LIVING on a low income can be really tough. An estimated 13million of us live in households bringing in £15,000 a year or less before tax, so every penny counts.
So if you need some help stretching out your budget, Polish money blogger Martyna Sroka can help.
The savvy saver, from Czestochowa, started blogging while earning just £13,000 a year living in London.
And Martyna has recorded her helpful tips and tricks for cutting back your costs in the capital on her website moneysavinggirl.co.uk.
Martyna, 33, who works for an insurance company, says: “Surviving on a low-paid job means that you can really struggle to live your life to the fullest.
“But by finding out about deals, offers and clever ways to save, you and your family can get by and end up better off.
“I love helping people and this is the reason Money Saving Girl exists.”
So here are Martyna’s top six tips . . .
- Move as close as you can to work. The rent may be more expensive but work out if you can save on travel costs. Walking or cycling can save you a lot of money, while keeping you fit at the same time. If you cannot manage to live close by, try a small scooter instead of a car because your petrol costs will be much lower.
- Sign up to some freebie websites. Ones such as magicfreebiesuk.co.uk and coolfreestuff.co.uk offer samples for free and you often get money-off offers too.
- Haggle over your bills and review everything regularly. Get a good quote from a comparison site then call the provider and see if you can haggle it down even further. If you are happy with your existing firm, still ring and say you are about to leave, because they usually reduce the cost you’re paying. Do this a few times a year.
- Manage your food budget. Planning meals is a must if your finances are tight. Stock up on inexpensive but healthy foods which fill you up and stretch your money, such as potatoes, lentils, eggs and beans. There are lots of cheap recipes online.
- Part-time work. If you have spare time, top up your income with extra jobs. Easy options include reselling clutter from your own house or charity shop finds, cleaning or dog-walking through Tailster.com.
- Collect cashback. Always use sites like TopCashBack, Quidco and Kidstart, because you are effectively being paid extra to buy what you already need. And if you have a specific shop in mind, look at Zeek, which offers gift vouchers at reduced prices.
Fancy a free fiver?
YOU can get FREE cash with super Sun Savers just for buying your favourite paper.
Our brilliant new rewards club, which launched this week, will pay back our most loyal readers.
Just pick up the paper each day to collect your Sun Savers codes and we will GIVE YOU£5 when you have collected 28.
This isn’t a one-off and there is no limit to how much cash you can save.
For every 28 codes you enter, we will give you a fiver. So over the course of a year, that could add up to £65.
We are keeping it super-simple. You don’t have to enter codes from consecutive days, so don’t worry if you forget a day or two.
Get a real fiver every time you enter 28 codes from The Sun. Yes really. #sunsavers
In fact, it is completely up to you how much you save.
Download our easy Sun Savers app and quickly scan your code using your smartphone. Or go online and enter your code at sunsavers.co.uk.
What is Sun Savers? Here’s everything you need to know about our new rewards club
To get you on your way, join today and we will put a bonus £1 in your Sun Savers wallet tomorrow. And the good news doesn’t stop with free cash.
With Sun Savers, we give you the best hacks, deals and tips to save money every single day.
TO JOIN: Don’t worry, folks — joining takes just 30 seconds, in three steps.
All we’ll ask of you is your name, your date of birth and an email address to get you on the way to your first crisp fiver.
You can choose to save or cash out straight to your bank account or instantly with Paypal.
Don’t delay — join Sun Savers now!
Hoover up this deal on cleaner
SAVE BIG: Don’t be a sucker and miss this deal. Dyson Small Ball Multi Floor Vacuum Cleaner, was £389, now £199 at John Lewis.
SAVE: £190
SAVE SMALL: Dine in vintage style for under £15. Mulberry Flower 12-Piece Dinner Set, was £19.99 now £13.99 at dunelm.com.
SAVE: £6
STEPHANIE PEARSON, from Lincoln, says: “Pour half a branded fabric conditioner into an empty bottle and add water. It goes twice as far, saving you money and the results are the same.”
- Send us your tips to [email protected] and you’ll get 28 codes worth £5 if your tip is used. Please include your name and town.
Sky’s the limit on swap plan
- I SPY a good Sky TV deal. For just £35 a month you can nab a new iPhone SE handset on a Swap24 plan, with 500MB of data, unlimited calls and texts and Sky TV’s Variety bundle. See sky.com/mobile.
- FRENCH fashion and home brand La Redoute is offering 25 per cent off, plus get up to ten per cent cashback at Quidco.com.
Offer ends August 31.
[“Source-thesun”]
