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October 5, 2014   |   Articles

September Save-Ometer: I’m nearly 10k up this year by Being Clever With My Cash

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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%)

September 16, 2014   |   Articles

Shop and Scan review – earn up to £83 a year

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You can make £83 a year with Shop and Scan by scanning barcodes of everything you buy. Is it worth it?

I was recently accepted on the the Shop and Scan scheme. The idea is you scan the barcode of everything you buy and earn points which can be transferred to vouchers. Do it every week and that’s £83 worth. Here’s my quick review

How to sign up

You need to register at Volunteer4Panels. I took about 3 months after signing up for me to receive an invite. There’s no guarantee you’ll be accepted and it all depends on how many people they already with a similar profile.

What do you get?

Each week you’ll get 1100 points for scanning barcodes, and 500 for taking a photo of the receipt. That’s worth £1.60. You need a minimum of 10,000 to exchange for a £10 voucher which would take 6.25 weeks. You can also get bonus points for completing occasional surveys. at one of the following:

High Street and Web

  • Amazon.co.uk
  • American Golf
  • Arcadia
  • Argos
  • B&Q
  • Burton
  • Currys
  • Debenhams
  • Dorothy Perkins
  • Ernest Jones
  • Evans
  • Fairshare Music
  • H. Samuel
  • Halfords
  • Homebase
  • House of Fraser
  • Leslie Davis
  • Miss Selfridge
  • New Look
  • Next
  • Outfit
  • Thorntons
  • Topman
  • Topshop
  • Wallis
  • Waterstone’s
  • WH Smith
 Entertainment and Leisure

  • Alton Towers
  • Beefeater
  • Bella Italia
  • Blackpool Pleasure Beach
  • Brewers Fayre
  • Chessington World of Adventures
  • Cineworld
  • Drayton Manor
  • Dream Car Hire
  • Inspire Travel
  • Keith Prowse Attractions, Theme Parks & Hotel Breaks
  • Leisure Vouchers
  • London Eye
  • London Pass
  • Madame Tussauds
  • Odeon Cinemas
  • Park Resorts
  • Pizza Hut
  • Red Letter Days
  • Saks
  • Sea Life
  • Sea Life Sanctuaries
  • SPA Thoresby Hall
  • TGI Friday’s
  • The Dungeons
  • Thorpe Park
  • Virgin Experience Days
  • Warwick Castle
What you do

To get the points you need to scan barcodes in a little book they provide that say who bought the product, the shop you went to and the total spend. Then you need to scan EACH product’s barcode. You have a little barcode reader which you connect to a PC (not Mac) for this.

For the extra 500 points you need to take a photo or use a flatbed scanner and upload an image of each receipt.

Is it worth it?

For me, no and I’ve returned the kit to Shop and Scan.

Partly it’s because our main computer is a Mac and our Windows laptop is battered and slow. But even if it had been a bit faster, the scanning just takes too long to be worth it. Of course they wouldn’t know if you don’t scan everything, but that’s not in the spirit of things, and even scanning one shop was too much hassle for me.

But if you’ve got more spare time and a decent laptop, you could easily sit down and do it while you watch the TV. You can end of with £57 of vouchers if you just scan the products, and another £26 if you upload the receipts. That’s money for nothing!

You also get bonus points on the first shop to get a £10 voucher, so it’s worth applying to give it a try.

September 7, 2014   |   Articles

Save-Ometer August: How I cut spending by a third

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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!

August Total

Actual Spend £1,677.90
Value Of Spend (i.e. what it should have cost me) £2,440.05
Saved £762.15 (including interest and cashback) – that’s 32%

Here are the biggest savings in August:

Vouchers and freebies

August has been a crazy month for getting something for nothing! Free burritos from online competitions; £20 off Morrisons vouchers for the cost of four copies of The Sun newspaper; free drinks, snacks and t-shirt at a GAP 45 year old party. The list goes on. In total I got £200 in discounts, cash rewards or free goods. I’ll feature most of these on social media, so to hear about them first, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Advanced booking hotels

We went to three weddings in August, all involving an overnight stay for a night or two. The old me would probably have forgotten all about it after receiving the invite (I still do that with the gift lists!), but as soon as they dropped through the post and RSVP sent, I checked out the hotels. We went with the Travelodge/Premier Inn type places and saved against their regular price through booking months in advance, which is the figure I’ve used here to work out the saving. All were fully booked when we checked in so if we’d left it really late we’d probably been forced into paying even more at pricier alternatives.

