Latest news with #moneySaving
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Martin Lewis reveals easy way to earn £300 from five big banks
Showing now | Lifestyle 01:57 Holly Bishop Martin Lewis has revealed the 'easy' way to switch banks and earn up to £300 in cash and rewards. The money saving expert appeared on This Morning on Tuesday (3 June), where he revealed that five big banks are offering customers money if they make the switch. First Direct, TSB, Nationwide, Santander, and The Co-Operative Bank are all offering various deals to customers making the move. Lewis explained that as part of a seven-working-day switch service, banks will close your old account for you and move your standing orders and direct debits for you. He revealed that the only transactions that don't automatically switch are recurring payments, such as subscription services, so customers should remember to manually change this themselves.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
"It's A Scam": Frugal People Are Calling Out The So-Called Money Saving Habits That Secretly Drain Your Bank Account
1. Trying to save money in 2025 sometimes feels like trying to run up the down escalator: you're trying as hard as you can, but you're stuck in the same place. However, some of your so-called money-saving habits could be making the struggle worse than it needs to be. Recently, people on Reddit called out the things that people think are big money savers that drain their funds instead, and I miiiight be guilty of a few. Here's what they had to say: 2."Driving across town to save three cents a gallon on gas." —will_write_for_tacos "My dad left a gas station to drive across town to get three cents off. The second station had raised prices, so he drove back. The original station had raised prices in the 1.5 hours it had taken to drive across town and back. So two cross-town trips to pay 15 cents extra." —Aguy_incognito 3."If you're an arts and crafts person, seeing something you want and thinking, 'I can just make it myself and it'll cost me a lot less.' That is the devil whispering sweet lies directly into the tender ear of your hubris. If you don't already have nearly all of the necessary supplies on hand, it will cost you more to make it yourself." —kardiasteria "I sew, and today I saw something on Instagram and was like 'why buy it for $100 when I can spend $2000 to make it myself' 😵💫. Too real, lol. If nothing else, seeing the price of fabric made me appreciate why clothes that aren't made in a sweatshop are more expensive." —Shot_Satisfaction727 4."Avoiding doing maintenance on things. Sure, it's cheaper today, and it'll probably all be fine tomorrow, but sooner or later it's gonna bite ya." —New_Line4049 "Schedule your maintenance or it will be scheduled for you." —scarfknitter 5."Renting a storage unit." —El_Grande_Americano "Over the course of 20ish years, my wife spent $13,000 to store $200 worth of stuff that she threw away when she decided to stop renting the unit." —ClownfishSoup 6."Buying stuff just because it's on sale. Were you going to buy it at full price? No? Then it's not savings, it's an expenditure." —zeptillian "I worked with someone like this. He would go buy shit that was on sale because he might need it in the future. Like a bunch of tools and shit. He would frequent estate sales and pawn shops, too. Buy piles of junk and then claim at the end of it how much money he saved. I'm like, no, you actually spent $500 instead of saving $250." —Samsquanchiz 7."My in-laws would drive all over town chasing grocery sales. Milk is cheaper here, chicken is on sale here, bread is buy one get one at this store, etc. Even if you don't make additional impulse buys at each store, who the fuck wants to waste that much time, energy, gas and mental bandwidth on groceries? It was like a weird obsession and was exhausting just hearing about. Like… pick a fucking store and be done with it. Change it weekly if you want to. But for fucks sake, going to five different stores to meal plan is bonkers." —BabyNOwhatIsYouDoin "I am guilty of this myself, but I guess it depends on how dense an area you live in. The three grocery stores I regularly go to are all within a half-mile radius of my apartment, and I just walk to them. There are another two that are only a mile away that I make it out to sometimes, too. Doesn't really take me more than an hour to go to two of them, and it's a pleasant morning stroll on the weekends." —the_sexy_muffin 8."Buying the cheaper and smaller packages of food at the grocery store. The price for the amount of food is often a lot higher. It's better to buy the larger-sized ones, and then maybe freeze some of it." —Confidentium "I've noticed companies sneaking the price per unit up on the larger sizes recently. You can't always rely on this anymore. Always