WITH Covid crippling our cash reserves many of us will need help with our finances over the next few months.
Influencer Holly Smith has loads of ways to put more in the piggy bank, including selling loo roll tubes and using specialist aisles at supermarkets in the search for more value for money.
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And today she shares her expertise especially for Sun readers.
The mother of three is an ace bargain hunter and money-saving tipster on social media. Her Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook page and group have 2.5million followers.
Her debut publication, Holly Smith’s Money Saving Book, contains loads of ways to get more bang for your buck.
Holly, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, says: “I love a good bargain and money-saving is my passion.
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“I especially love helping other people to save money.
“I’ve saved my family thousands of pounds and hope you can do it too.”
Here are some of Holly’s top tips to make your money go further.
Check specialist food aisles at the supermarket
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IF you need plain rice, lentils or spices, look in the specialist food aisles.
You will often find them cheaper there.
The leading supermarkets have sections devoted to certain cuisines, including Indian, Polish, Chinese and Thai.
The food in these sections often comes in bigger bags and is better value than the same items in general aisles.
Get kids’ medicine free
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IN some areas you can get free medication for kids, including head-lice treatment, with the NHS Minor Ailment Scheme.
This is not a way to stock up on free medication but help if your child is ill and you are struggling.
Get non-branded paracetamol for as little as £1.
Wash your uniform
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DO you have to wear a uniform for work? Then you can get the money back for the cost of washing it at home through the Uniform Tax Rebate.
The amount you get can be backdated and could be anything from £60 to £150 or more a year.
There are websites that will make the claim for you but they will take a chunk of the payment, so go to the Government website and fill out the form yourself.
The rebate covers anything from a branded T-shirt to a full uniform and can be claimed each year.
Sign up to a meal subscription box
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THE boxes from companies such as HelloFresh, Gousto and Mindful Chef are worth a try . . . if you get them on offer.
You normally get 50 per cent off the first month, so take advantage then cancel and switch to another provider.
After a couple of weeks they will usually send a new offer to lure you back.
You can sometimes refer friends for discounts too. I once referred ten friends to Gousto and got free food boxes for a month.
Broadband and TV savings
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CONSIDERING switching broadband or TV provider? Ask to be put through to the cancellation line.
Its chief aim is to keep you as a customer and they will do almost anything to persuade you to stay.
I have known people get savings of 80 per cent by going through to the cancellation line.
Cheap fuel
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IF you are driving in an area you don’t know and you need to get fuel, check out the app PetrolPrices.
You type in your postcode or allow the app to access your location, then it lists every petrol station in the area and tells you the cheapest place to fill up with petrol or diesel.
Don’t rush to buy
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WHEN you are not in a rush to buy, add the item to your cart when shopping online and leave it there for a few days.
Some retailers will email you saying: “Have you forgotten something?”
Within this email they will sometimes try to entice you to complete your purchase by including a discount code.
Gift a gift card
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YOU can get some great discounts by buying unwanted gift cards on websites such as cardyard.co.uk.
If you know you are going to buy something from a particular retailer, this is well worth it.
I have picked up gift cards worth £100 for just £70, quite a saving.
You know they are legit as the company verifies each card before they go on sale, as well as stating the expiry date.
You can also sell gift cards you are not going to use. You send in the gift card, they check the balance and keep a small percentage of the fee when it sells.
Sell your loo roll tubes
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SOME savvy people sell boxes of loo rolls centres on sites such as eBay and Gumtree.
A box of 50 could get you around £5 and 100 £10.
People use them for school projects, all sorts of arts and crafts or for protecting plants and seeds.
Buy your booze from bargain stores
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A LOT of people don’t realise that B&M and Home Bargains both have alcohol sections — and you can get some great bargains if you are stocking up for Christmas, say.
Home Bargains sometimes has brand-name wines for half the price you would pay in the supermarket.
Get on top of direct debits
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HAVE a good look at your bank account and double check monthly outgoings.
You would be surprised how many people have old direct debits they have forgotten to cancel.
A common one is paying for pet insurance after a pet has died. Some people only realise when the renewal letter comes through.
It is always worth having a look at your direct debits every few months and asking: “Do I really need this? Am I actually using it? Or can I haggle on it?”
Nappy days
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TO find the best price for nappies, head over to bumdeal.co.uk.
It compares the prices of all nappies, works out the price per nappy and tells you where to get the cheapest.
Search by brand and size, including baby wipes.
Discount codes
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RATHER than searching for discount codes before you buy an item, it is easier and quicker to download a Google Chrome plug-in such as Honey or Pouch.
When you are on a website and go to the checkout, the plug-in will go through every single discount code that could possibly work for that retailer and automatically apply the code, or codes, to your basket within seconds.
Sometimes it is even possible to use multiple discount codes on one purchase.
They are brilliant, as they do all the hard work for you so you don’t have to manually search for codes.
- Holly Smith’s Money Saving Book: Simple Saving Hacks For A Happy Life (Ebury, £12.99) is out now. More tips at Holly’s website couponqueen.co.uk
I’m mortgage-free at 35 thanks to my savvy spending
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