My own lunch

I know I mentioned this before, but I’ve saved around £75 this month just by bringing a packed lunch to work most days. By the time I’ve been working in a office (I worked from home until May) for twelve months, that’s going to be practically a grand I’ll have not spent on food. It’s a huge amount. Read my Spendonomics blogpost for more details. Those posts take a bit longer to put together but I hope to have a couple of new ones for you in September.

READ THE SAVE-OMETER INTRO BLOG TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THE SAVE-OMETER CHALLENGE WORKS.

2014 Total so far

Actual Spend £16,639.00
Value Of Spend £25,512.79
Saved £8,873.79 – (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 (31%)

August 19, 2014   |   Articles

Save-Ometer July: Why a lack of time doesn’t mean you can’t still be Clever With Your Cash

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You can still be smarter with your money, even if you don’t have much time.

The first six months of my Save-Ometer challenge all seemed quite easy. But July was a lot trickier as I’m busier than I’ve been all year. Even so, I’ve managed to spend 37% less than someone who isn’t Clever With Their Cash.

July Total

Actual Spend £1,756.41
Value Of Spend £2,787.55
Saved £1,031.14 (including interest and cashback) – that’s 37%

Though I’ve made some fantastic savings this month, I know it could have been a lot more. I’ve started working full time writing for a big personal finance site, meaning I’ve been working on Be Clever With Your Cash mornings, evenings and weekends. The result is there’s been less time to shop around for the best prices.

Not everyone has two jobs like I do right now (well, one and half), but plenty of people do have commitments that eat into their spare time. If that’s you, you might have been reading the site and blog posts and thinking “It all sounds great, but I don’t have time to do everything Andy does”. There’s certainly truth there – but even before this new job, I didn’t manage to do all these things!

Being clever with your cash isn’t about making or saving the most money. I might be a little obsessed, but that’s my problem not yours! The most important thing is to only do what works for your life, and the time you have available.

If you only manage to grab the odd deal or bargain I write about that’s still great. If you manage to follow some of the tips, even better!

If you can keep in mind tips like buying train tickets in advance, using some of the Clever Sites we feature or fixing your energy deal, these savings will add up over time, giving you more to spend or save. I’m managing to spend around a third less than I could – but even five or ten percent would be a fantastic saving.

Prioritising what’s important to you, and what you can manage, is the key. For me I’m saving as much as I can so I spend that money on our wedding and hopefully a holiday instead.

July

Having said that July was pretty low spend – which is good for our wedding fund. There haven’t been any major purchases, but that just shows that the little savings really can add up.

Now I’m not at home during lunch, the temptation is there to spend on lots of exciting food stalls near my office. But as I wrote about in this Spendonomics blog, that’s not good for llbs or £££s! Over a year I’ll be saving over £500 by taking a packed lunch.

The big spend – and save – in July was switching my phone, broadband and TV deal to TalkTalk. I’ve paid my annual line rental upfront, saving £60. Add to that a half price offer, cashback, a voucher and a YouView box that’s mine to keep, and I’m over £200 better off than simply doing nothing and staying with Sky. Take a read of my new guide to see how you can get the best deal when your contract expires.

READ THE SAVE-OMETER INTRO BLOG TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THE SAVE-OMETER CHALLENGE WORKS.

2014 Total so far

Actual Spend £14,963.10
Value Of Spend £23,072.74
Saved £8,111.64 – (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%)

July 15, 2014   |   Articles

How to choose TV, broadband and phone packages

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A year ago I received a great deal on my TV, broadband and phone through Sky. It worked out at £10 a month! Well that’s over now so I’ve been researching my different options.

I’ve gone for TalkTalk’s Plus TV deal. After cashback, bonus high street voucher, a 6 month discount and line rental discount, I’ll be paying an average of £22 a month, which is over £200 less than their full price. Plus I’ll have a YouView box to keep after 18 months if I decide to switch again.

If your contract is up soon, here are my tips to make sure you get the best deal.

1. Haggle

The first thing to do is call up your current provider and see what they can offer you. Don’t let them pressure you. Say you need to think about it and get them to call you back. Often there are deals to keep your business, though these are rarely as good as the ones to get new customers.

Sky offered me free internet and half price TV, saving £20 a month, but I decided I could do better elsewhere.

2. Research

Go to a comparison site such as Broadbandchoices.co.uk and enter your postcode. You’ll be able to chose whether you want to compare just phone lines, phone and broadband or both of them and TV. Remember to compare the total price for the year, not the price per month as deals can make that misleading.

3. Cheapest isn’t always best

There are so many cheap broadband and phone line deals out there that it’s worth checking customer service reviews. A few quid extra is probably worth it if you know you’ll get good service.

Watch out for any broadband that has ‘traffic shaping’. This means they’ll cut your speed at busy times of the day.

