What is in the Savings Vault?
It is filled with valuable, precious information - tips that can save you thousands of pounds.
The Vault contains informal product reviews, general savings hints, bargain hunting tips, online discounts, saving stories and a discussion forum. Here are some snippets from the Savings Vault:-
Groceries
Pay in cash and leave credit card at home
This tip is an oldie but a goodie - leave your credit card at home. I used to use my credit card for those 'must have but not really necessary' extra groceries. However, now my credit card debt is going down as it's not being used, and I have to really think about what I'm spending my cash on. I actually get to stick to my budget which makes me feel great. If you think that you can't live without your credit card, try it for one or two pay periods and see how much you save - it will start to become a habit to use only cash or to wait till you have cash.
Save over £40 per week on lunches
By thinking ahead before shopping for groceries, I now save over £40 per week on lunches alone! I used to be a terrible shopper. I went to the supermarket, generally knowing what basics I needed, but other than that I'd shop 'blind'. I would buy various foodstuffs based on how I felt at the time, then when I came to actually making a meal I found that I was missing half the ingredients - and my pantry was full of all sorts of random stuff!
So I started making a menu plan for each week, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. Then I work out what I need to be able to make all those meals - and that's all that I shop for. I allow a bit of flexibility to allow for cuts of meat on special, but other than that, I find it is actually cheaper to just buy the ingredients I need, than it is to be 'spontaneous'!
I also used to find recipes frustrating as there is only myself and my husband, and many recipes are for four people or more, but now I make up the whole lot, and either freeze the extra for future meals (better, quicker, and cheaper than takeaways) or we take it to work for lunch - saving us up to £9 per day!
Vegetables all year round
I like to grow my own vegetables to save on groceries, so I try and grow a lot of vegetables that can be frozen such as pumpkin (cut into chunks and in plastic bags ready to use), beans, leeks, shallots, peas, corn, swede, parsnips, and so on. Every winter I have enough vegetables for soups and stews until the next season. I also save by allowing some to go to seed, and they come up the following year. All peelings and scraps are placed directly in beds not in use, and my pumpkins all come up this way. They are then encouraged to spread around the edges of beds until finished fruiting. What I can't keep for present use, I freeze. What cucumbers I don't swap for other things, I cut up and use for stir-fry, they taste just like zucchini's or also freeze and use in soups. Even excess fruit, such as mangoes, strawberries, peach, and so on are either made into jam or frozen for later use or made into crumbles or pies.
Bargain Hunting Tips
Bargain mission
When you enter the local supermarket remember that you're on a bargain mission. Scan the aisles up and down and look for any bargain indicators marked by a 'special' or 'reduced to clear' label. When you find a potential bargain, compare the saving to other brands and make sure that it is a true bargain. If it is indeed a true bargain and it is on your list, snaffle it.
Is that your best price?
I never ask for a discount. But I do always ask things like:
"Is that the best price you can do"
"Can you do better for cash"
I never actually ask for a discount, yet I almost always get one. The worst thing they can say is 'no.' In fact, my partner who was also embarrassed to ask now does it all the time. It's like a game we play now, seeing who can get the best discount.
Online Discounts
Worldwide book listings online
If you want to save money on buying text books, novels, collectables or absolutely any sort of book then www.abebooks.com is the website for you. With listings from all over the world you are guaranteed to pick up a bargain!
General Savings Hints
Extend the life of expensive razor blades
My husband will only use expensive razor blades, such as the Gillette Mach 3. They were lasting no more than a couple of weeks. On close inspection, I found that the blades develop tiny deposits of rust which quickly makes them blunt. To counteract this, I put a dish of olive oil in our bathroom and my husband, after shaving, puts the blade in the olive oil where it sits, completely covered, until the next shave.
The oil covers the blade so that rust cannot form. My husband was very sceptical at first but is now a convert. Each blade is now lasting up to three months - a huge difference!
Saving Stories
Auctions can save you thousands
My friend and I have saved thousands by purchasing household appliances at auction houses. We keep an eye out for advertisements in the paper. My friend saved over £600 on a brand new oven, another £170 on a stainless steel oven for me, and a further £210 on a third one. A total of £980 saving in one trip! I also saved £275 on my fridge by buying this way. Don't be scared of auctions. The staff are usually nice and friendly. Just get in there and grab a bargain - I'm never paying retail prices again!
Feed seven people for £250 a month!
