Let's go swap shopping today!

The new shopping experience is called Swap Shopping. This form of frugal shopping appeals to those looking for frugal tips and  thrifty living ideas. Otherwise known as ‘frugalistas’ or as the cash-poor, style-high girls, boys, men, women and children who are now finding low-cost ways to stay looking good with up to the minute fashion at a price we can all afford. These shoppers are looking for ways to save money.

Ever bought clothes or products that you have used once or twice and then become bored with and you have then shoved it to the back of your wardrobe or put it in the garage? Well now you can go online and search out the many Swap shops around.

Here is Swapz.co.uk who claim to be the biggest and the most original direct swap website where anyone can swap anything with anyone. It’s free to join and you can start swapping straight away. To discover more go to  www.swapz.co.uk/ to start swapping.

Swap Shopping is a great chance to get rid of all kinds of unwanted but re-usable items and/or pick up something useful. You will be surprised what people are swapping  - Antiques, Art, Automotive, Books, Cars and Vans, Comics & Magazines, Business, Office & Industrial, Clothing & Accessories, Collectibles, Computing, Consumer Electronics, Dolls & Plush, DVD, Film & TV, Hobbies & Pastimes, Home, Garden & Family, Jewellery & Watches, Mobile & Home Phones, Music, Musical Instruments, PC & Video Gaming, Photography & Optical, Pottery, Porcelain & Glass, Properties, Sports gear, Stamps, Tickets & Travel, Toys & Games.

First you find what you want and then you make an offer to swap something for it. It can either be a straight swap one item for another or you can do a swap with an item and cash or you can offer cash to swap. You can also place a request for any item you are looking for that you would like swap. This tip is certainly a useful money saving tip and is on a par with the recent article about the Government Car and Van Scrappage Scheme.

Armed with this information about swap shopping you should now feel confident to buy a new dress in the knowledge that you will be able to swap it in the future for something just as amazing as your original dress. This could mean that you only ever buy a new dress once and then swap it over and over again. What an amazing solution to updating your wardrobe, if only it was this easy? If your looking for how to save money fast then look no further than swap shopping for money saving ideas.

Your thoughts and comments are very welcome. Just click on the comments button below and leave your thoughts and views.

Saving electricity

As a provider of money saving tips it’s important to look at ways to reduce our gas and electricity bills . Compared with the 1970’s we are using more gas and electricity today then ever before. The reason for this is the increase in the number of electrical products we now have plugged into our electrical supply and left on standby. We are also leaving our gas central heating on for longer periods of time compared to our parents. We are wastful of our  gas and electricity resources often without thinking.  We could reduce our utility costs and in turn protect our fuel resources  with a little thought.

Are being mugged by your utility provider?

Everytime I pay my utility provider it feels like I am being mugged for cash as the cost just keeps rising.  It often feels like my home is a supply station providing free gas and electricity to the all the homes in my area when I look at my gas and electricity bills.  Dick Turpin at least wore a mask when he was robbing. So faced with increasing utility costs I started to investigate how I could reduce my gas and electricity costs. Here are my findings.

Government Grants website

Start by using the Government Grants website which provide a source of information for UK grants for gas central heating, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Government grants from 40% to 70% are available to homeowners and tenants for loft and cavity wall insulation. These grants are funded by the utility companies and are non-refundable. These grants will not be around forever and once the funding that has been allocated is exhausted they will finish. They also offer a solar heating grant of £400 towards the cost of installation of solar panels which cost around £4,000 depending on the size of your home. If you do not meet their eligibility criteria for free insulation, then grants from around 50% are available for loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, so you can still achieve a massive saving on the normal cost.

The Governments’ Energy Saving Trust Website

There are grants available to help us implement energy saving measures and help reduce our carbon foot print. The Governments’ Energy Saving Trust website provides grants and they have a wonderful search tool to help you find grants or offers that are available for you in your area. All you need do is complete the questions asked on their search for grants and offers page. You will then be presented with a list of providers offering discounted prices or grants in your area. This is a brilliant site and is packed with great advice and help for reducing your energy, saving money and reducing your carbon dioxide emissions from your home.

