Deals of the week 26th September 2019

Save on toys, beauty products, cinema tickets and supermarket shopping.

This week Andy’s spotted nine top deals and offers you might want to take advantage of this weekend.

Watch this week’s episode of Deals of the week

Read about all the deals

Up to 20% off toys at Smyths

Until Sunday you can get £10 back for every £50 you spend on toys in-store at Smyths. So spend close to a multiple of 50 and you’ll get 20% off.

“Free” Lego Advent Calendar for new TopCashback customers

If you’ve not signed up to TopCashback then you can get a huge £24.99 back on the purchase of a Lego Advent Calendar. You’ll have to pay £3.95 in postage, but that’s still a top new member offer and big saving.

Free Costa Express hot drink on Tuesday

Pop into participating locations (from supermarkets to petrol stations) with a Costa Express machine on Tuesday 1st October and you’ll be able to grab a free hot drink whether that’s a cappuccino or hot chocolate. You can find where the machines are here.

Boots Advantage Boost weekend from Friday

I’ve just had confirmation from Boots that there’s another Advantage boost promotion this weekend. You’ll get 20 points back for every £1 you spend (min spend £50 in-store, £60 online), effectively giving you 20% back in points.

It’s a great time to buy your standard Boots things, as well as look at other items you wouldn’t expect such as posh Dyson hairdryers and fancy car seats. Starts Friday and ends Monday.

Space NK – £15 off when you spend £60

Another beauty deal running this weekend. Every time you spend £60 you’ll get £15 knocked off at the till. It works in multiples so spend £120, get £30 back and so on.

£175 HSBC Bank switch offer is back

The biggest bank switching offer is back. You’ll get £175 credited to your account if you open an HSBC Advance account and switch over.

There’s also £100 from HSBC for new student accounts.

Will Aid is in November

You can book a slot now to get a discounted will in November. It’ll cost you £100 charity donation for a single will, or £180 for a will for couples. There’s also Free Will Month in October for over 55’s.

Two Odeon tickets and movie rental credit for £7

Head over to movie streaming site Chili before Monday and if you spend £7 on TV or movies (it can be rentals or to keep), you’ll get sent vouchers to swap for two Odeon tickets. You can currently get Shazam for £1.90 and US for 90p. Cinema tickets are valid until the end of October.

Free 90-day Tastecard trial – Extended until 1st October

I’ve blagged a limited time deal for you lot to get a free 90-day trial of Tastecard. The offer was due to end yesterday but I’ve convinced them to extend it until the end of the month.

Listen to the deals on the Cash Chats podcast

SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN TO OTHER EPISODES OF CASH CHATS (it’s free!): 

APPLE PODCASTS       GOOGLE      SPOTIFY

 

Deals of the Week 19th September 2019

This week, Andy shares deals about:

  • A trick to boost your supermarket spend at Christmas
  • A free 90-day Tastecard trial
  • 75p Chocolate Oranges
  • Reduced to clear ice creams
  • Buy one get one half-price fish
  • Free beer!

Watch the latest episode to learn more about this offers and deals

Read more about these deals

Cash hack: The loophole that boosts your supermarket spending

90-day Tastecard trial 

75p choc orange

Reduced ice cream / Buy One Get One Half Price fish

Free Maltsmiths beer

Listen to the deals on the Cash Chats podcast

SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN TO OTHER EPISODES OF CASH CHATS (it’s free!): 

APPLE PODCASTS       GOOGLE      SPOTIFY

 

Deals of the Week 12th September 2019

Andy’s back with savings on iPhones, The Handmaid’s Tale sequel, free Amazon credit and more.

The big news this week was the unveiling of some very expensive new iPhones. We also had the long-awaited new book from Margaret Atwood, plus news of a price increase for NOW TV. Watch or listen below for more on these and other deais.

Watch this week’s Deals of the week video

Listen on the Cash Chats podcast

SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN TO OTHER EPISODES OF CASH CHATS (it’s free!): 

APPLE PODCASTS       GOOGLE      SPOTIFY

Read about the deals

Ways to save money on the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

The latest Apple iPhones can be preordered from the 13th September. They cost a lot of money, so here’s how you can make sure you don’t spend over the odds.

