20 Money Saving Tips

Published on 19 January 2016

You’ve stretched the family budget well into the New Year, but now it’s time to give your purse a well-deserved break.

You can save on insurance costs by combining multiple policies with one provider.

So when we spotted this great article ‘50 Ways to Save You Money’ over on Rollercoaster.ie, we had to share it. Even though we only had room for 20, you can see all 50 tips here.

  • Let’s start with insurance… why not! You can save on insurance costs by combining multiple policies with one provider. For example, when you have both your car and home insurance with Liberty Insurance, you get a multi policy discount. 

The multi-policy discount is only available for Republic of Ireland eligible insurance policies.

  • Keep a money diary for a few weeks. Write down every penny you spend and at the end of the month, analyse where the income you have is going. You will be stunned how much money you waste on little things!
  • Consolidate your loans - do you have a lot of small debts that are draining your funds like credit cards, car loans, etc? Talk to your bank or credit union about a loan to consolidate them into one less costly monthly repayment.
  • Always try to fill the washing machine, as a full load is more energy efficient than several smaller ones. Cut down using your tumble-dryer but when you do use it, separate light and heavy items as the former will dry more quickly.
  • Forget about the take-away coffees. Buy a stainless steel travel mug instead and bring your own coffee with you.
  • Do grocery shopping online instead of going to the shops. This will help you avoid buying stuff you don’t need or going into other shops nearby and buying clothes and knick-knacks.

Switch to energy efficient light bulbs. Although they cost more, they use only 20% of energy and last 15 times longer.

  • If you have a full TV package, check if you really are watching the extra channels that come with an upgraded package. You might find that a cheaper basic package will suffice.
  • Make sure you apply for all your tax entitlements such as refuse charges, medical expenses, etc. Thousands of people are over paying tax and don’t even realise.
  • Do you really need your landline? With mobile phones and wireless broadband, your landline rental may be an unnecessary expense.
  • Switch to energy efficient light bulbs. Although they cost more, they use only 20% of energy and last 15 times longer.
  • Don’t allow your freezer to frost up as it consumes more energy. When freezing food, don’t put hot food straight into the freezer. Allowing it to cool down at room temperature means the freezer doesn’t have to work so hard.
  • Turn down your central heating thermostat – lowering it by as little as 1 degree can reduce your annual central heating energy bill by 10%.
  • Using your car’s demister on the rear windows increases fuel consumption by between 3 and 5%. So once windows are clear, turn it off. See here for some more car related saving tips.
  • Take advantage of the night rate electricity – using your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer at night will save you money on your fuel bill.
  • Buy Christmas gifts throughout the year, especially when there are special offers or sales on.
  • Buy in bulk when items are on special offer eg laundry detergent.
  • Develop a menu plan for the week and that way you will only buy what you are going to use and won’t end up wasting as much food.
  • Bring your own drinks and snacks on family days out.
  • Buy a money box and get into the habit of putting any spare change you have into it. You won't believe how it adds up.
  • Know the price of things so you can compare between shops. There are huge differences in the price of groceries, for example 2L of milk, where prices can range from €1.22 to €2.22. Buy one of these a day, and the savings to be made over the year soon add up.

So there you have it – twenty great ways to save you money from Rollercoaster.ie’s brilliant Money & Work section. And if you’re interested in how better driving can also help you save, don’t miss our It Pays to Drive Safer article for more money-saving safety tips!