Regular as clockwork, the utility companies have ramped up their prices. With Christmas round the corner and your wallet becoming emptier by the day, it’s time to look at some money saving tips.
We’ve already covered many ways of cutting your gadget expenditure. You can buy a cheaper phone, switch to a SIM-only plan or import a handset that looks just like an expensive phone – even though it isn’t.
Right now I’m standing in Morrisons. Yes. My life is so rock ‘roll.
Just sometimes you’ll find me writing stories on my phone, especially I’ve got some small amounts of “downtime”, like getting stuck in this queue for the checkout. To my left there’s a deal which has caught my eye and I’ve just decided on at least one gift. The present in question is a gift card and, whilst it’s not going to be hugely impressive when they find if shoved into a greetings card, they’ll get a lot of use out of it. Not only that, but I get myself 1p a litre off fuel for every £10 gift card I buy.
You see what I did there? I basically gifted myself. There’s quite a range of cards, as you can see, but I’m going to be getting some Google Play and iTunes cards. A tenna each, two presents purchased, and I get 2p off my diesel. Yes, I’m a tight wad, but you have to be at times.
As we head into the festive season there’s a range of other money-saving ideas for which your smartphone is ideal. The HotUKDeals app is always a great place to start and, thanks to a massive forum and a “heat indicator”, you can see where those bargains are before pacing up and down your local high street.
The eBay mobile app is another must. Ask your son or daughter to name the toys they don’t play with any more (they’re usually the ones with dust on) and, merely by firing up the app and snapping a picture, you can have it on eBay in minutes. Personally I find that items end up in the garage, so there’s no tears when that IgglePiggle toy ends up in a jiffy bag.
If you’re anything like me then you’ll probably want to avoid the complete mayhem and insanity that surrounds a festive visit into town. Personally our own method is for me to casually ask relatives what they’d like for Christmas months in advance, make a note of it on my phone and then crank up the iPad whilst watching Family Guy later on. When they receive the gift they’ll usually thank you for “remembering”, even though your phone did most of the work for you.
When you get to that stage, and you’re munching on a biscuit whilst hovering over the “Buy” button, you should stop. For me, paying full price is just silly and is usually my last option. If you’re buying from somewhere like Currys, PC World or Amazon, always check sites like voucherbox.co.uk, which list all the latest codes for discounts or free delivery. It’s always a nice feeling to see the price of your online basket instantly tumble, and you can celebrate with another biscuit. Well done you.