So often, saving money seems to involve giving something up or making a compromise. However, there are times when this is not the case. In several ways, it is possible to save money and not notice any difference except in your bank account.
Switch to Own Brands
Own brands are often seen as inferior to big-name branded products. In fact, this is often not the case. In recent years especially, supermarkets have been pushing their own branded products to try and increase their popularity and standing.
Own-brand products are often very similar to the branded equivalents, and some supermarkets make extensive efforts to keep it that way. Tesco, for example, does extensive consumer testing and redevelops any products that don’t match up to the leading brand. Many products are produced in the same factories as the leading brands and to identical or near-identical specification. Most of the time, own brands are not a compromise but just a way to save money.
Shop Around
Sometimes, prices on the exact same product can vary a lot between different retailers. This is especially true when special offers are involved, which can lead one retailer to sell an item for less than half what everyone else is charging. As such, you should never underestimate the value of shopping around.
The internet makes it easy to shop around. As well as visiting every website you can think of, you can use Google Shopping Search to easily find the best price. Mysupermarket.co.uk, meanwhile, lets you even use the internet to compare food and other everyday products in supermarkets before you go out to buy them.
Switch Mobile Network
Charges can vary widely between different mobile networks, especially if you are on a contract. You may find that another network can give you everything you currently get for a much lower price. In particular, discount networks can save you a lot of money. Notable discount networks include GiffGaff, an award-winning company which is owned by O2 and operates on their network, and Talkmobile which is available exclusively from branches of Carphone Warehouse.
Even if you do not want to change to a completely different provider, it may be worth looking at your tariff. If you are on Pay&Go, would you be better off on a monthly contract? If you are already on a contract, look at how much you are using in terms of minutes, texts and data. It could be that a cheaper contract would provide all you need.
