7 Unusual Money Saving Tips

You’ve done the obvious ones. You no longer buy a take away coffee every day, you’ve cut down on the clothes you buy, and the credit card account has been cleared and the card cut up. It’s now getting a bit trickier, but not impossible. There are always areas of spending that can be tweaked to save that little bit more.

1. Stop using paper kitchen towel. There are many items in the house that we buy out of habit but don’t really need. May sound silly, but spending on paper towels can average about £1-2 a week. This amounts to £50-100 a year. Doesn’t look so silly now, does it? The job of paper kitchen towel can easily be done with washable clothes and tea towels so it isn’t essential. Look at similar items that you can live without and cut them off the shopping list.

2. Don’t buy books. Books vary a lot in price. Even when they can be purchased at low cost, regular reading can still amount up to a tidy sum over a long period. But books don’t have to be purchased. Join a library and have access to hundreds, if not thousands of titles. Can’t find the title you want to read? Most libraries will order in books if they are requested, some will even buy them in if a member asks. You may have to pay a small fee, but this will still be a considerable amount, normally a lot less than buying books, even second hand copies.

3. Ditch the TV subscription. Make the most of free to view channels and, instead of so much TV watching, read all the library books you are now borrowing. Dig out all the DVDs you have and work your way through watching them again. Do DVD swaps with friends and relatives. If there are particular sporting events you don’t want to miss, look at making it a day or evening out at a sports bar. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Having a few soft drinks will keep the price down and will still be a cheaper then paying for a TV subscription every month. Alternatively, watch at a friend’s house, and provide the drinks or food to share as your contribution.

4. Have a cash-free week challenge. Identify all essential spending required for one week, i.e., grocery shopping, travel expenses etc, and take out that amount only, in cash. Then spend nothing else. Instead, do those DIY jobs you've been putting off for ages, visit relatives, or search online for free events happening in your area. It can be empowering and a real eye opener to see how little you can live in. Just don't spend the savings afterwards, put them into savings, and pay off extra on any debts, or use for the groceries the following week.

5. Go through the list of all the people you send birthday and Christmas cards. Send free e-cards instead. This saves on cards and postage, and the environment will thank you for using less paper/card.

6. Buy a packet of salad seed and ‘grow your own’. One packet should be enough to produce enough salad leaves for one couple, all summer. Growing success will inspire you to grow more varieties or fruit and veg and save even more. Nothing tastes better, or is fresher, than home grown produce. It tastes even more wonderful when you know how little it costs to produce your own food.

7. Car free days. Plan your week so that you can have a day that you can leave the car on the drive. Plan it so you don't need to go far from the house and instead walk or cycle, so make sure you've got all your groceries, have done any errands and don't need to shuttle the kids anywhere. Consider doing once a month. Over the course of a year, that’s 12 days of fuel saved and also less wear and tear on the vehicle. This one day can be a useful stepping stone in lessoning the dependency a lot of us have on reliance of a car. Making the day enjoyable will help increase the chances of it being repeated on a more regular basis.

Looking at every penny or cent you spend. Consider everything you buy. Discover and create your own money saving tips. Every little helps in achieving your financial goals.