Are you a master money saver? Can you sniff out a bargain at a hundred paces? If not, why not? The world of shopping is your oyster. Discounts and deals are falling at your feet, crying out to snapped up! Sadly, many of us have forgotten how to drive a bargain. Well, it’s time for me dip in my book of money saving memories and show you how it’s done.

Haggling A Discount on Your Internet Costs

There are many obvious candidates for bagging a deal but one of the most overlooked is your internet bill. The United Kingdom is swamped with broadband suppliers all of whom, apparently, offer the best ADSL services possible. Bearing in mind that many of the mainstream suppliers services are near identical, which should you chose? Pricing is competitive so is there a way to get a better deal? Yes, there are a couple of routes so follow me down…

End Of Broadband Contract Negotiations

Is your broadband contract coming to an end? If so, now’s the time to bag yourself a discount. It’s sad to say that many companies seem to think that once you sign up they have in the bag. Ironically, some of the worst suppliers have the best incentives for staying with them! If you’re happy to stay with your existing internet provider it’s time to do some footwork. Give billing department a call and ask them what kind of discount they’re prepared to offer you as a sweetener for continued business. The competitive markets mean you’re more likely get some kind of offer than you were, say, 3 – 4 years ago.

Offers can range from the first few months of your service being free (Sky were really good for this kind of incentive) through to a discount of about £3 per month (cheers Talk Talk). If you don’t ask you don’t get.

Starting A New Contract

Ok, instead of staying with your current ISP, you’ve to look around for a better deal. Here’s where things get a little more interesting. For many of us, broadband internet has become an absolute must have. The rise of products such as BBC’s iPlayer and YouTube have forced seekers of online entertainment to give their dialup modems to the big box of electronics in the sky!

So, where do you start? Broadband comparison websites are a good source of information about costs, data usage, speed, etc. Once you’re narrowed down your options it’s time to pick up the phone. Once again, going direct to the sales department is your best option. Before you’re put through make sure you have details of any offers other ISP’s are pushing then start haggling. In most cases, the internet provider will be prepared to give you a deal but you may need to sign up for a bundle i.e. telephone and broadband package.

Food For Thought

Food is getting more and more expensive. It’s not just the rate of inflation that’s forcing the prices up; simply producing food costs more and more every year. There are ways to cut the costs.

Price Comparisons

It’s not just electronics and hotels that are the subject of price comparison sites. Even the supermarkets have come under intense scrutiny from money conscious shoppers keen to keep a few more pennies in their pockets. Comparison websites such as MySuperMarket.com give shoppers and easy to use, one stop shop for comparing prices across a number of the big supermarket names.

More Ways To Save Money On Food

Incorrectly labeled items are a great way to cream a little more off the price of your shopping. Here’s how it works: if a product you want to buy has the wrong price assigned to it then the retailer is legally obliged to let you have it for the lowest price.

I bought a turkey for Christmas at a supermarket that sounds a little like Bestco! The prize on the label attached to the turkey was just under £40 (I’m not greedy – I had relatives over).

The price on the freezer was shown per kg. Multiplying the price on the freezer display by the weight of the turkey I found that it should only cost me about £34. I pointed this out to a member of staff and saved £6 on my Christmas day feast. Yes, it was all the more delicious knowing that I’d saved money on it.

Hidden Clothing Discounts Await You

Where do you shop? Marks and Spencer? Maybe you’re a regular user of Dorothy Perkins discount vouchers? Or you might prefer Asda’s George range. Well, no matter where you shop, there is more than one way to get a deal on new clothes.

Defects Can Be Good

If you’ve never been to a retail outlet store you don’t know what you’re missing. Big labels at bargain basement prices. What’s the catch? Most of the clothes have a defect. It could be something as simple as a manufacturers label being stitched on upside down or it could a poorlt stitched garment. Either way, it’s hard to argue with the prices. How does this help you save money at your favourite retailer? The same rules apply no matter where you shop.

Just last week, I was shopping for some children’s clothes in a local branch of one of the big, high street clothes retailers. I’d managed to grab the last pink cardigan on display (my daughter loves pink). As I was about to pay I noticed that the stitching on the sleeve had come away. Cue major panic – the last one in the sale and my little girl desperately wanted this cardi.

I pointed out the defect to the sales assistant and emphasised that a flood of tears would engulf the town if I couldn’t buy it. Sadly, it really was the last one in stock. On a happier note, the manageress knocked 15% off the price. I have to admit that the staff require some verbal prodding to take some money off the price. It would seem that usual policy is to remove defective stock from sale.

Asking for any kind of discount seems almost alien to many of us nowadays. It wasn’t really that long ago we were bartering anything from goats to gourds! If bartering isn’t really your thing, why come over to my blog and pick up some money saving tips and ideas. My name is James, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. If so, why not show it a little love and like it on FaceBook, Tweet it on Twitter or simply link to it from your website?