Living for less is something we all want to do. Here are a few tips for cutting down on bills and perhaps even making some money.
Get rid of unwanted items
There are people and companies all over the Internet who will pay for your unwanted items. These might be old mobile phones, broken computers, clothes, shoes, games or furniture. New phones get the most money, that’s if you can bear to sell your iPhone 5.
Even if you have items that aren’t really worth much but are quite big, it can often be cheaper to have someone buy them for pennies and collect them from you than it would be to transport them to the tip.
Switch energy providers
You may be paying over the odds for your energy. Look into switching to a provider who might give you a better deal.
Make your own electricity
Although there may be a large initial payment, wind and solar energy can help you to save money on bills. It may take 5-10 years to recoup your initial investment but after that renewable energy seems like the sensible idea.
Not only will your electricity bills be covered but you can sell any extra back to the national grid. This means that you could be making money on electricity rather than spending it.
Rent out a room
If you have an unused room in your house, and wouldn’t mind some company, think about renting that room out. You could make a fair sum of money on a monthly basis. Don’t forget that the person you are renting to will also want use of areas like the living room, dining room and garden so make sure you don’t mind sharing those spaces too.
If you don’t want someone in your house long term, you can offer short term rents to people who might be staying in your town for an event or to see friends. This is a way to get more money for the time your house is occupied by someone else as short term rates are higher.
Sell a parking space
If you have a large drive or a parking space you don’t use, you can rent it to people. There are plenty of websites out there that can facilitate this.
This is a good money maker if you live near a stadium or somewhere else that is in great demand for parking when there’s an event on. Your parking space could also be quite valuable if you live in a city or town centre as commuters would be willing to pay on a weekly or monthly rate for this.
Grow your own
Growing your own fruit and veg can really cut down on supermarket bills and if you have too much food to eat you can either sell it to friends and family or have a small stall outside your house.
Recycle
Although it won’t make you a huge amount of money, you can recycle old items or give them to family members. Often a lot cheaper than driving to the tip to put something in landfill. Some items will make money, look into how to recycle mobile phones.
