We’ve put together the ultimate list of hacks that, when combined, could save you thousands of pounds every year and make your life easier. Many people don’t know about these hacks, because companies aren’t shouting about them. These are secret savings that you can only get if you know how.
They don’t want you to make these huge savings, but we do! That’s why we’re sharing our best hacks.
1. Stop buying expensive medication TODAY
This simple hack is a money-saving game changer, and will take less than a minute of your time. When buying tablets, many of us assume that own-brand versions won’t work as well as big-name companies, so we favour pricey medication over their cut-price counterparts. But, did you know they could be EXACTLY the same pill!?
So, how can you tell if you’re getting ripped off? The secret is in the PL code on the side of the packet. A PL code is a number unique to a particular drug made by a particular manufacturer. For example, PL 12063/0104 is a cold and flu remedy. If two different brands have the same PL number, they are IDENTICAL products.
Our researcher found Beechams Ultra All In One Hot Lemon Menthol Powder, priced at £4.99, had the same PL number as Wilko’s own Flu Max All In One, priced at just £1.85! That’s a huge £3.14 difference for the same product. Once you learn this hack you’ll never get conned by shiny marketing again.
2. Avoid queues at the till every time, AND save up to 75% on your grocery spend
It’s a great feeling when you find a yellow reduced sticker on some food you were already planning to buy, and manage to get yourself a good saving. But did you know that there’s actually a specific time to visit the supermarket to take advantage of these price reductions?
Most supermarkets start slashing prices mid morning, but the real bargains appear in the evenings- which is also the time the supermarkets are at their quietest- meaning you can bag big savings and have a peaceful food shop! Here’s a handy list that shows you when all the big-name supermarkets put out their biggest price reductions.
Another tip for when you’re doing your ‘big shop; always check the products on the lower and higher shelves. The more expensive products are always at eye level, because the shop wants you to buy those!
3. Save money on your car insurance by changing your job title
Car insurance applications can be a huge pain, and the tiniest thing can effect your premium– even what day of the week you do the quote on! It’s far too time consuming to fill out loads of quotes and changing a detail every time to see what the price comes out at, but luckily MoneySavingExpert have done all the hard work for us.
They discovered that by tweaking your job title to another, similar job title, you can save money on your premium. For example, an ‘illustrator’ receives a cheaper premium than an ‘artist’. It sounds crazy, but it works! Use their calcuator to find out what you could switch your job title to, and how much money you could save.
4. Relieve chronic pain with Acupressure insoles, save hundreds of pounds on treatments
You may think that aching joints, back pain and a stiff neck just come with the territory of getting older. You might think you just have to ‘put up with it’. Well, you’d be wrong! Before giving up, you have to try out these brilliant new insoles, that are only just making their way to the UK market.
Users report an increase in energy, a dramatic decrease in back and neck pain and improved posture. So, what’s the secret? It’s all to do with the specific alignment of the prongs in the insole, which target key acupressure points in the feet. There are also several magnets in the insole, which improve blood flow and relieve everyday stress placed on the body.
These have to be tried to be believed. At less than £30, they’re far less costly than acupuncture, chiropractor’s appointments or anything else you may have considered to get rid of your chronic pain. What have you got to lose? Click here to get yours.
5. Stay out of hot water with a wooden spoon
Whilst you’re cooking dinner, you might find yourself distracted by kids, grandkids, the TV or even the doorbell. By the time you get back to your cooking, your pasta water has boiled over, leaving a big spillage all over the stove top. But, did you know this can be easily avoided by placing a wooden spoon over the top of the pot?
The basics of the science behind is this; bubbles are unstable forms, so when something unable to absorb water (the wooden spoon) punctures the surface of a bubble it subsides, meaning your pot of pasta wont make a mess everywhere anymore, and you can save money on not having to use paper towels to clean up the spillage.
Genius, right!?
6. Never be caught without the right batteries for the remote again
How many times have you gone to turn the TV on, realised the remote has run out of battery, then proceeded to frantically search every drawer in the house for the right size batteries with no luck?
Well, next time you need AA batteries but can only find AAA, do we have the solution for you. All you need to do is create two small wads of tin foil to fill the gap on the negative side, as in the photo. The foil bridges the gap and conducts the electricity from A to B. Sorted!
7. Stop buttons from falling off clothing ever again
There’s a simple trick that will stop you ever having to fiddle with a needle and thread to fasten your buttons back to your clothes again. Just coat the centre of the buttons with a little clear nail varnish. This will secure the threads and keep your buttons on nice and tight. This is especially good for cheaper items of clothing that often have weaker stitching around the buttons!
8. Look after your wallet as well as your health with THIS trick
If you get more that one prescription a month, you could make big savings by switching to a ‘prepayment certificate’. A three-month certificate costs £29.10 and a year’s costs £104, meaning you can get as many prescriptions as you need in a year, for the cost of about one a month.
Another great bonus is that if you’ve already paid for prescriptions before you got the certificate, you can backdate it up to a month, and reclaim the money! This tip is a godsend for those who get regular medication. Click here to learn more.
9. Clear your cache when searching for flights to avoid being ripped off
Unknown to many, airlines and travel website are using your search history against you. If you’re looking to book flights or a holiday, chances are you’ll search a few times before actually purchasing flight tickets, which initially seems like a sensible thing to do. However, thanks to your cache or cookies, airlines known you’re looking for flights, and will actually increase the price of the seats you’re looking at. This means you’ll likely never see the seats as cheap as they were the first time you looked at them.
Thankfully, there is a handy little hack to outsmart the ‘dynamic pricing’ of travel websites, and that’s clearing your cache. This effectively deletes your search, meaning the airlines won’t know you’ve been searching for the flights. Here’s how to clear your cache on any browser.
10. Get some peace and quiet by stopping spam text messages once and for all
Unwanted, dodgy texts are a modern problem, that infuriates all of us. Sometimes, even replying ‘STOP’ doesn’t halt the texts– some of the worst companies may even tell you to reply stop to opt out just because they want you to confirm you’re a real person. In fact, any numbers that are confirmed are likely to be sold onto other companies who will further spam you!
Thankfully, there are 3 steps you can take to stop receiving these messages. Firstly, forward the message to the number 7726, making sure to include the senders number. This reports the number to your network provider. Secondly, you can report the number to the Information Commisioner’s Office, which can fine firms up to £500,000 for spam texts! Finally, block the number, so you don’t receive any calls or texts from then again. Obviously, this isn’t failsafe, as they could use a new number to contact you again, but it should stop them for a while.