check the price per unit." —Whiteums "Except if you're only buying what you can reasonably use before expiration. My spouse bought a large bottle of barbecue sauce when we use it maybe once a year. Now we've wasted fridge space, and more is going in the trash. Yellow mustard is something I like to have for when I want it, but I only really need a small jar. So it can be better to buy a smaller size, especially if space is at a premium." —GlassBandicoot 9."The 'buy one get one half off or with discount' type of deals. Anything that incentivizes you to buy more by tacking it on as a bonus if you get it. If you're buying in bulk or such intentionally, then it's a good deal. But if you just came in for one box of let's say cookies for $5, and it had one of these deals. So you buy a second box too because it's discounted and says if you buy two, it will cost $8, as opposed to $10. So you get it thinking you're saving money." "Instead, you just spent $3 more than you had to on a second box you didn't even come in for. And it repeats throughout the whole store. It's everywhere, especially in food. The flashy colored tickets, the bold letters, emphasis on how much you save, all to bait people to buy more things than they actually need. Though it depends on what your actual goals and needs are. It might genuinely save you some and be good, but you could also be getting ripped off." —Rubysage3 10."Meal kits like Hello Fresh. They cost as much as your grocery bill, but you only get dinner, and you still have to go to the grocery store to get other things." —CulturalAtmosphere85 "We only use them when they give us 50% off and for the convenience. Sure, it's just dinner covered, but you're paying for not having to think about it." —Traceofbass 11."Fast food. Yeah, it's fast and it's food, but at what cost?" —tushadume "Same as a regular fuckin sit down restaurant these days, by my experience." —Lady_Irish 12."The dollar store. You're paying way more per item, but I understand their utility is to help get by when you can't afford a full item or to buy in bulk. If you're not paycheck to paycheck, though, it doesn't make sense to shop there." —Hour-Newt-8391 "I go for things that are the same quality: Bobby pins, hair ties, brooms, sponges... These things all measure up functionally and are way cheaper than, say, Walmart." —hijinxxx_ 13."Took me a while to realize that using the dishwasher saves me more money than washing dishes by hand." —NumberCapital7000 "Dishwashers are very efficient. They use far, far less water, and since you use less water, you need less energy to heat up the water needed." —MrLeureduthe 14."Carrying a balance on a credit card to build credit. You don't need to carry a balance to build credit." —semi-anon-in-Oly "Many years ago, I got my first credit card. I used to pay it off religiously. I'll never forget having a conversation on the deck with my father when he told me the only way to build credit is to carry a balance. It sent me down a dangerous spiral and was some of the worst financial and life advice I ever received. I have been chasing that 'advice' and burden half of my adult life. I paid off one of my cards yesterday, and it has never felt better." —SisterCity212 15."Buying really cheap stuff. I'm not saying you have to buy top of the line, but at least get something semi-quality so you don't have to constantly replace it." —SillySub2001 "You can only afford the cheap stuff, then it breaks, and you can only afford to replace it with more cheap stuff. It's a vicious cycle that not many people can break out of." —TheNerdFromThatPlace 16."Buy now, pay later for anything that isn't an appreciating asset or generating cash flow. Like a burrito, refrigerator, phone, wedding, etc. I interned at a BNPL firm, and I'm telling you all from firsthand experience, it's a scam." —Double-Discount9217 "This just isn't true either. You are always screwing yourself. BNPL companies make money in two ways. One: off interest payments on missed payments. Some people will convince themselves they are smart shoppers that won't fall for that, and pay it off in time, so free convenience. The second is that the retailer pays on average a 6% margin on the sale to the BNPL company. Why would the retailer do that? Why would they offer it as an option and pay this company if it literally costs them profit? Because time and time again it has been demonstrated that those 'smart shoppers' buy way more shit they don't need when the checkout number is smaller because of the pay later option. If you have a buy now, pay later account with any service, they have almost assuredly gotten you to overspend." —dalmathus finally, "Voting for Trump." —ThePepperPopper Is there anything you would add to the list? Tell us about it in the comments or via the anonymous form below:
