The top ways I’ve cut my spending this month
The Saveometer challenge is my way of seeing exactly how much the tips and deals I feature on Be Clever With Your Cash can actually save someone – and that person is me! I’m writing down EVERYTHING I spend, and how much I’ve saved from full price (you can read all about it in the intro blogpost). It’s a real eye opener, as consistently each month I’m spending a third less than the value of the life I’m leading!
September Total
Actual Spend £1,639.33
Value Of Spend (i.e. what it should have cost me) £2691.40
Saved £1,052.07 (including interest and cashback) – that’s 38%
Here are the biggest savings in September:
Cashback
It’s been 12 months since I first signed up to American Express, so I’ve cashed in the cashback points I’ve earned in that time – and it was a stunning £197! You can read about how you can earn cashback in my Be Clever Basics guide: Cashback explained.
NUS card
As well as discounts on the odd bit of shopping and some cinema tickets, I was also able to get concession tickets to see my face footy team Crystal Palace, saving around £25 across two matches. I’m sure some of you will be asking – “But you’re not a student?” Well, there’s a perfectly legitimate way to get an NUS card – and student discounts. You just need to buy an online course with certain companies and you’re eligible for the card, which costs £15. You can read more detail about how to get one in my How to get an NUS card & discount – even if you’re not a student article.
Shopping around for insurance
We’re off on holiday in December and we’ve also a wedding next year, so it was time to get some insurance sorted for both. It can take a bit of time comparing the cover and prices. This is defintiely somewhere that the cheapest option probably isn’t the best. Yes, you’re paying for something you’ll – hopefully – never need. But you can save by getting the best value of like for like policies. Think about if you need a higher or lower excess as raising it can cut the cost. Add in cashback and we saved around £60 on comparable products.
READ THE SAVE-OMETER INTRO BLOG TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THE SAVE-OMETER CHALLENGE WORKS.
2014 Total so far
Actual Spend £18,279.33
Value Of Spend £28,204.19
Saved £9,925/86 (35%)
Month By Month Totals
January 2014:
Actual Spend £2,401.21 / Value Of Spend £3,817.86 / Saved £1,416.65 (37%)
February 2014:
Actual Spend £1,305.25 / Value Of Spend £1,888.20 / Saved £582.95 (31%)
March 2014:
Actual Spend £2,209.29 / Value Of Spend £3,538.68 / Saved £1,329.38 (38%)
April 2014:
Actual Spend £2,339.99 / Value Of Spend £3,622.89 / Saved £1,282.90 (35%)
May 2014:
Actual Spend £1,883.45 / Value Of Spend £3,137.28 / Saved £1,253.83 (40%)
June 2014:
Actual Spend £3,067.50 / Value Of Spend £4,282.29 / Saved £1,214.79 (28%)
July 2014:
Actual Spend £1,756.41 / Value Of Spend £2787.55 / Saved £1031.14 (37%)
August 2014:
Actual Spend £1,677.90 / Value Of Spend £2,440.05 / Saved £762.15 (12%)
September 2014:
Actual Spend £1,639.33 / Value Of Spend £2,691.40 / Saved £1052.07 (39%)