30 ways to save £1

Spent all of your money on the latest Essie nail colour?

Forever saving for that Rose Gold Michael Kors watch but not getting any closer to purchasing it?

Let me take you through my tips to save money!

Image via weheartit

I spotted Money Supermarkets 30 ways to save £1 blogger competition last night, and immediately had some personal tips that I wanted to share with you all! There's always times when we're a little short on money but desperate to buy new products, but there are a few smart tips that can be utilised to make a little amount of money stretch a long way!

If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them so please leave a comment below!

1.) Use up samples - whenever you receive one in a magazine, goody bag etc, retain it! It will come in handy!

2.) Cut open "empty" tubes. There is always more product in the bottle that you can squeeze out, so carefully cutting it open can grant access to another 3/4 uses!

3.) Keep nail polishes in the fridge to preserve shelf life!

4.) Use your student discount! I am the worst person at abusing my NUS card, but so many high street stores offer up to 25% off so make sure you always try!

5.) Google the product name of something you are lusting after to see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere.

6.) Similarly, you can use price comparison websites such as Money Supermarket to let them do the research for you!

7.) Sign up to newsletters on websites on websites you purchase from as they will often send out daily or weekly emails with discount codes

8.) Sign up to loyalty cards e.g. Starbucks card / Tesco Clubcard as they will send out personalised coupons for the products you buy!

9.) If you are purchasing online, google "insert shop name here discount code" as you may find a cheeky 10% or 20% off code to make your order cheaper

10.) Clean your makeup brushes regulary using a soft, mild shampoo as this will preserve them

11.) Purchase investment pieces which will last. This doesn't have to be a Chanel bag, buying a good quality hairbrush for £10 will last you 20+ years, instead of buying a £1 every six months

12.) eBay is a great way to find buy it now items which are 'seconds' of high street stores (e.g. Topshop) usually around half the price

13.) Search for misspelled eBay items (e.g Topshop blaxer" as there is less of a chance of others finding them meaning you are more likely to win the auction at a lower bid!

14.) Sell on eBay! We all have clothes / accessories that we don't wear anymore and have been resigned to the back of the wardrobe. Ask yourself if you're every going to want them again, and if not... sell!

15.) Download apps such as "myvouchercodes" which will show you offers such as 241 and 2 course for £9.99 for national restaurants chains and bars

16.) Walk or cycle to work... which will keep you fit too!

17.) Make a packed lunch the night before, I am amazed at how much of my wages is spent in Pret A Manger on my lunchs breaks, I may as well set up a standing order!

18.) If you work in an office, take a jar of coffee and a small bottle of flavoured syrup in with you to force yourself to stop going to Starbucks and grabbing that all important caramel macchiato before work

19.) Take a box of cereal to work to save money on breakfasts, £1.99 will go very far on a box compared to £2.99 a day

20.) Drink water instead of fizzy drinks, this will cut the calories and the money you spend! If you do not like tap water (like me) or it is undrinkable in your area, a Bobble self filtering bottle is a good investment!

21.) Empty out your purse every week or so and clear it of the pennies, two pences and 5 pence pieces. Put these into a jar and save up until it is full, when you can cash it out using those machines usually found in Tesco / Sainsburys. I did this last year and got £23.78 from the scrap change which ends up cluttering up my  bag!

22.) If you are into vintage fashion, charity shops can provide some great pieces at extremely low costs

23.) Shops such as "Newlife" take brand new clothes off big name brands and sell them on at a lower cost. Go with an idea of what you are looking for, and set a budget on how much you are willing to spend.

24.) When buying DVDs, check Amazon's "used section". Often the RRP may be  £12.99 but underneath it will say "6 used from £1.49". If you find a "used - excellent" DVD, this is essentially the same as a brand new DVD, minus the cellophane wrapping on the outside of the case!

25.) Look for dupe products - "Moonbeam" is a popular dupe for BeneFits bestselling "High Beam"

26.) If you are under 25, make sure you get a young persons railcard! 

27.)  If you are a major magazine lover like me, subscribe instead of paying each week / month for individual copies. LOOK magazine usually offer some pretty amazing gifts just for signing up, so make full advantage of them :)

28.) Don't sign up to "free 30 day trials" as they usually end in you forgetting to cancel them and the company making debits from your bank account without you realising. Some companies offer "free Topshop vouchers" and pretend you will get it after signing up to the free trial, but in reality the small print will stipulate that purchase is neccesary to receive your free gift.

29.) If you have a fringe or just want a really small bit off your ends, trim it yourself with some clean sharp scissors.

30.) Unless you are going blonde (in which I case I wouldn't advise this!), dye your own hair with home kits. The conditioners included in these kits are usually worth the price of the whole kit alone, and leave your hair feeling super nourished and shiny after the dying process.

What did you think of my tips?

xxx