Lifestyle: Tips for making and saving money

I wrote a post similar to this last year and it was a great success, however I've just got a new job and really want to move back down south, so now I'm on a spending ban and doing my best to make a bit of extra cash to go towards savings so I'm going to share the ways in which I'm attempting to save/make money.

Making Money
As well as the wages that I get from my job and the money I get from blogging, I like to find other ways to up my income a little bit. There's a few different ways in which I do this, some are better than others but they're all worth trying.

YouGov
YouGov is a survey site which pays out when you get to 5000 points (or £50). It may take a while to gain 5000 points as each survey is usually worth 50/75/100 but I've found that I get a lot of surveys and it soon adds up. I made £150 last year alone. It's simple to sign up and the surveys are really easy and only take a few minutes. I've been ignoring it a bit this year so I haven't made as much but I'm still getting emails for surveys almost daily. If you want to sign up, you can do so here.

Quidco
Quidco is a brilliant way of making money while you shop. They basically have a massive directory of sites on their website who offer cashback for purchases if you buy through them. I've made over £200 from using Quidco and have got cashback for things like new mobile phone contracts (about £70), theme park tickets, clothes (New Look and ASOS offer a great rate) and even takeaways. It sometimes takes a couple of months for the money to come through but they can transfer it straight to your bank account. If you want to sign up, you can do so here.

eBay
I know a lot of people have had trouble with eBay, but so far I haven't had a problem. As long as you make sure you charge the right amount for postage and always send items by recorded delivery, you'll be fine. Often items can go for less than you hoped for but usually, if something is on eBay then it means I really don't want it and it's better to have a bit of extra cash for it than to have it hanging around my room.
I've found that the best way to sell is to start your auction at 99p, not only is it free to list but it's more likely to draw people in to your listing. I've also found that more things sell if they end on a Sunday evening so I tend to start my listings either on a Thursday for 10 days or a Sunday for 7 days. I also regularly post eBay wishlists if you want to have a look at those.

Cash 4 Clothes
This is a service which takes your old, unwanted clothes and pays you 50p per kg. It may be different where you are but this is the correct price around the Midlands. You'd be surprised how much rubbish you can find in your wardrobe which isn't at all suitable for eBay. I seem to have a clear out once every couple of months and can fill at least one big IKEA bag with clothes/shoes/bags. Last time I made over £20 which made me very happy. It's always worth having a quick google to see if there's anything like this in your area.

Saving Money
When I have cash I find it very hard to save it rather than spending it on little bits I don't really need. Here's how I manage to actually save..

Money Box Tin
I have one of those tin money boxes that can't be opened without a tin opener. I've had one every year for about five years now and I use it to put in any loose change. At the end of each day, I'll empty my purse and put all the odds and sods in that are weighing it down. As long as I have money for the bus, I'll put in all my loose change.

Drawing out cash
Instead of using my card all the time, which makes it harder to keep track of your spending, I've been drawing out cash and using that for all of my purchases. I've been trying to stick to a certain amount each week and only using that for bus fares/train fares/food etc. It's made me think about what I'm spending my money on more and also stopped me from making silly purchases.

Leave the credit card at home
If I'm out and about and I see something I really want but really shouldn't be buying, I have a bad habit of just sticking it on my credit card. This is awful and I shouldn't be doing it so I've got into the habit of leaving my credit card at home so I can't make any stupid, frivolous purchases.

I was recently asked to share a story about the first item I saved up for myself, to go on the Legal and General website..

"The first thing I ever saved up for was a television of my own to go in my room. I was nine years old and all I wanted was to be able to watch CBBC in my own room and not have to fight with my brother over what we were going to watch. I asked for money for my birthday and saved up all of my pocket money until I finally had enough. My dad took me into a shop and I chose a lime green television which matched my room and cost £109.95 which at the time seemed like thousands! I loved that I'd paid for it myself, it made it even more special"