Shop for your groceries each calendar month (never weekly), and never go shopping until the exact day arrives (for example, plan to shop on the 30th day of each month). You will be surprised by how creative and resourceful you can become. My family says that the best meals I make are when we have 'nothing in the house'!
Instead of going shopping to buy individual items, make a packet cake or biscuits - or substitute things that you don't have in your cupboard with something that you do. For example, when I made chocolate chip biscuits, I didn't have any choc chips, so I used sultanas instead. Learn to improvise!
Keep all your soap odds and ends in a tub under the sink. If you need soap, just blend them in the blender to make liquid soap. You can also use this if you run out of washing-up liquid or washing powder. Soap powder works just the same in the dishwasher if you run out.
If teenagers run out of gel, encourage them to try using hair conditioner instead. Once dry, it sets just like gel!
It's amazing what you can come up with to 'stretch out' the time until shopping day arrives. When it comes, only buy what you need and never exceed your budget. If you go under budget, reward the family (or yourself) with the savings.
Our family of seven live on around £250 a month (£125 on groceries, £40 on meat, £40 on milk and £40 on vegetables and fruit). We still enjoy takeaways once a month, thanks to the savings we have left over!
At the moment the Savings Vault contains over 2,500 saving hints. By combining everyone's tips, we save people (including us) a lot of money. You can learn a lot from others' shopping experiences because they are real.
Saving money our way ...... the lazy way
Being lazy does work. Clever shopping is a habit. All you have to do is get your mind around it. It can take a little bit of work at the start, but once you get the knack of it you will have more time and more money for less effort.
The biggest way you are going to save money is by improving your shopping habits. Learning where and when to shop and incorporating it into your busy life.
Easy, simple, useful tips
We are not talking about super-complicated theories. The Savings Vault is filled with great ideas and products people use so they have money left over at the end of each month.
You can also join our FREE Newsletter to learn lots of tips and tricks for saving money
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Jargon Free Zone
We aren't financial advisers.
Most members are mums, dads, young couples, students and grandparents sharing the secrets of their household. It is information you can understand and use straight away.
The Savings Vault is filled with detail. Masses of it. The Groceries section alone has hundreds of hints. There is so much information that if we turned the entire Savings Vault into a book we would have to charge over £65 just to cover printing costs. Luckily, we do not have to pay for printers so we can pack it full of information and only charge £13 per year.
So click here and browse through the Savings Vaults preview page. It is important you see exactly where you will be able to save your hard earned money.
Imagine all the money you will save on your grocery bill. Stop wasting money. You'll save many times the cost of this membership in the first year. Some members have saved over £1,600.
FULL ONE YEAR GUARANTEE
If you do not feel you are getting good value or you are not happy with the Savings Vault for any reason, you can have your money back. We are still growing. We add around 100 hints to the Savings Vault every month. So we are giving you a 365 day guarantee. So if we are not covering your area completely, or you don't like me, or we haven't answered your questions or for any other reason, you can have your money back. No questions asked. Right up to the final day of this 365 day guarantee!
Now picture this: It's a year from today (or a lot sooner), and you are saving £30 every single week -- with a lot less effort than you expected. That's over £1,500 per year. Even better, you know that these savings will continue for the rest of your life.
Now, stop and look back on today. How much would you pay a person to save you £1,500? It is a lot of money. How much would you pay them?
Would you pay them £800? How about £400? How about £200? Well, we charge £13
Getting started is simple!
To start learning how to save immediately, the easiest way to order is through our secure order form. Or, you can print out the order form and fax or mail it to us.
Remember it comes with a 365 day no questions asked guarantee.
Your membership details will be emailed to you straight away and you can start learning our tricks within 5 minutes.
Think of it this way: All you need to do is use two or three of the 2,500 hints in the Savings Vault and you will get your money back. It doesn't get much better than that.
We spend all our time trying to build an excellent product. I hate hearing people fight over money. I love seeing happy people achieving their goals.
Good luck and enjoy the trip.
Many grins,
Fiona Lippey
Miser Extraordinaire
SimpleSavings.com.au
PS. This information really works. It has helped us build a very happy and content family. I recommend it to anyone. Spending wisely has meant we can have more time together as a family. It has really improved the quality of our lives. Click here to order now.
PPS. I know this site teaches you how to significantly reduce your bills. Making more money will not solve your financial problems. Learning how to be smarter with your current income will.