Life in Britain today has never been so expensive. Monthly expenses have shot through the roof. Every essential area has been severely affected - food, petrol, mortgages, council tax, gas prices, electric prices etc.
In reality it is very difficult to reduce our monthly outgoings without changing our way of living and nobody really wants to do that unless we are in serious debt. But small changes can be made which can help reduce our outgoings. Some of the following tips I am sure people will willingly accept other are worth trying.
Supermarket Shopping
We all have our standard of shopping, some of us are only happy to buy brands that we see advertised. They always appear to be well packaged and claim good quality ingredients. For these shoppers is it worth buying a supermarket own brand. These in many cases are made with similar ingredients, similar recipes and even sometimes by the same manufacturers, eg biscuits, cereals, etc. I have recently changed by kids breakfast cereal from Kelloggs Coco Pops to Sainsbury's Choco Pops. The kids didn't even realise I had done this. The were 50p cheaper and 100g more!
Another way of downsizing is to downsize from the supermarkets own brand to the economy brands on some items only. Obviously like myself if you feel strongly about some items, for example I feel strongly about free range eggs and no matter what the cost I would still try and afford these. But there are some items I do not feel so strongly about and therefore I always economise on these mainly boxes of tissues, tins of kidney beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes, etc.
If you really don't want to fill your cupboards with dreary economy brand items then why not change your supermarket altogether. Some the German supermarkets don't have 20 types of apples or strawberries which are not in season but they do have many other items which are good value for money. Having to compete against the big supermarkets make the prices in these more competitive and quality quite good. They don't have much of an emphasis on customer service so make sure you go when you have plenty of time and patience as the check out queues can be quite long! I speak from personal experience of supplying a chilled product to one of these German stores. The checks are rigorous as any other supermarket so they are not cutting any corners and giving you a products which is strictly adhered to to the food guidelines in this country.
A general rule for all supermarkets is to look out for what they have on offer and only buy it in bulk if it is a product you use anyway, for example I did that this morning with washing powder which was half price so I could afford to stock up. Obviously don't buy time sensitive or fresh products if you cannot use them as this would be a waste of money no matter what the price!
Petrol
Petrol is a hard product to shop around and get cheaper as it is expensive everywhere! However if you do have daily long journeys it is worth shopping around on the usual route and stocking up from the cheapest place. The other tips are a little obvious in that you should leave the car at home if possible (you will be doing your bit for the environment as well!). Walk to your local shops, walk to your local school, walk wherever you can. Work out if its more economic to take the bus or take your car. Plan ahead and do a big supermarket shop, so you're not using your car to get to the shops every other day. If you know you have a numbers of errands try and do them in groups rather than one a day. If you are going a particular way anticipate all the other you needs to get done in the next few days that use the same route.
Utility Bills
Electric and gas bills again are very hard to reduce especially as we are all used to switching the heat on and off whenever we fancy. Again chopping and changing energy providers makes very little difference. They all declare millions of pounds of profit every year. They appear to have very little sympathy with their customers do not appear to be that bothered knowing how little choice we customers have. The only way I have managed to have any control over these is to break down the massive winter bills and pay by direct debit. The savings made by paying by direct debit are not really worth mentioning. But maybe it is worth following the little tips like turning down the thermostat by 1 degree, time the heating for when you really feel you need it, for example first thing in the morning, when you get in from work,etc. Wear warmer clothing - I can't survive without my cardigan and socks first thing in the morning!
If you can afford to have the loft insulated, the government now have grants for some families on some low incomes and receiving tax credits.
Double glazing is very expensive but if you haven't already got it it's well worth investing in especially if you have long term plans to stay in that place.
Should you have a small family you should definitely have a water meter fitted. Water meters are fantastic way of making big savings. I managed to cut one third off my bill. Other smaller ways of making savings are by having showers instead of baths. Only boil the kettle for the amount of water you needs - this saves water and electricity. The water companies provide free expandable bags which you put in the cistern uses less water every time you flush. Only use the dishwasher and washing machine when you have full loads. Try not to use the tumble dryer if the weather is good! Turn everything off standby contrary to what some people believe standby does use electricity!
Council Tax
Lets face it anybody who pays this finds it difficult to digest. There is no way we have any control over this ridiculous tax which is supposed to fund every council service you can think of but provides no service that anybody is happy with.
Mortgages
Mortgages again are very hard to reduce. You can shop around for better interest rates or fixed interest rates. These seem such a hassle and sometimes involve arrangement fees and valuation fees so it seems easier to stay where you are. However with the internet making everything now so easy to access there isn't really an excuse for at least not looking at what deals maybe out there that may suit you. Another idea for "younger couples" is to extend the term of your mortgage which is getting more and more common with the rise in house prices.
General Expenses
Its always looking through your monthly bank statements to see where you can make any changes.
Do you really need to see the beautician or hairdresser that often?
Do you need to buy so many clothes/shoes so often?
Do you really need the huge Sky package? Could you get by with less choice.
Can you switch your mobile phone package? Do you need that many texts and minutes.
Is your internet package meeting your needs - do you need to up or down grade?
Can you use your leisure time in a different way - do you need to eat out that often?
Do you take full advantage of the expensive gym membership?
For most of us we will already doing exactly what we're happy with and what we can afford. However should you wish to change anything go through the above list and tweak things here and there to make them more suitable for yourself.
There are lots of "thrifty" websites which are worth looking at simply because they suggest little ideas which can make a big difference.
Everyone should do there bit for the environment regardless of whether you're interested in saving money or not. Our little contributions are all worth doing, recycling etc. But with parcels now going here, there and everywhere the transport companies should be more responsible and we should try and use couriers and freight companies which encourage return loads and therefore are not running on empty.
Michael S Mann is marketing manager of online parcels and courier companyhttp://www.deliveryunion.com
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