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MONEY SAVING EXPERT MARTIN LEWIS GIVES US HIS TOP 10 TIPS TO MAKE YOUR POUNDS STRETCH FURTHER

 

De-clutter & flog

It's time to rifle through cupboards, drawers, boxes and the attic to de-junk and make some dosh. The obvious place to sell is online auction house eBay but there are other options too, such as a car-boot sale. Serious de-cluttering could easily get you £100s on the side, plus you have the pleasure of a tidier home.

Get stuff for free

Starve off a shopping spree this summer by browsing freecylcle.org, where it's all about re-using and keeping the good stuff out of landfills, and you might find yourself picking something up without spending a penny.

Slash the cost of petrol

A nifty website called petrolprices.com is a simple and free way to find the cheapest filling station in your area. Keeping your tyres at the right pressure and turning off air conditioning will have a positive effect too.

Shrink food costs

Website mysupermarket.co.uk compares the prices of the big four supermarkets and tells you which is the cheapest to buy your specific shopping from.

Save ££ while you lose lbs

If you signed up to the gym as a new year's resolution, by now you've probably stopped going but are still paying the monthly costs. If you're not tied into a contract, either ditch it completely or opt for heavily subsidised membership instead via an insurance loophole.

Pay off cards

If you can afford to pay off a credit card in full, do, and there's no interest. If you don't pay it off in full, even if you're only a penny short, you'll pay interest on the entire amount.

Focus on repayments

List your debts, and then throw every spare penny at paying off the loan with the highest interest rates. Make just the minimum repayments on every other loan. Then, when the most expensive is clear, shift to the second most expensive.

Earn while you surf

The net has a wealth of ways to make money, from being paid to do surveys to 'cashback sites'.
Instead of going direct to a retailer's website, click through via a cashback site and it'll give you a small proportion (usually around 2% but up to 10%) of what you spend back in cash.

Boost your income

Recycle old mobiles for cash. If you're one of millions with an old unused mobile phone gathering dust, several companies will happily take the relegated handset from you. It could bag you as much as £150 for a really top notch phone.

Rent a parking space

If you have an unused driveway, or even extra space on it, and live in an area that's usually expensive to park in, you could easily earn £100s by renting it out on a monthly basis. A nice little earner if you can tick all the right boxes. Check out yourparkingspace.co.uk or parklet.co.uk for more information.

 

Photography: Wenn