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
The simple hack that'll get you a free breakfast from Lidl – the best part is that there's no minimum spend
WITH Brits continuing to count their pennies more than ever before, many are looking for ways on how to get by barely spending. From hunting down freebies, to spotting a hidden bargain or downloading apps for discounts, people are trying their best to not overspend. 4 4 4 Luckily, money saving experts are sharing their top tips on social media so that everyone can get by without having to scrape the coins. Chloe, who is known as ' chloesdealclub ' on TikTok, has recently shared a video showing how she manages to get a free breakfast from Lidl. And the best part about it? There's no minimum spend either. Speaking to her 48.3k followers, Chloe explained that customers just need to download the Lidl Plus app and create a new account. She advised to get someone else in your household that doesn't have one to do this if you have already got one. After downloading and signing up for the app, Chloe explained that you should receive three freebie coupons into your app. She showed that the coupons include a free Lidl tote bag, a bakery item, and fresh fruit. Chloe said: 'So go to Lidl and get a pastry and some fruit, or you could even get stuff to make avocado on toast. There's loads of options.' She added: 'You've got a free breakfast and a bag to carry it home in.' In the caption section, Chloe also explained that there's 'no minimum spend so you can get these freebies without buying anything else.' Five Lidl rosés you need this summer, according to a wine expert - a £6.99 buy is as light & crispy as £22 Whispering Angel The video received 78.5 views and 74 comments after four days of being shared on her account. Many wanted to share their excitement after hearing the news. One wrote: 'Got mine. Thank you for sharing.' A second added: 'Free strawberries! I'm going to get everyone in my house to download it!' Whilst a third said: 'It's true, I had also downloaded the Lidl app, from which I also got this shopping bag, muffins and many other things.' 4 Why do Aldi and Lidl have such fast checkouts IF you've ever shopped in Aldi or Lidl then you'll probably have experienced its ultra-fast checkout staff. Aldi's speedy reputation is no mistake, in fact, the supermarket claims that its tills are 40 per cent quicker than rivals. It's all part of Aldi's plan to be as efficient as possible - and this, the budget shop claims, helps keep costs low for shoppers. Efficient barcodes on packaging means staff are able to scan items as quickly as possible, with the majority of products having multiple barcodes to speed up the process. It also uses 'shelf-ready' packaging which keeps costs low when it comes to replenishing stock.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This 1 hack could help you slash your water usage by up to 50% — and it only costs $5
Whether you're a renter or a homeowner, you may be looking for ways to save money around the house. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Some solutions, like boiling water in an electric kettle instead of on the stove, may not save a noticeable amount of money. Others, such as installing a heat pump or switching to energy-efficient appliances, can make a big difference — but could come with high upfront costs. Other money-saving solutions require more of a sacrifice, like giving up your morning latte on the way to work or cutting back on streaming services. There is, however, a hack that will cost very little, lead to noticeable savings and improve your quality of life. This hack, which typically costs less than $5 up front, can meaningfully reduce your water bill by cutting the amount of water you normally would use by 30% to 50% while actually improving the tap's water pressure. This seemingly magical device? A faucet aerator. 'It's a tiny but powerful device that screws onto the tip of a kitchen faucet,' Luke Wooffindin, a licensed plumber and HVAC expert at Safeguard Plumbing, told Homes & Gardens. The aerator's primary purpose 'is to control water from the faucet by mixing it with air,' he said. While it 'produces a soft, steady flow that feels forceful,' it actually uses a lot less water. It also controls the direction of the water, resulting in less splashing and more effective cleaning. 