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/ways-save-money-new-iphone/

Cheapest way to get Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments

I’m a big fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting for this sequel. Its cover price is £20, but I’ve found how you can get it on the high street for £10, or online for £8.30. There’s even the potential for you to get it free if you’ve never used a cashback site before.

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/book-offers-and-deals/

A potential £16 in free Amazon credit

There are currently three different offers which could get you free Amazon credit. The first ends on Sunday, and it’s for Amazon Prime members who haven’t streamed any TV or films yet. Do this to get a £5 off £20 spend voucher. The next two involved buying gift cards or topping up your account. If you’re eligible you could get a £5 voucher and £6 credit. 

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/latest-amazon-deals/

Another £150 bank switching offer

Following hot on the heals of RBS announcing a £150 offer last week, you can get the same deal if you switch to Natwest. Once more that includes existing as well as new customers. Sadly you can only take advantage of one of these switches.

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/the-best-bank-switching-cashback-interest-offers/

Beat the NOW TV Entertainment pass price increase

In just under a month, the price of a month of channels such as Sky Atlantic and Sky One will go up by a quid. Yes it’s not much, and it’s still cheaper than getting Sky TV, but there are ways to save now, including a two-month gift card for a tenner. Here are all the latest NOW TV deals

https://becleverwithyourcash.com/now-tv-deal/

Is a smart meter worth it?

I’ve previously resisted getting a smart meter, but in July I had one installed. Here’s why I got it, and whether I think it’s worth it.

This summer my energy company finally made the switch (in my area at least) from first-generation smart meters (known as SMETS I) to the second generation version (aka SMETS II). This was important as the earlier option has been known to become a “dumb” meter if you switch supplier – something I do every year.

So once I was guaranteed a smart meter that would keep working, regardless of who supplied my gas and electricity, I booked a slot to have one installed.

In this video I’ve shared how the installation went, and my assessment of the three reasons why the energy companies say we should get one.

My previous video on smart meters

Eight mistakes you make when switching energy

Video: A trick to get O2 Priority Moments even if you’re not on O2

The O2 Priority Moments app will give you access to all sorts of deals – from £1 meal deals every Monday to free chocolate and Christmas cards. And this trick means anyone can get it, even if you’re not on O2.

As the video explains all you need to do is order a free O2 SIM – which you can do via the link below. Though the form asks you to choose a bundle you don’t actually need to pay anything now. Submitting the form should get the SIM sent out to you which you can activate as below without ever topping up. Let me know if it’s any different.

>> Get your free O2 SIM

Once you’ve got your SIM, put it in your phone (it needs to be unlocked), and use wifi to download the O2 Priority app. You’ll need to activate the app using your new O2 phone number. You shouldn’t need to top up the SIM itself. Then switch your old SIM back in and the app should keep working.

If you don’t know how to unlock your phone then this unlockapedia” from Giffgaff is handy.

What can you get with O2 Priority Moments?

I’ve had the app for years, ever since it was launched in 2011, and I’ve lost count of the freebies and deals I’ve picked up.

An ongoing deal is the £1 meal deal every Monday at Domino’s, WH Smiths, Upper Crust, Pumpkin and Cafe Ritazza.  You can also get a free coffee at Cafe Nero most weeks. Every year for the last four years I’ve also picked up a free box of Christmas cards from WH Smiths.

Other deals come and go but frequent offers include discounts at Pizza Express, free snacks from Boots, free chocolate from Thorntons or Hotel Chocolat, free trials for Tastecard or Gourmet Society and a discount at Body Shop.

Video: How this pink Oyster card reader can save you money

Spotted these pink Oyster card readers around the London Underground and Overground? There’s a reason they’re pink, and it could save you cash on your journey – if you’re not going through zone 1. Watch the video to find out more.

