There are lots of money-saving hacks many of us would be too nervous to try because we’d feel we’re being a bit cheeky. But being cheeky can save you a lot of money. In fact, our research found you could save, on average, £427 a year by haggling when shopping. That could pay for a long weekend in Barcelona, or where ever you fancy going.
So, if you want to try out a few cheeky money-saving hacks, we’ve compiled a list that may make you blush, but will definitely leave you laughing when your costs go down and your bank balance goes up.
1. Start wombling. It’s the art of picking up receipts in public places such as car parks, supermarkets and shopping centres. Yes, picking up receipts can save you money because some of them include discounts for the next time you shop but are often disregarded by shoppers and thrown on the floor. Hot locations are Sainsbury’s, to find the double and triple nectar point receipts which are great to bulk up your loyalty points, and McDonald’s where you can collect six stickers to claim a hot drink.
2. The humble meal deal makes up the standard daily lunch for many, but if you look at the prices of the items that are included separately, you can grab yourself a real bargain. For example, the Naked smoothies are £2.70 at Tesco when bought alone but are included in the £3 deal, so theoretically, you’ll get the rest of your meal for 30p, which is a real bargain.
3. Keep an eye out for minor faults and tears in clothes when shopping in stores. They’ll be easy to repair or wash out and if you tell the cashier about them, they’ll often knock 10% off the price tag. Only do this with minor faults you feel confident you repair or fix yourself or are happy to live with. Topshop and Topman are a good example of retailers who offer this kind of discount.
4. The next time you’re at a fast food restaurant, see if you can order a cheaper burger on the menu and have it dressed like a more expensive one. For example, at McDonald’s, you could order a double cheeseburger and ask for it to have Big Mac sauce on it instead of ketchup – then you have a Big Mac without the middle piece of bread for £1.80 less than a standard Big Mac would have cost.
5. Online haggling – yes, it’s a thing. You can use the digital walking away method by keeping the items you want to buy in your online basket, and then closing your browser. The retailer will pick up on the fact you haven’t completed your transaction and might send you a cheeky discount code via email to secure the sale. This primarily works with a lot of online e-commerce brands such as Boohoo.com and Missguided.
6. And, last but not least, of course use TopCashback to earn money back on your spending. What’s cheekier than being paid to shop? Keep an eye on all the best deals on our site – especially the Trending Now tab on the left-hand side of the home page to see where everyone else is shopping right now for the hottest deals.
