Many simple ways of saving money

Many of us experience some form of financial pressure from time to time. However, there are many simple ways in which you can save money. If you are able to reduce your outgoings, then it

Many of us experience some form of financial pressure from time to time. However, there are many simple ways in which you can save money. If you are able to reduce your outgoings, then it is less likely that you will feel the need to borrow money, and if you already have debts, making some simple savings can give you that bit extra to pay off your debts faster.

Wonga South Africa has published 40 money saving tips on its website. These tips are divided into five categories: Home, Health, Work, Car and Social Life, and include:

Home

  • Switch off your geyser (water heater) when you leave the house – your geyser could be making a massive contribution to the size of your electricity bill right now
  • Consider whether you need your hot water and heating on all day – will a few hours in the morning and a slightly longer period in the evening suffice?
  • Switch to energy saving lightbulbs
  • Insulate your home – efficient insultation could reduce your energy bill by up to 40%
  • Unplug appliances when you’re not using them, and switch off the lights in unoccupied rooms
  • Only boil as much water as you need at any one time
  • Plan your meals for the week in advance, and buy what you need accordingly
  • Consider switching to cheaper brands – you may even find you like the cheaper brand as much as your old favourite
  • Grow your own food
  • Make sure you keep up with your debt repayment obligations, to avoid getting into even more debt

Health

  • If you’re excessively fond of eating out, try to do this a little less often, as living off restaurant and takeaway meals can be a major drain on your finances
  • Consider drinking more water and less in the way of fizzy drinks, tea, coffee and alcohol
  • Consider whether you need your gym subscription – there are cheaper ways of staying fit, such as buying some simple gym equipment for your home, or by going for a walk, run, cycle or swim in your local area. If you decide to continue with your gym subscription, find out if there are discounted membership deals for certain age groups, or for people who are happy to use the facilities outside of peak hours
  • If you smoke, try very hard to give up, making use of all the support services that are available for this

Work

  • Consider whether you can make at least some of your work lunches at home, rather than going to the café/ sandwich shop/ takeaway every day
  • Consider whether you can make use of a car pool, where you share lifts (and fuel costs) with someone else
  • Don’t feel the need to attend every work-related social event

Car

  • Check your tyre pressure
  • Take care to remain within the speed limits
  • Have your car serviced regularly, which should hopefully save you money in the longer term as it will reduce the likelihood of you needing cash for expensive repairs when things really do go wrong
  • Try to find cheaper places to park, even if that means you need to walk a bit further
  • Consider whether you need to take the car for every journey – is public transport cheaper, or is it a short journey where you could walk instead of driving?
  • Shop around for the best car insurance deal. Also consider raising the excess on your policy in order to reduce the premiums. You could also cut insurance costs by fitting a tracker system in your car

Social Life

  • Consider if you can send a message rather than have a lengthy phone conversation
  • Make outbound calls on your landline rather than on your cell phone, where possible
  • Try to make your calls during off-peak hours
  • Although card and coin-operated phones may seem outdated, consider using them as they really can save you money
  • Consider whether you need an expensive phone contract, and whether a pre-paid arrangement will suffice
  • Take more holidays at home rather than always going abroad – you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover when holidaying at home
  • Try to reduce your alcohol consumption
  • Think carefully before you make an impulse buy of clothing or other luxuries
  • Search the internet for shopping deals and discounts before you go shopping
  • Check out your local flea market to see what’s on offer there at discounted prices
  • Consider socialising more at home rather than going out all the time
  • Check out what you can see at your local museum, which may be free, or very cheap, to go round