Penny Pinching | A Lifestyle Post

Friday, August 16, 2013 Holly 2 Comments

 I am utterly terrible at looking after my pennies- and pounds for that matter. The harder I try to keep that zip of my purse firmly shut the more I see things that I 'need' and spend. (Need in this scenario meaning things that are so pretty and would fit oh-so comfortably into my life).

We all know how hard it can be to avoid catching the blogger-bug. The lipstick that crops up in what seems to be like blog after blog quickly falls into first place at the top of your 'I need it, and I need it now' list. Before you know it, the spending ban that you initiated upon yourself has been broken and you're left with a hole in your pocket and the 46787th lipstick added to your collection.

This is a story that myself and my bank balance used to know all too well. Thankfully now I have reined in my countless spending slip-ups (sort of) and have come up with a fail-proof way to combat the spending temptation, or at least lessen the blow.

A penny pot Keeping a penny pot is a great way to save money without even noticing. I keep small change, anything 20p or under in a pot, it soon adds up!

A Student card If you're a student, whether that's at Sixth-form, College or Uni- you need a student card. The NUS card costs around £12 and is valid for one year. It provides you with the opportunity to gain discounts at so many places. New Look, Miss Guided, Superdrug, Prezzo and Topshop to name a few. The average student saves £200 a year with it, money towards a holiday perhaps?

Shop around Resisting the urge to buy it now and spending the time to shop around will more than likely save you money. A quick search online will allow you to size up the competition and find the best deal. (Fragrance Direct is great for cheap beauty deals at the mo) 

Monthly Bag Empty *Receives change from shop assistant* *shoves in bag* *discarded forever* Sound familiar? This is me all over! I recently emptied my bag and found £6.72 in change. So it's worth checking yours!

Don't Take Your Plastic Best Friend Out Life in plastic is indeed fantastic, there's nothing that gets you spending more than not having to watch your money physically leave your purse. In this months issue of Glamour Magazine I read that people who pay cash spend 20% less than those who pay on plastic. So, it's definitely worth leaving your card at home and sticking to cash.

Operation One in One Out This is basically where you ban yourself from buying something, until another product from that type of collection is used up. (This is particularly good for you nail varnish hoarders!)

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