You’ll find them at the following stations:

London Overground platforms –

  • Blackhorse Road
  • Canada Water
  • Clapham Junction
  • Gospel Oak
  • Gunnersbury
  • Hackney Central/Hackney Downs
  • Highbury & Islington
  • Kensington (Olympia)
  • Richmond
  • Stratford
  • Surrey Quays
  • West Brompton
  • Whitechapel
  • Willesden Junction

Tube platforms –

  • Rayners Lane
  • Wimbledon

My week of being clever with my cash

These are the kinds of savings I make every week – and you can do it too.

When I started Be Clever With Your Cash I wrote a series of blog posts under the title Save-ometer. Every day for a year – every single day – I kept track of what I spent and how much money being clever with your cash could save. The figure at the end of 12 months surprised me. It was a whopping £13,917. 

I tried to repeat this in 2016, but it wasn’t to be. Painstakingly detailing all the possible savings takes a long time, and to be brutally honest I had better things to do!

So rather than a year, I’ve kept track for just for one week. Everything I’ve spent has been totalled up, and I’ve calculated what it could have cost if I’d just spent without thinking.

Here’s a video diary of the savings as I made them:

Could being clever with my cash make me £12,000 better off?

So, the total was a saving of £237! Just from one week.

That’s around £1,000 a month, and over a year adds up to £12,325!

I wouldn’t be surprised if I hit this total, or even exceed it.

Yes, not everything I did this week will happen every week. But there are plenty of potential savings (and big ones too) that didn’t happen this week. And this doesn’t even take into account things like switching energy, getting the best interest rates or cashback.

Your week won’t be the same as mine, but the principle remains the same. Of course, it doesn’t mean I’ll have an extra £12k in my bank. But it does mean I can do more with what I earn.

Think about how you spend – be clever with your cash – and you’ll have more money to spend as you need too – whether that’s on essentials, luxuries or even just building up savings.

If you want a breakdown of all the ways I spent and saved, keep on reading.

How I made savings of £237 in one week

Here’s my diary of what I spent and how I saved.

Tuesday

Today I was at work in central London, and out with friends in the evening.

– Tube

  • Cost: £9.50
  • Saved: £3
  • Made (from cashback credit card): 9p

Now I don’t travel into town every day I don’t buy an annual season ticket (normally the biggest way to save). Instead, I pay with a contactless card. I took four trips today and the daily cap was £9.50. Individually the journeys would have cost £12.60, while a day travel card would have been £12.50.

I also used my American Express card, which earns 1% for every full pound I spend, so that’s 9p made (I promise these small savings do make a difference over the year!).

– Lunch

  • Cost: £1
  • Saved: £6.95
  • Made: £0

It took me five minutes this morning to make a sandwich for lunch. I’ve not weighed out exactly how much cheese I used or calculated the price of each tomato I used, but for two cheese and salad sarnies it comes in at around a quid. If I’d popped down to the Chilango burrito joint below my work it would have cost £7.95!

– Drinks

  • Cost: £11.75
  • Saved: £0
  • Made: 11p

I bought a round for my colleagues after work. It was only a quick drink so normally I’d avoid rounds as I either end up paying for more than I drink or feeling bad I didn’t buy a drink in return. But this was a little different as we were celebrating my friend’s new baby.

– Dinner

  • Cost: £22.50
  • Saved: £14
  • Made: 22p

However, I then went on to dinner with old school mates. We went to Wahaca, a good value Mexican chain, and found it was Taco Tuesday! This knocked £4 each off the bill, plus staying there for an extra drink and playing free table football worked out £10 cheaper than the original table tennis plan.

Wednesday

One of my days working at home on the blog, but again, meeting up with a friend in the evening.

– Breakfast, lunch & dinner

  • Cost: £0
  • Saved: £3.85 (average amount wasted on food per person each week)
  • Made: £0

Today I was working at home so food is obviously going to be cheaper. But I took advantage of our freezer contents to use up leftover bolognese. The average family wastes £600 a year, working out at £200 per person, on food that goes off or leftovers that are thrown away. So the £3.85 figure I’ve used is the average weekly amount people save.

