www.moneysupermarket.com are asking Bloggers to write about thirty ways to save £1 or more for a competition they are running.

As a generally thrifty person, who loves holidays, in particular, I find saving money where I need to goes towards my passion for travel!

This is my list:-

1.  Do your food shopping online. I find this saves me money as I am not tempted by the bakery products like fresh bread and cake. It is also easier to take account of special offers and 2 for 1's which are all listed in one place. In this day of rising petrol prices, it could be cheaper paying for delivery than driving to your local supermarket too.

2. If you do you food shopping in the local supermarket, check out the bargain section for products that are reduced.

3. Teach yourself sewing and make your own clothes. Although you will have the initial outlay Sewing machines can be bought cheaply these days and before you know it you could be making your own curtains or cushions or clothes for the kids at a fraction of the price. Over time it can save you lots of money.

4.  Use comparison sites like www.moneysupermarket.com ;-) to get the best deals.

5.  Make sure you register for your favourite shop's newsletters. You may get discounts and offers not available to the general public. For example, recently a well know chain of stores was giving out a code for 30 % off all online orders.

6.  Use Freecycle. You can post wanted items, but it works best when you have items to advertise too. 

7. Bulk in bulk. Items such as washing powder are often cheaper in larger quantities and don't go off. 

8. Get a cup from your local coffee shop and refill it with coffee from your house. That walk to work in the morning will be cheaper without the expense.

9. If you are used to a branded food product, try the next one down from it. If you are used to Heinz then try Branston, or if you are used to Branston try a supermarket own brand. I have now persuaded my husband to eat Sainsbury's baked beans from Heinz.

10.  Have a good clear out once every few month, and use sites such as Ebay, Gumtree or local Facebook groups to sell the items you know longer need. Take advantage of free listing days on eBay  to save more. Use eBay auctions for a bargain too!

11. Use your local library rather than buying a book! You can often order titles and If you don't use it, they will disappear.

12.  Organise a clothes swapping party. This works especially well if you work with a number of people. Rather than buy - swap! Saving you loads.

13. If you have loose change in your purse, put it in a jar every few days. It will soon add up and you can use this towards a night out or special treat every few months.

14. Use a slow cooker, the type of long slow cooking means you can use cheaper cuts of meat for a tasty dish.

15. Use your local independent shops to nab a bargain! For example, if you are after a special gift, your local independent jeweller will be happy to negotiate a discount off a piece of jewellery when a chain store will be unlikely to.

16. Make one day a week vegetarian day in your household. Meat can be expensive and as well as saving pennies a meat free day will be good for your health.

17.  Check out your local colleges for cheap or even free haircuts, manicures and pedicures. Beauty students need people to practise on!

18. Make your lunch every day to take to work saving you money on shop bought food.

19. Want to have a dinner party on the cheap? Invite your friends around and ask one to bring the starters, another friend the accompaniments, another friend the desserts and another friend the wine while you cook the main course.

20. Really broke and can't afford a holiday at all? Take advantage of newspaper coupons for stays in holiday parks for as little as £5 per person. 

21. Turn your thermostat down a couple of degrees

22. Check out charity shops. These are especially good for growing children for clothes and for toys that they get tired of quickly. I have found some bargains in my local shops including a maxi dress for £10 when I was going to buy one for £200!

23. If you buy in certain shops consider taking out their own loyalty cards. Ikea gives family card members free tea and coffee and discounts as well as getting points for spends, and Debenhams, Boots and Superdrug have special offers as well as points and many shops do.

24. Have you ever made your own bread, yoghurt, beer or wine? They are all fairly simple to make and will save you money as well as the satisfaction of making it yourself.

25. Use cashback sites such as Quidco to give you money back if you go via their site.

26. Use discount coupons! In America they think nothing of it, check out magazines and newspapers and supermarket own mags for discount vouchers. If you are feeling really tight go through the mags in the Dr's surgery lol. 

27. Money save old style by making your own lip salve, makeup remover, and shampoo. Check out the internet, the local library or eBay for information/books on the subject and save a fortune on shop bought products.

28. For short journeys walk. It will save petrol and money and get you fit.

29.  Consider house swapping sites to save money on a holiday.

30. If travelling to work consider advertising for car shares. This works particularly well if travelling to a local city every day and costs of petrol can be shared.

What ways do you like to save money?

Have you tried Yu! cereals bars and snacks? Yu! the cereal bar company has a scrumptious range of guilt-free snacks to help you keep up with those New Year diet resolutions. 

They have a range of delicious treats made with real fruit and wholesome ingredients, Often 'healthy' cereal bars compromise on taste but not with Yu! What I like about the bars are they have no added sugar or preservatives, too.

I particularly like Yu!’s Just Fruit Chews as they look and taste sweet, but are made with 100% fruit, one of your 5-a-day and less than 90 calories. A great addition to your lunchbox or what about a snack after work? A tasty nutritious snack they can also help with weight loss as part of a calorie controlled diet. What struck me about these (the blueberry ones are particularly nice) is that they remind me of fruit gums, perfect when you want that sweet snack.
If you like the yoghurt coated bars you get in health food shops Yu bars are really delicious. They are packed with 40% fruit and are very tasty. They come in wild berry, cherry, apricot and strawberry flavours and are a good substitute if you are grabbing a quick breakfast on the go.

The yoghurt coated fruit pieces actually contain real fruit and real yoghurt. No imitation anything!  They are available in strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, raisin, blueberry and banana. I think these are a great way to entice your kids to eat fruit and again these contribute towards your Five A Day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Have you read my review of the Roku streaming player? With Roku you can get on demand films and programmes at a fantastic price. A low cost streaming player the Roku LT is priced at only £49.95. The Roku 2 XS priced at £99.95 even has games for you to play!
ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Roku are a company that make award winning streaming players. With Roku you can get on demand films and programmes at a bargain price. A low cost streaming player the Roku LT is priced at only £49.95.

Daxon, the fashion company are running a competition for their VIP Fashion bloggers to come up with an outfit they love and to publish it on their blog. The lucky blogger will win the outfit they suggest. With so many things to choose from, I found it a difficult decision, but these things caught my stylish fashion eye!