Moneysaving tips

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2008-11-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

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Reduce your restaurant bill

2008-10-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Reduce your restaurant bill.
Plenty of non-chain restaurants allow you to bring your own wine with you, says The Times. For an incomplete, but extensive list of restaurants where you can do so, visit Wine-pages.com/food/byoblist.

Save on winter clothes shopping.
Go to Cantbarsed.com /fashion.htm for hundreds of vouchers for money off at high-street stores.
Click here!

Bargain basement beauty products.
Save money on your beauty regime by buying these bottom-of-the-range products, which experts have said are as good as the premium products, says The Times. Iseree Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream Q10 – £1.89 from Lidl; All About Face Waterproof Mascara – £1.88 from Lidl; the '2 True' range at Superdrug – where every product is £2.

Shop around for airport parking.
Visit Holidayextras.co.uk or Airport-parking-shop.co.uk to compare prices on airport parking. Also book in advance if you plan on using an on-site airport car park, says Which??If you pay on the day, the price can be more than double the advance fee.

Be careful with your fridge.
You can save on your energy bills by making sure your fridge isn't overworking. Always close the door, says Which? A fridge door left open just for a few moments is "as wasteful as leaving the tap running when you clean your teeth". Also, always cover up any liquids, otherwise your fridge will try to evaporate the liquid and use more electricity in the process.

Compare comparison sites.
Many people visit comparison websites when buying car insurance and other financial products, but don't assume you are comparing all the options out there. No single site covers all providers, so it's worth checking a couple of sites at least, while some big providers, such as Direct Line and Norwich Union, have pulled their products from such sites altogether.

And one to avoid... "Make your tan last longer by exfoliating regularly and keeping your skin moisturized," says The Times in its guide to "frugal frivolity". Better to accept that tans aren't permanent and stop the exfoliating altogether.

Dont waste your free texts

2008-10-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

Contract mobile phone users routinely fail to get the most suitable deal. Research from the price comparison website omio.com has found that 47% of phone users use less than half their contracted talk minutes and text, rising to 82% of contract users. This is made worse by the loyalty packages offered to customers that usually involve yet more free minutes and texts, says Matthew Wheeler of Omio.com in The Independent on Sunday. Rather than accepting more freebies you aren't going to use, ask for a reduction on your bill, or shop around for a deal that does suit you.

Get what you're owed.

As much as £9.9bn of tax credits and other means-tested benefits went unclaimed last year, says Melanie Wright in The Sunday Telegraph. It's well worth checking if you are missing out, especially if you are a pensioner. Almost half of all those over 65 are entitled to some form of pension credit. But act quickly. From 6th October those applying for pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit will only be able to have their claims backdated for three months, rather than a year.

Rent out your parking space.

if you have a garage or driveway but no car, consider renting them out. You can let your garage through a property-letting agent if you live in a major city, says Jasmine Birtles on Moneymagpie.com, or you can place advertisements in newspapers or on website such as parkatmyhouse.com. Contact a few local letting agencies who should be able to give you an idea of what to charge.

Collect coupons.

As the credit crunch bites, newspapers and websites are awash with coupons to save you money at the supermarket, says Martin Lewis on MoneySavingExpert.com. Visit Moneysavingexpert.com/tipnote/supermarket-coupons, where Lewis is rounding up all the latest coupons on anything from dog food to nappies, so you can just click, print and save.

Get Cheap Electricals

You can get the latest electrical goods at knock-down prices from Clearance-comet.co.uk, says the Daily Express. The auction site sells Comet's clearance items at significantly reduced prices. Items are on the site because they are end-of-line, ex-display, scratched, dented used, returned or refurbished. But all are in full working order and come with a one-year guarantee. Cookers and washing machines often sell for half the original store price on the site. Its well worth checking the site before forking out the full-price for an item, especially as some items are brand new and still in their boxes.

Cheap ways to escape the winter blues

2008-10-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

As the economic doom and gloom continues, the idea of a winter holiday can become more desirable even as it seems further out of reach. but there are ways to cut the cost of a winter break.

