Although the festivities are over, many people are experiencing the financial burden of overspending during Christmas. January is a particularly tough month as many workers were paid early in December meaning they have even longer to wait until their next payday. This leaves a lot of households facing unpaid bills and struggling to meet essential living costs.
Money worries can greatly impact individuals and their families as people are unable to stay in control of their finances. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, there are ways you can make some clever savings and put a penny or two back in your purse.
See our top tips below to help you enjoy January without the dreaded debt.
Keep an eye out for upcoming sales
Sales are a great place to start. Whether you need something new for the house, you’re doing the weekly grocery shop or you’re looking to change energy suppliers, lots of companies have great discounts after Christmas, so get online and check what’s on offer. The best way to stay in the know when it comes to grabbing a bargain is to keep your eye on your favourite stores. You can sign up to email updates, download retailer apps and follow them on social media so you’ll be the first to know what upcoming deals they have.
Sell some unwanted items
We all have things we don’t really need. What you might consider as old or ‘out of fashion’, someone else might love. Take advantage of sites such as MarketPlace (Facebook), Ebay and Gumtree to advertise and sell any unwanted items. This is a great way of making some money and is much better than simply throwing things away. Reusing items is good for your pocket and for the environment. Win-win!
Use Google Shopping to compare lowest prices
It’s always good to know you’re getting a good deal. Lots of websites can advertise the same product but at a totally different price. Rather than sifting through lots of websites, Google Shopping allows you to easily compare products from different retailers. That way you can find what you’re looking for and save a penny or two in the process.
Look at cash back websites
Cash back websites pay you a cash reward when you click through from them to buy products online. There are a number of goods you can purchase through these sites such as groceries, entertainment and mobile phones. Some websites offer even more cashback by referring a friend meaning you both benefit! Whilst many cashback websites are free, some charge an annual fee so make sure to read the terms and conditions.
