Making Savings: Why Changing Some Small Habits at Home and on Holiday Can Save You Loads This Summer

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by: Kate Tee
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Word Count: 462
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 Time: 4:34 AM
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The old ways never go out of style. Or do they? After several years of pre-credit-crunch bliss it seems that we have collectively forgotten our old money-saving habits. As the summer rolls around and we become more eager to make savings for the good things in life, being sure we have some extra spending money is not as difficult as we might expect. Here are some easy ways to make considerable savings at home and on holiday.

As we go about our day to day work the last thing we want to think about is how much money we are spending on lunch and refreshments. However, with a little pre-planning, the amount we can save by making packed lunches is quite astounding. If we are spending £2.00 on a sandwich daily, and maybe £2.00 on a coffee, we can estimate a rather conservative monthly lunch bill of £80 - whereas a month of packed lunches will be about a quarter of that. And probably healthier too.

Another great way to save money from day to day is lift sharing. A half hour journey to work and another half hour home can clock around £100 in petrol costs every month. Of course, arranging to share these lifts with one other colleague from work will cut these costs in half - and a third colleague will cut these costs by two thirds in all. The savings are great - and also mean you might not necessarily have to be responsible for driving every single day.

Of course, savings can also be made on holiday too. Yet, the most worthwhile savings tend to be those you consider before you leave the house. For example, sort out your travel cash a few weeks before either from your post office or online in order to get the best deal - leaving it until the airport is not frugal. Also, check if your credit card will incur any expenses abroad and consider another provider if you don't wish to be wasting money here. Additionally, you can compare necessities such as travel insurance online before you leave in order to get the cheapest cover.

Lastly, it is no secret that you are likely to save money this summer if you stay in the UK instead of going abroad. But if you are still eager to venture to the Eurozone, why not consider a cheaper type of accommodation. Camping can take you to some of the most beautiful spots on the continent, and is really good for the pocket. Whilst other European expenditures such as making mobile phone calls are to be capped at 38p a minute and 10p a text - my advice...keep texting!

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Find out more about savings and other money products such as mortgages and credit cards at http://www.confused.com/savings