– Tube  

  • Cost: £5.60
  • Saved: £0
  • Made: 5p

– Free comedy

  • Cost: £0
  • Saved: £17 (price of a Comedy Store ticket on a Wednesday)
  • Made: 11p

Tonight I headed to ITV Studios to see a free recording of Harry Hill’s new panel show. You can get tickets to all sorts of TV and radio programmes, and though they can be frustrating when you watch the same joke again and again in retakes, it’s still a very cheap way to see some entertainment.

– Drinks

  • Cost: £11.50
  • Saved: £7.70
  • Made: 11p

It’s a Wednesday night so there’s no need for a double! However, that’s the standard serving at the bar we visited. So I asked for singles, saving close to £8.

Thursday

Another day at the office in town, then a trip to the movies after.

– Tube

  • Cost: £6.70
  • Saved: £0
  • Made: 6p

– Lunch

  • Cost: £1
  • Saved: £6.99
  • Made: £0

– Cinema

  • Cost: £4.25
  • Saved: £10.54 (extra to go to the Vue cinema around the corner)
  • Made: 4p

After work, I head to the Odeon in Panton Street, near Leicester Square. Tickets here are already cheap, but I’ve got an NUS card (here’s how you can too), and not only does that give you student price, you get an extra 25% off at Odeons from Monday to Thursday. I also saved an extra 10% through buying an Odeon gift card from Zeek.

Friday

An early start today as I headed into London for the newspaper review on Share Radio.

– Tube

  • Cost: £9.50
  • Saved: £3
  • Made: 9p

– Wifi/cafe

  • Cost: £0
  • Saved: £4 (price of one hour BT wi-fi pass or a drink and cake)
  • Made: £0

I had a few hours to kill between the radio slot and meeting up with other money bloggers for lunch. I needed to work, but rather than heading to any old cafe where I’d have to buy food and drink, or pay for wi-fi elsewhere, I went to a place I know I can work in peace and not have to spend any cash.

Frustratingly the free wi-fi didn’t work, but I was able to “tether” the data from my phone and use my contract.

– Lunch

  • Cost: £17.50
  • Saved: £0
  • Made: £0

We headed to Dishoom in Covent Garden for lunch. Though not the cheapest place, it’s exceptional value for the quality you get.

– Cinema

  • Cost: £9.38
  • Saved: £6.62
  • Made: £0

A few weeks back I bought a membership for the Picturehouse Central in London. It’s an amazing cinema. Membership gets you four free tickets, £3 off other tickets and access to a great members bar (where I often use as an office when in town).

I managed to get the membership half-price at £37.50, meaning the “free” ticket worked out as £9.38 rather than £13 – but with all the future savings I’ll make with the card it could potentially be less.

– Supermarket

  • Cost: £41.86
  • Saved: £22.50
  • Made: £0

Yes, that’s right we saved around 25% on an online Waitrose order. There are a few ways we did this. First, we used special offers on things we needed. Second, we used own brand or cheaper options for some things. Third, we signed up for Waitrose Pick Your Own Offers (giving 20% off selected items). Fourth, we returned substitutions we didn’t want (it’s a waste of money keeping the replacements if they’re not want you want). And finally, we used a discounted gift card from Zeek.

Saturday

Catching up with friends in South London, a (horrendous) Crystal Palace football match and then dinner with friends.

– Petrol

  • Cost: £46.47
  • Saved: £3.74
  • Made: £46p

Petrol isn’t cheap, but we knew we’d need to fill up so did it locally rather than on the M25.

– Football

  • Cost: £23.50
  • Saved: £16.50
  • Made: 23p

The last match I’ll be able to use my NUS card to get a discount at as they’ve now changed the definition of concession from “student” to 18-21 years old. On current form that might be no bad thing.

– Train

  • Cost: £2.30
  • Saved: £1.40
  • Made: 2p

I used contactless for this short train trip after the match. Since this route isn’t run by Transport for London, you’re encouraged to buy a paper ticket, which actually would have cost more than tapping in and out!

