Ruth Jackson with six tips designed to save you money and one 'tempting' offer to avoid.
Put your drive, parking space or garage to good use. If you have one that you don't use, rent it out, says Jasmine Birtles in the Daily Express. Register on Parklet.co.uk, Parkatmyhouse.com, or Gumtree.com to find someone who wants to be in your postcode area. Even if you do use your parking space, you can rent it out for only a few days when you know you won't need it, or even just a few hours if there is an event going on nearby.
Skip the supermarkets. When Guardian writer Sarah Marks spent a week shopping at her local supermarket, a medium-sized Sainsbury's, and then another week spending on the same things at her local market and corner shop, she found that fruit and vegetables at the supermarket were 52% more expensive than at the market.
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Bundle. If you have separate telephone, internet and television services at home, it's time to bundle them, says Ali Hussain in The Sunday Times. According to Simplifydigital.co.uk, you can save an average of £160 a year by getting all three from the same provider.
Don't buy petrol on a Friday. 'Petrol stations put their prices up on a Friday because that's the day that most people tend to fill up,' says Brendan McLoughlin of Petrolprices.com in The Sunday Times.
Cut the costs of your holiday. Most people now know that you can save money on your holiday by booking it online rather than through a travel agent. But did you know that you can save even more by reading carefully? Check what is included in the final price a website quotes you. You can usually shave more off the cost by opting out of in-flight meals and finding your own travel insurance. And with some firms, you can opt for a smaller baggage allowance in return for a discount.
Don't pay for your hayfever. For many people the next couple of months involve the extra expense of antihistamines. But before you start stockpiling over-the-counter drugs, consider getting a prescription. Anyone in Wales should get straight down to their GP, says Martin Lewis on Moneysavingexpert.com, as prescriptions there are free. You have to pay in the rest of Britain, but if your doctor is willing to write a three month prescription, getting one could still work out cheaper.
And one tip to avoid...
Invest in a breadmaker to save yourself the cost of buying bread. 'If you make enough bread to supply a family of four, the machine should pay for itself in less than six months,' says The Guardian. But taking into account the increased electricity bill and the effort of making the brea
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