charged, it is still using power (money) when plugged in
keep your freezer regularly defrosted as it uses more power when full of ice.
free phone calls: go on-line and get an account with Skype (costs nothing) and you can talk to anyone for absolutely free, anywhere in the world, who has also signed themselves to Skype. You can talk either on your computer with mic and headphones, or ask your mobile phone network provider if Skype compatible (although I haven't heard great things about the actual Skype mobile phone itself).

Top dollar information is given on money man Martin Lewis' site (see him on GMTV)which is crammed with money saving tips on just about anything from mortgages to train tickets and signing up for his weekly tips is free.

It seems that by researching and shopping around you can put the money back into your pocket and most are incredibly easy to put into practice.
Bargain hunt online. If you have had difficulty with your credit cards or don't want the temptation of spending to it's limit then go for a pre-paid card. Simply charge it up at the Post Office for the amount you want to spend. Warning, don't put on more than you need because if the bank was to sink then your money would go with it. It's also a great way to get teenagers money savvy as a pay-as-you-go card lets them purchase on-line bargains but also allows you to put some money on their card in case of an emergency. Martin Lewis also explains how you can build your credit history back up with certain pay as- you- go cards too.

If at all possible keep a record of what you save every month, put the money away and at the end of the year you have a wad of cash to spend, its a real incentive for saving when the results are tangible.
Remember the old saying 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves!
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