The future looks good!

What Savings can I expect from loft and cavity wall insulation?

Our homes lose 35% of their heating through the walls and 25% through the roof. At the Governments Energy Saving Trust website they have an Energy Saving House where they show you a full range of energy saving measures. For example by insulating the loft and having cavity wall insulation with a grant you could reduce you’re heating bills by around £365 a year and reduce your home’s carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1.5 tonnes.

You can complete their online Energy Savers report which allows you to understand your homes energy efficiency performance to reduce your energy use andbe more efficient. The average cost seems to be between £225 to £249 for either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation depending on the size of your home. I did discover that B&Q the DIY store was charging £199 for either cavity wall insulation or loft insulation depending on the size of your home. If you are over 70 years old you can receive loft insulation and cavity wall insulation for free from the Energy Saving Trust or the Government Grants website.

Old central heating boilers are inefficient

Changing you’re a central heating boiler that is over ten years old will reduce your gas bill as it is thought that these older central heating unit are only 70% efficient. This means that for every £1 of gas that you buy your old unit wastes 30pence of the money you pay for your gas. Add some heating controls taps to your central heating radiators and they could help save you a further 17% of your heating bill when fitted with a condensing boiler along with an upgraded heating control and you could be looking at a total reduction of as much as 40% of your heating bill providing a saving of £275 a year depending on the size of your home.

How to reduce your monthly utility bill

Here is a list solutions that are available to help you reduce your gas and electricity bill. The grants and discounts available will vary according to the size of your home, your location, your annual income and your age.

• Consider a portable Wireless Energy monitor to control your electrical wastage
• Grants for gas central heating depends on age and benefits being claimed
• Grants and discounts for loft insulation from £199
• Grants and discounts for cavity wall insulation from £199
• Grant of £400 towards the installation of Solar panels
• Replace existing light bulbs with Energy Saving Lightbulbs, they cost around £2 per bulb and you could expect to reduce around £45 before it needs replacing. These bulbs use 80% less electricity and will last ten times longer than a standard light bulb. Count the number of bulbs you need and see the savings.
• Update your Central heating unit if older then 10 years. Consider either a condensing boiler along with an upgraded heating control unit or replace it with a Combi Boiler as this will do away with a conventional hot-water storage cylinder and water tanks in the loft. Costs from £2,000
• Add heating controls tap to all your radiators, they cost from £7.99 each
• Switch Utility providers for a better deal.
• Switch your gas and electricity providers to a duel fuel provider if you have not already done this for further savings, save around £115
• Pay your utility bills monthly by direct debit for a further discount from your provider.
• Switch to an online account with your utility provider. You can now read your gas and electricity meters monthly and update the information for an accurate bill. This will prevent over billing from estimated assessments of your usage.
• If you are on a coin operated meter for your gas and electricity then consider switching as you are paying a premium for this facility.
• Switch off all light switches and plugs when the appliances are not in use.
• An estimated £910 million is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving televisions, computers, TV set-top boxes and radios on standby.
• Use a timer to turn your central heating on and off as required.
• Consider switching to Energy Saving Recommended household appliances as they could cut your energy consumption by up to a third compared to your old appliance. Obviously only do this as you replace broken or old appliances.

For further ways of reducing your gas and utility bill then you should visit the Energy Saving Trust website where you will find a mountain of further money saving ideas and help.

Wireless energy Monitors
If you’re serious about cutting your electricity bills, then fitting a wireless energy monitor should be your number one priority. Even though we all have electricity meters in our homes, they’re no use hidden away in a cupboard outside only to be read once or twice a year. You need to know how much electricity your home is using at anytime of the day or night.  A wireless energy monitor will show you instantly how much electricity you’re using twenty four hours a day. Its reported by the manufacturers that you can save up to 20% off your electricity costs.

