Archive for June, 2009
Reading – A cheap hobby or an expensive one?
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Reading – a hobby that we can all enjoy pretty much anywhere. Something that lets us indulge in many passions and experiences just by delving into the pages of a book, and we can be swept off to a palace full of dancing or an island with palm trees, or even up amongst the stars. I am an avid reader, I have a wall of books at home in my study, and you know I once sat and worked out how much my reading habit would cost me if I bought all the books I read new – trust me, it was an absolute fortune!
I’m lucky though, I have an excellent library here in Milton Keynes where I can borrow books for free, and even CD’s and films as well. There are various other ways you can read cheaply too though. For example, you could raid your friends bookcases and swap books with them. Or there are many charity shops which will sell you second hand books for anything from 10p each up to around half the price you’d pay new. (I was lucky enough to find the latest book by my favourite author in my local charity shop a few months ago – and it only cost me 50p too!), if you’re lucky you might even find you have a second hand book shop in your area – I have one near me called Daeron’s Books which specialises in second hand sci-fi and fantasy books.
If you were feeling really adventurous, you could host a book swapping party. Invite a few friends or even a lot of friends, have a drink and discuss your favourite books and swap with other people. It makes for a different and fun evening.
There are also websites for swapping books such as readitswapit.co.uk where you can choose who to swap with by looking through what they have and what they want. These can be great if your bookshelves are overflowing a bit too.
Tags: books, charity shop, money savings, reading, second hand book
Posted in Savings | 3 Comments »
Save Money While You Work
Monday, June 1st, 2009
So many of us go out to work to earn money, and we spend a lot of time at work as well as getting there and back. We think of the time we spend at work as where we’re earning money, but if you’re clever, you can make that time a time when you are saving money too.
Think about what you eat when you’re at work, and instead of buying food from the store there, or eating in a local pub or restaurant, try buying some extra bits when you go shopping and taking a packed lunch with you – it doesn’t have to add to the time you spend getting ready each day as you can always make up 5 days worth of sandwiches and freeze them ready to grab in the morning. If you prefer, you could invest in a few Tupperware containers and take yourself along a nice fresh salad or if your work provides a microwave that you can use, then there are many things from flavoured rice to ready meals that you can take along to eat for lunch often at a fraction of the cost of buying lunch at or near work each day. You could even take your lunch out and get a breath of fresh air at a local park and watch the birds or squirrels while you do so.
Clothes for work can cost a fortune, especially for women as men often just wear a shirt and black trousers. Well women, don’t forget you could just do similar, invest in a couple of decent skirts or pairs of trousers in black, and then dress them differently each day with a variety of differently coloured blouses and scarves. Your look will stay fresh, and your pocket won’t be as empty as it would if you went for full outfits each time. Sites like undertenpounds.com are well worth keeping an eye on too as they often have special offers of items which can save you money (for example, I once bought a ¾ length leather coat from this site for £9.99!)
The cost of getting to and from work each day is for many people the largest cost of the working week. So why not send out an e-mail to all your colleagues and see if anyone would like to car share. The cost of transport can be cut right down this way as there is only one car to fuel up and one to park instead of 2, 3 or even 4. You can then take it in turns to do the driving as well.
Tags: eating out, packed lunch, save money, shopping, work
Posted in Savings | 1 Comment »