Small Ways to Save | Little Tips for Money Saving Moments
From time to time, everyone will want or need to save money at some point in life, and as a young adult (18 is considered an adult in the UK even when I don't feel old ha) money can go fast. I found as I got older and more independent, as I am one who likes to have self Independence, money would go fast on the smallest of things in every day life, especially this year as I have become a lot more independent in small ways. It's a general thing adults experience, such as when a car breaks down, or when the bills are due. And this gets me thinking: I'm glad my parents socialised me to save as much money as possible through every day life; especially when I have to shop for small every day essentials such as shampoo, makeup, you name it.
So I've gathered all the ways in which I save using my methods to save a little more, especially as the seasons effect spending, such as Christmas shopping which can be costly.
Price compare:
Now this may be an obvious one, but it works. Ever purchased something, only to realise the exact same product was so much cheaper in another store you've just waked into? I have and it can be annoying. So look around and find which shop is best for you.
I price compare on beauty products such as shampoos to makeup, and an example is my favourite shampoo, 'Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo, Delicate Blends, Rice Cream and Oat Milk'. In Boots this costs £3.49 on average via their website, but in Wilkinsons, my go-to store for cheaper items at this moment in time, it cost me between £1.00 to £2.00, most likely £1.90 I believe (unfortunately I cannot remember the exact cost or find a receipt for this product). So as we can see, a lot more worth the price, especially when I have been saving up for my holiday.
Buy in bulk:
Sometimes buying in bulk can be more worth it, than buying individual items. An example could be makeup, often most stores will have deals, such as Boots, where they'll have 'buy one get one free' on all makeup brands specified under this offer.
To add, buying in bulk means that, yes you may end up with more you wanted this month, but next month and the month after, you wont have to spend a penny on the same product, therefore saving up on the little expenses and having the money you would have spent on that item to use on something else. I just figure out the cost for one unit of the bulk item, which all sales signs will have on them ie '£0.79 per 100ml' and compare this to the individual item. Often you'll see that the comparison is equivalent to something like £0.70 or £0.39 cheaper, which if times by the number of amount of times you'll buy another of this item, can add up to the next pound. Definitely worth a try.
But remember, some companies will actually try to trick you into believing that their bulk items are better than the same items that are separate, even if the bulk items have just as many items in them as the individual items, so always compare the price to make sure you're paying for what you want.
For example, just because two bigger 800ml bottles of shampoo costs £4.00, doesn't mean that the same individual 250ml bottles should be ignored. I found four bottles of individual 250ml shampoo cost a total of £4.00 for an overall total of 1 litre of shampoo, meaning you get 200ml more for the same price than you would with the bulk offer of £4.00 for a total of 800ml bottles of shampoo. If I had ignored the individual 250ml bottles, I'd be charged £4.00 for the bulk buy and would have 200ml less, therefore I would have paid for 200ml less of shampoo than amount of one individual bottle, and so technically speaking, I would have been overcharged. To add, as I think of this, 200ml is nearly the amount in one individual bottle, therefore if I had gone for the 800ml bottle, I would be paying for less than I could get. Hope this makes sense, as I'm not maths fan myself, but what I mean is that I got more shampoo for less the cost with individual bottles, so always check those prices first and compare.
Shop in the 'sale':
This may be obvious, but it works. Many of my "best-buys" a.k.a. "Bargains" as I like to call them, were in the sale. A plain, black, cut out back jumpsuit from River Island, for example, was originally £50.00, but I purchased it for £20.00, saving £30.00; my "best-buy" in terms of saving so much money at a shop that can be costly for certain or many items, and also because I just love this jumpsuit :)
If you take me to a shop with a sale, don't think I'll shop in the full price section, as when I see a sale item that's so much cheaper than it's original price, and that's my size, and is just what I've been looking for; I'll grab it up in seconds before you can even see me. I just love sales. I can find great items for such cheap prices :) A denim dungaree pinafore dress, which I've been searching for, ever since they can back into fashion, and one that suits my body shape, appeared before me in New Look a few days ago, so what did I do? I grabbed it, tried it on, and fell in love with it because its A-line shape suited by body shape perfectly and now it's another favourite of mine for only £9.00 instead of £19.99. Plus, I never wear dresses and they don't normally suit me or my body shape, but this dress I just loved and it's the first time since I was about eight years old that I've worn a dress on a normal day with no special occasion and by choice :)
So there are a few of my methods and tips for saving money when required, and advice on how to do this if needed. Hope this was helpful and worth a read :)
Thank you for reading,
Yours truly,
Caris