First consider when you want to go. If you are prepared to fly on Christmas Day or New Year's Eve you can save yourself a fortune, says Which? Money. When comparing flights to Buenos Aires flying on December 25 and 31 on Expedia.com, it was £490 cheaper than flying on December 20 or 27.

You can also cut the cost of accommodation by house swapping. Swap you house with a New Yorker and you can save £1,000 on a week's trip to the Big Apple, compared with staying there in a three-star hotel. Which? Money recommends joining www.homelink.org.uk to find fellow house swappers. Finally, enjoy the financial protection of paying by credit card, without paying the surcharge levied by many travel firms, by paying with a Visa debit card "Visa cards are covered by a chargeback scheme, which lets you claim compensation from your card provider" should something go wrong says Which? Money

Holiday With Friends
Whether you are going abroad or staying in the UK, you can often get reduced rates for party bookings, says Stephen Ellis in the The Sunday Telegraph. For example, cross channel ferry companies offer deals that cover all those in a car, so fill up the car and dilute the cost.

Cash in on your china.
Chinasearch.co.uk buys and sells second-hand and discontinued china, pottery, glassware and cutlery. "So if you have a tea or dinner service getting dusty in the back of a cupboard, it may be worth getting in touch for a quote" says Melanie Wright in The Sunday Telegraph.

Get the Best shopping deals.
Find the best bargains of the day at www.offeroftheday.co.uk. The site updates prices and the stock levels eight times a day, so what you see is what you get. "you can browse through reductions on goods from a massive range of high street shops and online-vendors" Says Jasmine Birtles in the Daily Express.

Money saving tips

2008-10-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

Reduce the cost of child minding
Childcare can be a huge expense, so rather than paying for a babysitter every time you want a night off, use your friends. Form a scheme with other parents where you watch each other's children for free, say Stephen Giles in The Daily Telegraph. You earn credit when you look after someone else's children, which you can then "spend" at a later date when you need a break from your little terrors. To make the process simpler, log on to Mynightoff.com in which groups can setup a page where members can book babysitting slots.

Keep Warm For less
As the nights get cold and thoughts turn to heating bills, reassess how you heat your home. One of the most efficient forms of heating is a wood burning stove. These can be picked up cheaply at reclamation yards, and most are salvageable with a coat of blacking says Giles. As for wood, you can usually pick it up for free at furniture manufacturers, timber yards and demolition sites - but ask before you take.

Live For Free
Property management firm Camelot finds professionals to live in its empty sites - which range from penthouse apartments to warehouses - and act as guardians as a form of security, say Giles. The rents are very low and they try to secure tenants a three-month stay with a minimum of a months notice to quit. To learn more, visit Camelotproperty.com

Haggle for a car
A survey by Esure car insurance has revealed that only two-thirds of new car owners haggle on the forecourt. Before you head to the showroom, do some research on the discounts on offer, both online and in your area. Also check What Car?, which will tell you the average price you can expect to pay, says Emma Lunn in Scotland on Sunday.

Watch a film for free.
If you buy two or more cinema tickets costing over £10 at Cineworld (Formerly Odeon) using a Mastercard before 31 October 2008, you can claim two free tickets, says Martin Lewis on moneysavingexpert.com. Simply keep you receipt and complete the form at www.mastercard.co.uk/cinema

Save money on railway food.
Get a Bite card and save money at railway station cafes, says Jasmin Birtles in the Daily Express. Apply for a free Bite card at www.bitecard.co.uk/register.asp and once you have your card you can get 20% off at 13 different food chains. If you commute by train, this can add up to big savings throughout the year

Finally, one to avoid
"Ditch those energy guzzling outdoor Christmas lights and festoon your garden with Firewinders," Says Sarah Lonsdale in The Sunday Telegraph. A Pack of the 14 wind powered LED lights cost only £100. But they need a breeze of at least four miles an hour to light up. So Unless you don't mind going without festive cheer on still days, stick with the old-fashioned option.

Ruth Jackson is the editorial assistant and travel editor for the magazine Moneyweek, and publishes money saving tips everyweek. You can get the most up to date one here