Furthermore, the Government are convinced that these ‘real time energy monitors’ will enable consumers to make genuine and sustained reductions in their energy usage habits that they intend to incorporate them into the proposed ‘Smart Meter’ roll out due to complete in 2020. This proposed upgrade to metering of energy in the UK is good news, but 2020 is a long way ahead. However, you don’t need to wait for one of these new Smart Meters to be installed before reaping the energy saving benefits of a wireless energy monitor. There is a good selection of wireless energy monitors available which can quickly and easily be added to any standard home electricity meter, so you can start making savings today.  The prices of these monitor systems starting from just £24.95, the payback period for an average household should be considerably less than a year.

Anyone can reduce their Gas and Electricity bills

Anyone can reduce their Gas and Electricity bills by at least 20% following the sixteen ways listed above. Unfortunately, like most things you need to spend some money to make these reductions; but the rewards will return each month. By implementing a few of these thrifty ideas at home you will reduce your gas and electricity bills in the future. You are probably thinking I cannot afford to make all these changes. Start with the changes that cost the least and then work your way through the list above. Remember by making these changes you will not only save money each month but you will be helping our planet HOME by reducing your carbon dioxide emissions.

Your thoughts, experiences and comments are welcome. Just CLICK on the green coloured COMMENT bar below and Leave your thoughts or experiences today!

Opinions differs when it comes to trading in your old banger for a new car just because you can get an extra £2,000 off on a new car we discovered at Money Saving Tips . The governments’ recent incentive was to increase car sales and to boost the economic situation in the UK. The car industry has been crippled badly by the downturn in the economy. Sales have dropped by nearly a third in the past year and manufactures have reduced staff, temporarily closed down factories, placed many of their staff on a three day week and the manufacturers have asked the government for help to save their industry.

Van and Car Scrapage Scheme in Operation!

The Government responded by providing an investment of £300 million in the scrappage trade-in scheme starting today for all cars that are over ten years old. Car owners will receive a £2,000 discount or a on a brand new car bought when they trade in their old car. Any cars traded-in under the scrappage scheme will be officially scrapped. Death by a crusher will follow so that the cars will not be resold on the second-hand market. The governments £300 million ‘Cash for Bangers’ scrappage scheme initiative had been due to end in February2010, or when the limit of 300,000 vehicles being scrapped was reached.

There are around 30 million car owners in the UK and it and it is estimated that less than 1% of us will actually qualify for the £2,000 discount from the Treasury before the funds dry up. This government incentive is good news for the car industry and for the thousands of people who work in or are dependent on the car manufacturing sector in the UK today.

In order to qualify for the governments’ £2,000 car scrappage saving discount you and the car dealership need to meet the following requirements:

1. The owner of the new car or van must be the same person who owned the scrapped car.
2. Your car must be over ten years old. Any vehicle offered must have been registered before 31st August 1999.
3. First registration date of new car must be Britain 18th May 2009 and there must be no previous owners of any description and should meet British specification only.  This excludes bargain priced cars unused and already pre-registered and unused foreign specification vehicles.
4. Trade-in a ten year old vehicle for a brand new car or van under 3,500 kg.
5. You will need a current MOT certificate.
6. Any car offered must have a valid DVLA registration documents in the name of the owner.
7. The owner must have owned the car for at least 12 months prior to trading-in the vehicle.
8. Car dealerships are required to contribute £1,000 towards the £2,000 discount being offered by the Treasury Department.
9. Participating car dealerships need to sign up to the Government incentive to be able to operate the scheme.
10. Initially it was thought that the vehicle should also be legally taxed and insured. After further clarification by the Telegraph Motoring, the SMMT have decided that neither a tax disc nor car insurance will be required.
11. All cars offered for scrap must be a car or van weighing up to 3,500 kgs.
12. The new car or van can originate from any motor manufacturer anywhere in the world.
13. The brand new vehicle should be fuel efficient and low-polluting.