'It doesn't exactly increase the pressure from your plumbing system, but it creates the sensation of strong pressure. It does this by narrowing and shaping the water stream,' David Lewis, owner of Mission AC and Plumbing, told Homes & Gardens. Prices vary for the aerator, but hardware stores like Lowe's and Ace Hardware as well as online retailers like Amazon sell aerators ranging from less than $5 to around $10. Some sell sets of four stainless steel aerators for less than $10. It's a simple DIY project to install this tiny attachment, but make sure you buy the right size and type. Aerators work by forcing the faucet water through a flow restrictor and a metal or plastic mesh screen. The screen breaks the water stream into smaller streams while small holes in the side of the aerator draw in air that mixes with the water. Read more: This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs If your faucet already has an aerator, as most modern ones do, replacing it for one with a lower flow rate can make all the difference. 'The faucet aerators can help conserve 30% to 50% of the water coming out of the faucet, or even more, depending on the type of aerator installed,' said Wooffindin. He added, 'For example, installing a 1.0 GPM (gallons-per-minute) aerator instead of the standard 2.2 GPM aerator would mean saving well over a gallon for every minute the faucet is left running.' Faucets account for 20% of indoor household water usage, so conserving 50% of water you would normally use would translate to reasonable savings. It may not seem like much, but water bills have risen dramatically in recent years and may keep rising — so these savings could start to add up. The average American uses more than 82 gallons of water per day at home and spends more than $1,000 per year on water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency says they can save more than $380 annually from retrofitting with WaterSense-labeled fixtures and ENERGY STAR certified appliances. In addition to improving your water fixtures, you can also conserve water by fixing leaky pipes and changing behaviors such as taking shorter showers, refraining from running the water when brushing your teeth and only washing full loads of laundry. Reducing your home water use will not only help you save money, but can contribute to saving the planet. While water scarcity is a growing global issue, responsible household water use play a small part in tackling this issue — starting with a tiny $5 faucet aerator. 'In some cities, minimum wage workers must work over 20 hours per month just to cover their water bills, exceeding EPA affordability thresholds,' according to Bluefield Research, a water sector research firm. Their analysis found that household water and sewer bills rose 4.6% from 2023 to 2024 and surged 24% in the five years to 2024. Bluefield attributes the rising costs to 'inflation, aging infrastructure and slow federal funding distribution.' In many places, water infrastructure is 50 to 100 years old. Bluefield analyst Eric Bindler told AARP federal government funding fell from about a third of the cost of providing municipal water in the 1970s to about 4% by 2010. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Mother-of-three reveals how she makes a week of sandwiches for less than £2 - but not everybody is sold
A savvy mother has detailed how she makes a weeks worth of sandwiches for just 30p each - but some people aren't convinced. Jo, who is in her 40s, has three teenagers at home, and has now perfected how to make her family's lunch for well under £2 a week. However, her money saving methods have divided opinion on social media, with some describing the simple sandwiches as 'revolting' and 'soggy'. In a video posted to TikTok, Jo explains how she managed to pick up a loaf of bread for just 6p - and two packets of chicken for 83p each - which she used to assemble the sandwiches. She buttered the bread before adding the chicken and cheese, placing the sandwiches back inside the bread bag and placing it in the freezer. Jo said she would remove the pre-made sandwiches as needed and place them in lunchboxes - additionally removing the need for an icepack as they defrost. She said: 'By making up the sandwiches ahead of time meant that the chicken would not go to waste, I don't have to split the chicken slices to freeze them and when you need a sandwich for a packed lunch you can grab one straight out if the freezer. 'The frozen sandwich will keep the packed lunch cool until lunchtime while slowly defrosting. 'Just make sure not to put salad on your sandwich, it doesn't freeze well.' Despite sharing her money saving tips to those on TikTok, Jo's method was met with scepticism by some. One said: 'When that defrost that's gonna be soggy that's gonna need toasting.' Another simply commented: 'Revolting.' Despite sharing her money saving tips to those on TikTok, Jo's method was met with scepticism by some And a third said: 'I wouldn't do that if I was serving 30 years in jail. Where's the flavour?' Somebody else said that this is 'week before payday' behaviour. But Jo dismissed fears over soggy bread, responding: 'The thing is, it is like a freshly made sandwich when it comes out of the freezer. 'You are now just showing your lack of knowledge.'
