How To Save Money At Home

In 2008 we saw massive price hikes in fuel and food in addition with the loss of jobs caused by the collapse of the global economy. This article is a guide to how to save you money on every day shopping.

Rearch Your Basic Food Products
The first thing you have to do is to do your research. Go to your local store and mark down all the prices of the items you usually buy. This will give you a base rate to work from and thereby tell you how expensive your store is in comparison from another one. I would also recommend making a note of the food and drink items you personally value. I love my whisky and pork scratchings. Having made a note of these products visit the other nearest supermarket and compare prices.

Go local
Eventhough supermarkets give the impression of being cheap they are in fact expensive. Supermarkets are very convenient because you can buy everything in one location. However, whilst the large stores might be more convenient they have forced many small stores to close, thereby preventing competition.

Fortunately some local shops still survive. The local butcher and grocers are seeing an increase in trade as people look for bargains further afield. Your local shop will give you better personal service, fresher vegetables, and a cheaper price. Not only is this produce fresh but it also puts money back into the community.

Online Bargains
We all love something for free, or at least discounted. Unfortunately discounts and offers only seem to be offered on a seasonal basis in the shops, such as at Christmas. Thankfully there is one place you can get cheap items all year - the internet. This becomes even more relevant when you consider the cost of petrol these days.

One of the most obvious online stops is the money comparison sites. These sites compare loads of items against price and technical features. Be warned as not all of these sites offer any real discount. For example, there are many cases where you can get cheaper insurance by going direct to the seller.

Often you can get discounts online for off-line products in the store, such as voucher. Often a store will highlight any in-store promotions online. It is always worthwhile to check out the store online before you go shopping because the spotty teenage assistant is unlikely to know what promotions are available.

Price Wars
Always keep an eye on the news for a bargain. It seems like every winter all the gas and electric companies are fighting for our money. . When the time is ripe go to a price comparison site and see which energy company can beat your existing bill. Make sure your loft is correctly insulated so that you don't spend too much money on energy.

Economies In The Fridge
There are literally thousands of small tips and tricks that our grand mothers' could teach us in order to save money. I don't really want to go through a lot of these but simply want to draw focus to the obvious. Don't waste food! One tried and tested method of saving money is not throwing things away just because they reached their best before date. You only need to dispose of old food once the "Use by date" has expired as this is a health warning. Nevertheless, items such as pasta are edible far beyond the use by date so just use common sense.

Dig For Your Dinner
Something else that can save money is to grow your own vegetables. This might not be for everyone as not all of us have gardens. Nevertheless, you can grow your own veg in pots. So no excuses! At the time of writing it was August, so this is not the planting season. This is however a good time to plan your garden for next year. You can plant some seeds as early as February. In the mean time you can prepare the ground. Don't forget you can also grow herbs in doors throughout the year.

Other Options To Look Into
For those in financial difficulty one possible temporary solution to ease your debt is to look into getting a short-term loan. A second option is to do some research into a 0 balance transfer credit cards as these can be used to restructure your finances.

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