– Beers

  • Cost: £4.50
  • Saved: £1.49
  • Made: £0

Another NUS discount, this time at Co-op, where tasty craft beers were three for £5, then even less with a 10% student discount.

Sunday

Some shopping, then forward planning for a train trip next month.

– Ikea

  • Cost: £35.75
  • Saved: £30
  • Made: 35p

I needed some storage for my office and it worked out close to half-price cheaper in Ikea than WH Smiths for the equivalent.

– Train

  • Cost: £42.50
  • Saved: £72.50
  • Made: 42p

I’m going to Sheffield next month. Buying an off-peak return on the day could cost £115, but I made a huge saving getting a ticket in advance, even just four weeks ahead.

Monday

Back in the office for the last day of my challenge.

– Tube

  • Cost: £7.80
  • Saved: £0
  • Made: 7p

– Lunch

  • Cost: £0.92
  • Saved: £3.67
  • Made: £0

On Monday’s I don’t bring a packed lunch. Instead, I take advantage of the O2 Priority Moments offer to get a £1 Boots meal deal. And since I use a discounted gift card, I save another 8%!

I’m not even on O2 anymore – there’s a trick where anyone can get the offers!

– Supermarket

  • Cost: £4.34
  • Saved: £1.56
  • Made: £0

My last purchase for the week was to nip into the little Sainsbury’s below work to nab some reduced items. I’m a little obsessed with grabbing these bargains and putting into the freezer for a later date meat and fish far cheaper than full price.

Totals for the week

  • Spend: £320.12
  • Saved: £237.01
  • Made: £2.43

If this was a typical week, that would work out as saving £1,027 a month, and a huge £12,324.52 a year!

The cashback from the credit card would add up to £126.36 a year, and I’ve not even factored in cashback from bills and interest on savings.

Watch The Veronica Mars Movie For FREE

REAL DEAL

For anyone who saw the cult TV show Veronica Mars on E4 years ago, they’re bound to be excited about the new movie, released in cinemas and online yesterday. It’s got a pretty limited release so the easiest way to see it is to rent it. We’ve had a look to find the cheapest way to stream it, and thanks to a special discounts, Blinkbox is the winner.

If you are a new user, you can get £5 free credit when you sign up and pay in £1. The film is normally £5.99, but with a special discount code it’ll cost you just £4.50 – meaning you’ll have 50p free credit still in the account.

You have 30 days to start watching your rental once you purchase it. You can watch them on your computer, tablet or through some smart TV’s and games consoles. Personally I connect my laptop to my TV. The code is also valid on all rentals until April 1st.

Click here to go through to the site. Sign up to get your £5 credit, then enter the code MOVIETIME at checkout.

Watch Veronica Mars For Free

Cheap Night In – 15 & 16/2

I thought we were meant to have good TV when it was cold and wet outside? The schedulers don’t agree, showing the same old dross this weekend – with one exception.

TV PICK

The Act of Killing, Sky Atlantic, 10.15pm Saturday

It’s not supposed to be easy viewing, but this documentary following Indonesian death squads recreate horrors from their recent past is the favourite for the Oscar and Bafta Best Doc award< It also topped the Guardian's films of 2013 list. It won't be for everyone.

CATCH UP PICKS

If you missed anything in the week, now’s your chance to find it on iPlayer, 4OD etc. We thought BBC2 had a great line up on Wednesday so try The Restaurant Man, Line of Duty or Inside No.9.

Did we mention House of Cards season 2 is now available on Netflix? Possibly. Yeah OK we did. A marathon viewing on Sunday is being planned already!

WHY NOT TRY…

Want to avoid the gogglebox? Weather forcast is rubbish so why not have your own beer festival? Supermarkets and off licenses are stocking a wider range of craft beers than ever before. Get a range of single bottles of beers, then share each bottle out with everyone present.

For a good price you can pick up Brewdog’s US influenced Punk IPA in many Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose stores. In fact there are so many options now you could just take a random selection to see if you find a new favourite.