Online shoppers are saving a fortune

 
Millions of shoppers are turning to EBay to source products at cheaper prices. This is the consumer behaviour a recent consumer survey has revealed. For many families, EBay represents an opportunity to buy the items they need at a much lower price. And all sorts of items are being bought in this way.

If you want to save some money it is always worth looking online. There are a number of leading online retailers offering major brands and popular household items and fashions at much cheaper prices than retailers on the high street.

There are even some high street retailers selling the same goods online for less than they are in the shop! It pays to get online and shop around.

Be careful when you are buying online. Make sure you are buying from a reputable supplier. Ensure that you are buying genuine products and not fakes or counterfeits. Be very careful about ordering extremely high value items unless you are certain of the source and quality if the goods. There are still times when walking into a shop is better so be careful and take your time. Rushing in to a purchase online can result in disappointment and wasted money.

Also take into account any delivery charges. Many of the larger online retailers like Tesco, Asda, Amazon, and EBay offer free delivery on a large number of goods. However, other well-known companies charge for delivery and this can significantly change the price of an item.

Money is still tight these days and we all need to do what we can to save money. By taking your time and shopping around you will find the bargains, and avoid impulse buys. It’s a great way to get your shopping done for much less and still be able to buy the things you want and need.

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Are you throwing money in the bin every day?

A recent report in a leading British newspaper reported that the average family is throwing away £60 worth of food per week!

Are you throwing up to three crisp twenty pound notes in the bin every week?

Here are some tips to cut down on wasting food and save money while you do it.

Bulk buying – this was highlighted as the number one reason for waste. People are tempted to buy large quantities of produce that has been sold as offers. Multi-buy options create the habit of buying far more than we need, or can eat. The result is wasted food, and money, straight into the bin.

Huge choice – Did you know that the average family will have over four different cereals stored at home? And often they are thrown out before the boxes are empty. The same is true for frozen ready meals, biscuits, and other packaged dried goods. People will store things in their cupboards and forget about them, then throw them out if they feel they are ‘too old’. Research shows people are throwing food away that has not spoiled and is perfectly safe to eat. We have developed into a throwaway society and moved away from the more fugal shopping and eating habits of the post-war era.

Sell by dates – You should never buy a product that is past its sell by date. However, a sell by date is very different to a use by date. Consumer surveys show that the majority of people to not distinguish between the two, and the results are that perfectly good, fresh food is being thrown away! Check your use by dates before you throw food out.

Would you rip up £60 and throw it into the bin each week? By buying only what you need, and paying attention to how you store and prepare your food, you can make it go much further and cut down on waste completely. And you will save money too.

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Keep an eye out for holiday special offers and last minute deals

Last minute deals and special offers for package holidays are a great way to enjoy the sun this summer, without having to pay high prices. And the last minute deals are not always so last minute. Today, after a simple search online, the results revealed deals available for holidays in May and June.

It is worth remembering that as soon as a hotel or holiday resort can see that it needs to boost bookings or if certain weeks need to be filled, they will offer these places at discounted prices. That’s why there are deals to be found every single day, throughout the year. And it works for hotels and flights too. So if you are organising your own holiday you can still take advantage of some great bargains.

You can make your job easier by adding some Google alerts for specific destinations. For example if you are looking for two weeks on the Italian coast, set an alert for “Beach holiday, Italy, special offers”, or “Italy, coast, last minute deals”.

There is a saying within the travel industry, “No one really knows how much a flight costs.” This is so true, and it could be said for booking any type of travel service, holiday package, or accommodation. It is a buyer’s market so go out there and search for the bargains, there is no doubt you will find them.

This tactic also works for weekend breaks, theatre breaks, and for special offers at restaurants, cafes, retailers, and leisure facilities. Get into the habit of looking for offers and deals. It will save you a lot of money, while you are still able to enjoy the best in life.

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Watch Out For Email Scams, Phishing Emails And Nasty Viruses!

Sadly, the number of email and social media scams is increasing. Every day we are bombarded with information and it is becoming harder to distinguish between the truth and the lies!

Even the most tech savvy people can be caught out by these terrible schemes. Here are a few that have been doing the rounds that you should be aware of.

Scammers are now becoming more aware of our social networks and the connection’s we have with people on line. As a result, there has been in increase in the number of scams targeting people by pretending to be someone they know.

Emails alerting you of an ‘offline message’ – These are emails which arrive, seemingly from your email provider telling you someone you are close to sent you an offline message. Do not open these emails! Google and Hotmail do not send emails like this out. Invariably, if you click on the link in the email, it will take you to what looks like a login page asking you to log in to your email account. In fact, you are supplying the crooks with your login details! This has happened to thousands of people just in the last few weeks and they have had their email accounts hacked and details stolen.

