Negotiate your home & car insurance bills.
Many people including myself have WAY too much insurance! I pay €15 a month for insurance on my iPhone in the event that it breaks or is lost or stolen. Recently, I was barely able to see my phone through all the cracks and instead of using my insurance and sending my phone away to be fixed for free, I decided to bring it to the nearest phone repair shop and ended up paying €50! Why did I do this? Well, because I didn’t really have the time or patience to wait around for my phone to be ready. Realistically I could save up to €180 a year if I didn’t have phone insurance, but the question is do I really want to risk it?
By shopping around, and re-evaluating the different types of insurances you have, you may be surprised at the amount of money you could potentially save. It may also be worthwhile to simply call your insurance companies and ask for a discount. However, I would personally suggest arranging to speak to a financial advisor for a free financial review in order to gain an understanding of how to manage your personal finances.
Eat out less & have fun for FREE.
Eating out and trying new restaurants is really fun and enjoyable but unfortunately, it can be extremely costly. If you were to sit down and add up all the money you spent on eating out every month you’d be shocked at the figure! Eating out less could save you at least €100 if not more every month! For example, that extra €100 at the end of each month could be used to start a Zurich Easy Access Savings Plan which would help couples and young families get on the property ladder sooner rather than later. You can also save more money by taking part in activities that are fun and free. Physical activity doesn’t cost a dime, especially when doing so outdoors. Running, walking, going on hikes, swimming etc. are all fun, free and healthy ways to spend an afternoon. Visiting local tourist attractions such as browsing around the English Market, ringing the Shandon Bells or taking a trip to Fitzgerald’s Park. The moral of the story is you can have just as much fun for free!
If you smoke, then stop.
Are you worried and stressed about how you’re going to meet educational costs for your children in the future? It is currently estimated that a child’s education costs €10,000 per year! If you are a smoker you should really think twice about purchasing your next packet of cigarettes. In a recent article written by the Irish Independent, a businessman from Belfast explained how he saved €15,000 over three and a half years after he quit smoking. Smoking is an extremely expensive and detrimental habit to one’s health. The average packet of cigarettes now costs €12. A person who is a heavy smoker and smokes one packet every day would end up spending around €4032 every year! Stop smoking now and save for your children’s education. At the end of the day whats more important? You can check out our savings calculator to figure out how money you should be saving to prepare for a very expensive few years ahead.
Write a blog.
Blog writing and blogging has taken the world by storm and many people have now turned to read blogs rather than books or articles. Although, blog writing isn’t a way to cut expenses it can be a way to help save you more money. If you’re the type of person that enjoys writing and is able to produce some good quality reading material, well then blog writing may be the perfect hobby for you! If you become a popular blog writer who gains an audience it can be a very handy way to make a little extra money every month. If you are interested in starting a blog, there are plenty of tutorials online to help you prepare
Other ways to save money
- Bring your lunch to work.
- Make meals in bulk.
- Take public transport or walk or ride your bike.
- Drink tap water rather than buying bottled water.
- If you’re a student, use your student ID everywhere.
- Don’t pay ATM fees.
- Use cold water when washing your laundry when you can.
- Go to the library for free books, movies, and more.
- Rent out spare rooms in your home to students such as foreign exchange students,
- Always have a list before you go to the supermarket to avoid impulse buying.
- Keep your car well maintained and ensure everything works properly. This can prevent expensive surprises in the future.
- Reduce your utility bills by trying to find ways to use less water, less electricity, and more.