Likewise, if you don’t stream a lot of TV or download much, you probably don’t need unlimited data. Of course the opposite is true.

4. Do you need TV?

If you’re mainly watching box sets on Netflix or keeping to the standard channels, think about if you really need a TV package.

A year of Sky’s Now TV entertainment service costs £60, and it includes Sky Atlantic. The same basic channels with Sky itself costs over £250. So that’s a pretty good saving. Adding sports and movies will cost even more!

You can see my pick of what’s currently available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV in our guide to the Best TV you can watch online.

5. Look for cashback and deals

Once you’ve got an idea of the front runners, check out TopCashback and Quidco to see what cashback deals they have. It’s not rare to see over £150 in money back for triple packages.

Many broadband and TV companies also offer high street or supermarket vouchers when you sign up. If you can combine cashback and vouchers, that’s even better!

Then try and time it with a deal that will give you a further discount. Normally these are for the first 6 months or so – don’t get caught about by adverts that make it look like that’s the normal price!

Check terms and conditions to make sure any of these deals are eligible for the package you want.

5. See if you can pay for the line upfront

A final great saving is to pay your line rental upfront for a year. Doing this could save you up to £50. BT and TalkTalk offer this but Sky and Virgin don’t.

December 31, 2013   |   Articles

The 2014 Save-Ometer starts here!

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I know people can save plenty of money with Be Clever With Your Cash. I know because I already do.

But how much? To be honest I’ve no idea! So the mission I’ve set myself is to not just have a spending diary, but also a saving diary. Everything I save I’ll put into the 2014 Save-Ometer for you all to see.

In essence, as with everything on Be Clever With Your Cash, all my savings are about making money go further and still enjoying my life. It’s not about stopping doing things or just eating lentils!

It’s much harder to record and measure savings than spending. Many of the savings will be subjective and non scientific, but you’ll just have to trust me!

If you want to know how I plan to keep track, keep reading…

This isn’t an exact science, so here’s my logic for different ways I’ll keep track.

An Alternative Me

Imagine a person who never thinks when they spend. For example they book the train on the day,for the time they want to go, oblivious of advance fares, peak times and railcards. Now, pretend that person lives my life exactly as I do, does the same things, they just don’t know the tricks I do. This is the person I’ll measure most savings against.

The Visible Savings

These are easy to measure. The reductions, discounts and deals. I’ll know the value of the saving as I’ll have the original price.

Saving Isn’t About Buying The Cheapest Option
I could save plenty if I just bought value food products. But I’m a foodie and don’t want to! However, I can choose decent, cheaper alternatives. For example choosing a cheaper loaf of bread. Here I’ll take the saving between my first choice, like the pricey Warburtons bread, and a decent alternative in the shop I’m in – if they have one.
The same applies to something like going for a meal. If there are a few things I fancy on the menu but I consciously choose the cheaper option because of the price, I’ll save the difference with my other choice, not the most expensive thing on the menu.
The Abstract Savings

I can’t say I saved money by not buying clothes or taking a holiday if I can’t afford it anyway. But I can afford to buy lunch each day, so taking a packed lunch is a saving. But how much will I save if I don’t have a product to compare it to? I’m going for conservative £4 for a sandwich and a drink as a benchmark price in London.

As with holidays etc, I won’t include things like choosing to go out less or not buying something. I’m doing that because my budget is smaller than it was.

I’m Not Saving for 2

Often I’m buying groceries etc for both me and my girlfriend. To make it easier I’ll just divide by two. I won’t include savings I get for her either, like cashback on a new mobile contract.

But bills or anything that I’m lucky enough to split because I live with someone will count as full costs.

Only Clever Savings

I also won’t count anything too obvious. The majority of Londoners use Oyster so it’s a cheat to say I’d be saving against cash fares. It is a saving if a season ticket works out better.

You Can’t Always Save

Remember sometimes you just can’t get the cheapest or make a saving, but it doesn’t count as an ‘anti-saving’. If your local supermarket is a Budgens (as mine is) then picking up a handful of basics on the way home will cost more. The savings have to fit into my life and sometimes I will have to pay more than I’d like.

Sometimes I’ll get Distracted by A ‘Bargain’

This will happen. Something that’ll seem too good to be true. If I buy something, or spend more than planned, be said it’s a good deal, then I’ll add the value back on.

It Only Counts When It’s In The Account

Cashback can take a few months, so though the saving might be in March I won’t record it until it’s in the account. Similarly I’ll count points on Tesco Clubcard as the minimum value when I receive them, and any double discount will apply when I use them.


So it starts Jan 1st! At the end of each month I’ll write a blog to summarise some of the best savings.

Any questions, just post in the comments below.