by Most of us need some extra cash from time to time. Whether it’s because you are struggling financially, and your outgoings exceed your income, to cover a special occasion or to save money for a vacation or just to make things a little more comfortable. While there are plenty of ways to earn extra cash on and offline, these take time, and effort, especially if you want to make a significant amount. If you already work full-time or have a family to look after, finding the time to earn extra can be almost impossible.
However, you don’t need to earn more money to have more. Sometimes a better option is to find ways to budget, spend less and save. Fortunately, you can do this in a few minutes without leaving your seat. Let’s take a look at how.
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Start Comparing
Many of us are spending more than we need to every month on our utility bills, contracts, and insurance premiums. We stick with the same companies out of loyalty, because they gave us a good deal as a new customer or simply because we can’t be bothered to look into switching.
You could save yourself a fortune by shopping around, using comparison sites like cheapautoinsurance.co.uk and even by switching to a new tariff with the same provider.
Take a look at your cell phone contract for example. You might be paying a monthly fee for calls, data and text messaging. Are you using it all? Do you text? Or do you prefer online messaging? Do you use your data? Or do you spend most of your time hooked up to wifi at home and work? Even if you are in the middle of your contract, you can usually switch to a new tariff with the same provider.
Write a list of every contract you’ve got and all of the bills that you pay. Cancel anything that you don’t use, make cutbacks where you can, and switch to new providers when the saving is worthwhile.
Claim What You Are Owed
If you pay for your energy by direct debit, you may find that you’ve built up credit over time, especially during summer. While it’s always advisable to have some extra going into the colder months, it’s not mandatory, and you can claim this money back whenever you want it.
Write Meal Plans
Food is one of our biggest expenses but also one of our biggest wastes. To save money, write meal plans for the week and make sure you only buy what you need. Sit and write a month’s meal plans now to save money for the next four weeks.
Shop for Deals
Don’t buy anything at all, especially large purchases without shopping for better deals. Look online, browse for special offers and coupons and wait for the right deal.
Rent Your Parking Space
If you live in a busy city, where parking is both rare and expensive, rent out the space outside of your home, or your driveway to a commuter. This is a great way to make huge amounts of money without having to do any more than advertising the space.