Last week the price comparison company uSwitch.com said the £2,000 incentive would effectively be “lost” in depreciation within 88 days of consumers buying a new vehicle within the scheme. The AA responded by backing the scrappage initiative and saying that the depreciation analysis was irrelevant and misleading and that the scrappage scheme would benefit “hundreds and thousands of consumers”.

Whilst we understand the reasons for the incentive of £2,000 discount on a new car when you trade-in your old banger. It is important that you have a look at the price of a nearly new vehicle as well. Let me explain. If a new car is £13,000 after the £2,000 discount has be applied and you have the choice of a second-hand car that is six-months old with 5,000 miles, in first-class condition for £10,750. Then you have to ask yourself whether it is worth paying the difference £2,250 for a brand new car that will depreciate within the next 88 days as previously suggested.

Another point of concern is financing a new car purchases and at what cost. Remember that interest rates have fallen and lenders are charging upwards of 7%. Finance lenders still do not have a great appetite for lending. However, arranging finance on a vehicle might be easier as long as you have no adverse credit on your Experian credit report and are squeaky clean financially. The reason for this is that the finance is secured against the car or van and can be repossessed if you stop paying the agreement. Just watch-out for the cost of borrowing – a deal is only a great deal when it does not cost you a fortune.

Your thoughts, experiences and comments are always welcome. You can join the discussion below by leaving your comments.

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How to save money when Food Shopping

All too often we return home from a shopping expedition and we are shocked at how much we have just spent. Here are a few frugal tips to help you control your grocery costs.

I have listed thirteen way of how to save money and the solutions are easy to follow. The thrifty, the bargain hunters and the frugal shoppers all know these tips and they use them everyday to save themselves hundreds of pounds a year.

• Always make a list before going shopping and try not to deviate from your shopping list.

• Always look for vouchers or coupons in your local newspapers or otherwise go online and search for vouchers or coupons and print them off.

• Whatever you do don’t take your children shopping as you will probably find it really hard to say no when they ask for something by them. They will end up costing you more at the till which will increase your shopping bill.

• Consider having your supermarket shopping delivered, it’s a great way of ordering what you actually need to maintain your weekly budget. If you look on their websites you will often see a free home delivery voucher or coupon worth £5.00.

• Try and cook all meals from fresh, they are healthier than ready-made-meals and far more nutritious. Invest in a cook book if you lack inspiration or knowledge or search the internet for a recipe and youtube now have videos showing you how to prepare anything from a hard boiled egg to a Beef Wellington.

• Look for a local Farm Shop with a butchery attached; our local Farm shop sells half a Lamb for £20 and half a Pig for £30 they are already frozen ready for the freezer. What a bargain! Great value for money if you have a large enough freeze.

• Consider using the supermarkets own-brand products rather than their premium brands as they are often the same or similar quality as the branded products but without the brand name and price tag.

• When last did you shop at your local town market?  The food is generally cheaper and fresher from your local market as they have lower overheads and can therefore pass on the savings to you.

• Use the discount supermarkets like Asda, Aldi and Lidl. There are big savings to be made here. Don’t worry about shopping here; the food is quality and the car park is full of expensive cars, which suggests that everybody is now shopping here – rich or poor were are all looking to save money on our shopping.

• Always ask yourself the BIG QUESTION “Do I really need that product or service?” Always consider alternatives. Don’t be enticed to buy the special offers like, buy-one-get-one-free promotions or the 30% off discount offer. It’s not a bargain if you don’t need it in the first place. Remember a bargain or an offer is either priced to get rid of stock quickly for a reason or it is priced into the product to start with.

• If you use Tesco’s or Sainsbury’s then I would recommend you obtain one of their loyalty cards. Over the course of a year you can accumulate many hundreds of loyalty points on these cards.