People have been sent emails purporting to be from their bank, the Inland Revenue, the Police and other official companies and government services. If you are unsure, send the email to the organisation that seems to have sent it, without opening it or clicking on any links inside it. If they really need to contact you, they can do so by letter, or will confirm the validity of the email for you.

Not all emails are scams, but we all must be more aware of them than ever before. On Facebook, the latest scam is to pretend to be an existing friend starting a new account and sending a friend request. Those who accept the friend request then have the same thing done to them. The scammers use it as a way of mining for more information about people and as a way of gathering email addresses and other personal details.

Be careful online!

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Do You Check Your Bank And Utility Bill Statements?

Many people do not check the statements they receive from their banks or utility companies. This is a mistake, since computers and companies can often make errors and mistakes that result in us having to pay more. It is always worth checking.

Checking your bank statements is the best way to keep an eye on your expenditure, make sure there are no unauthorised payments coming off, and it’s a great way of keeping your account in the black and avoiding unnecessary bank charges.

You will also see patterns in your spending and be able to make changes towards better budgeting when you see the full statement on how you spent your most recent wage.

Utility companies are notorious for making mistakes and over charging customers. Telephone companies are particularly guilty of this. If you keep a close eye on your call charges, and the breakdown of your calls and the associated costs, you will be able to identify which calls are costing you more, and ways that you can make savings too.

Gas and electricity bills can be much harder to decipher and read. The best advice is to take readings of your own meters and check them against the bills you receive. You will be given a unit cost and the number of units used. Check this calculation is right too. For households that pay monthly direct debits, they still need to keep an eye on things. Often you can be paying an amount each month and not using that amount of energy. By checking your account and statement you are more likely to save money by either spotting mistakes or seeing where you can reduce your regular payments.

The trend towards electronic statements and paperless services has resulted in many people continuing to pay their bills with no clear idea of how much they are being charged or what for! You are entitled to receive your statements by email or on paper free of change. If you are not likely to be checking your email regularly, and many people still don’t, then you can ask for a paper statement to be posted to your address.

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Reading Does Not Need To be Expensive!

We’ve received a few emails from parents keen for suggestions on how to encourage their children to read more without having to fork out for expensive books every week.

While this answer may be obvious, the truth is, the best way to encourage children to read for free is to take them to the library. Sadly, increasing numbers of libraries are being closed down, and this is removing wonderful resources that we have traditionally always enjoyed in this country.

The only way to save libraries is to use them! Children can join for free and often this entitles them to around three or four books at a time. In addition, they will have access to all the materials and IT facilities in the library while it is open. Libraries often have free reading groups and children’s clubs or story time sessions for very young children too.

It was World Book Day recently, and another wonderful way of encouraging children to read was by organising a book swap. Generally the schools do this, but you could do a book swap on a much smaller scale with just the families in your street or local community. It would be a wonderful way to share the financial burden of buying books for growing minds. Encouraging your children to share their books and swap with their friends is also a lovely idea, and a way of helping them to read widely, talk about books and learn about making recommendations on their favourite stories.

Reading will help their education, imagination and social skills, so there are no down sides to it. Table top sales, second hand books stores and EBay are also sources of books for little to no money. And you may find some great reads for yourself too.

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Imagine A Week In A Country Cottage

Spending part of your summer vacation in a country cottage was once the choice of the middle classes. Now, this option is increasingly the top choice for working families on a budget. It’s an option that is particularly popular amongst families who are not keen on going abroad to spend the obligatory two weeks spit-roasting on the beach!

There are literally thousands of holiday cottages all over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that are privately own and run. There are also hundreds of websites listing them, making it easy to book them for your own two weeks of rural heaven.

The average cost for a week’s stay in a two bedroom cottage for a family of four is £300, £75 per head per week. The majority of European hotels will charge that per person per night!

Staying in a country cottage gives you the freedom and comfort of living at a home from home.Many of them allow pets so if you have a dog you don’t need to worry about paying kennel rental fees either. Feeding your family will cost the same as it usually does, and adding a little extra to your budget to cover a few meals out will not hurt given the savings you’ll make on the price of your accommodation.

There are usually bikes to hire and activities to enjoy that are cheap or free, nearby too. It is within a cottage owner’s interests to make these things available and provide guests with information on the leisure activities available to them in the local area.

Start looking now if you are interested in a cottage holiday for you and your family. The best cottages and cheapest bargains get booked up very quickly. Remember that the more popular the area the more expensive it can be, so it’s also worth looking at other areas of the UK that are just as beautiful and welcoming but maybe not so touristy.

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