• Believe me when I say it’s great to go shopping and pay using your loyalty card. I currently have over £95 available to spend on my Sainsbury’s card. Whilst Tesco regularly send me £12.50 to £27.50 depending on the amount of shopping I have done in their store. They also give out 5p off a litre of petrol which can save you money. Most supermarkets have loyalty cards.

• Other ideas to consider are “best before date” these are foods and product that have passed their best before date. There is nothing wrong with the food or products. They are extremely cheap to buy and represent good value for money.

• Bargain hunters and frugal shoppers know that supermarkets have shelves where they offer products at a discount. Here you can find clearance lines, short-dated, out-of-date stock and produce about to go-out-of-date. My son lives off these shelves when we are on holiday and he has to fend for himself. He then tells us that it only cost him £18.28 to feed himself for a week. These shelves tend to full up at around 8pm in the evening.

• If you are on a very tight budget then consider using the self-check-out-tills. They allow you to scan all you’re shopping through the till yourself and you can see how much shopping you have bought and it allows you to control how much you buy. This prevents any embarrassment of going through a till with a big queue and finding you don’t have enough money and you have to ask to remove some of your shopping.

Your thoughts, experiences and comments are welcome. You can join the discussion below and leave your thoughts and experiences.

Welcome to our first article of free information about saving money. This will be the first of many articles that will provide you with great advice, help, ideas and information. We will provide you with many how to save money tips.

You should consider buying 'best before dated' food and products says Money Saving tips

Why buy ‘best before dated food?

As the recession continues into its third year the public are finding themselves searching for more ways to reduce their costs. They may choose switch from a paid for service to a free service to save money even though they realise they will get a cheaper service from their new service provider. With ‘best before dated’ foods you can buy branded food products that are still good to use and eat. They are an excellent buy for the bargain hunters or the cost conscientious spender as they now go shopping online to seek more bargains.

Buying ‘best before date’ foods

Some market traders and independent store owners have started too specialise in selling clearance lines, short-dated and out-of-date stock. They have moved their businesses from the high street to online shopping where they now promote their foods. There is a growing popularity of consumers buying out of date foods and products as they try to save money. A few of these online retailers have reported a ten-fold increase in their businesses like approvedfoods.co.uk

How safe is ‘best before dated food and products?

It is 100% safe to use and eat. All bottled, tinned and frozen foods have a ‘Best before date’ this does not mean that the food is not safe to eat after the date stated. It just means that the food will no longer be at its optimum quality and it is still tasty and very edible. Bargain hunters are following the advice given by experts and they are seeking out online retailers who sell products that have passed their best before date but have not gone off. Even after paying a small charge for the food and products to be delivered to your home the food is still cheap to buy and is extremely good value for money.

What does the Food Standards Agency says?

The Food Standards Agency believes it is not safe for you to consume perishable foods once they have passed their “use-by date”. However, “best-before date” food will last longer than the date displayed, like frozen, dried or canned goods. Food will be safe after this date, although it may not be at its best. Warning never eat eggs after the “best-before” date, because the salmonella bacteria can start to multiply. For more information on out-of-date food you should visit:  www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels.

The Cash and Carry Shopping Alternative

It is worth considering other alternatives like Metro Cash & Carry and Costco. This is an extremely thirfty way to shop.  You will need to apply for a membership to be able to benefit from their amazingly lower prices. They sell products in bulk and you need to be able to purchase larger amounts of a product to benefit from the cheaper prices, but the savings are greater. Individual memberships are available to business owners and certain occupations like Civil Servants, healthcare and educational workers.

Free Money Saving Tips recommends… You should ‘try shopping for best before dates’ asI believe you will be amazed by the prices and the overall quality. Shopping at a cash & carry shopping supermarket is alright as long as you meet their criteria of being a civil servant or you are a business owner.

Your thoughts, experiences and comments are welcome. You can join the discussion below and leave your thoughts and experiences