Money saving on days out, supermarket shop and bag free birthday treats

Five money savers: From making £170 switching current account to 2-4-1 entry at hundreds of beautiful gardens across Britain

  • Each Friday we round-up five tips to saving or making money 
  • Cost of living crunch is biting hard – there are ways to potentially navigate it 
  • This week it features free switching cash and a £7.50 mag that unlocks savings 

The cost of living squeeze is biting hard. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t simple tips and tricks to help navigate your way around it.

Each Friday, we round-up five tips we think are worth noting that can go a little way to helping you save money, or make money in the midst of sky-high inflation and rocketing bills.

This week, it features free cash for switching current account, clearing out your clutter for cash and buying a magazine which could unlock huge discounts for fun days out.

Cheaper entry: The Gardener’s World magazine is £7.50 but comes with a 2-4-1 card at hundreds of gardens, including Kew

1. HSBC offering £170 to switch

The current account switching battle continues, and HSBC is now offering £170 if you use the Current Account Switching Service to open an advance or premier account.

I have used this service in the past and found it a breeze. If something does go wrong, the bank has to sort it or compensate you.  

This newly launched offer is now the best pure cash deal out there. You’ll need to set up two direct debits/standing orders, deposit £1,500 within 30 days, make sure you haven’t opened an HSBC/First Direct account since 2019 and if eligible, you’ll get the cash within 20 days.

2. A £7.50 magazine unlocks big savings

Once again this year, I have bought the Gardener’s World magazine for £7.50. 

It offers 2-4-1 entry at nearly 400 gardens around Britain until April 2023, including many household names such as Kew, Leeds Castle and Warwick Castle.

For example, two adult tickets at Leeds Castle would usually cost £64. With this deal, it brings down the cost to £32, more than paying for the outlay of the magazine (which also comes with six packets of seeds).  

It comes with a little membership card and a guide with a handy map of all of the spots you can get discounts. My wife, daughter and I will visit at least six of these in the next 11 months – and it will likely save us £50 or more.

3. Sell your stuff

Got a handy tip?

Have you spotted a good deal that could help our readers save cash?

Email with ‘money tips’ in the subject line: editor@thisismoney.co.uk 

I’m a big fan of decluttering the house, but making sure items are sold on when possible or at the very least donated. 

I like Facebook Marketplace as it’s free and easy. In the last 12 months I have sold £100s of second hand items on it, especially with an ever-growing toddler.

Here are some of my tricks to using it: 

Make it part of your day (as in, only agree to a sale if you’re definitely going to be at home – not waiting around), take good photographs, put the sale money into a separate bank or savings account, build contacts at the doorstep, have a cardboard box full of items you’re selling to keep on top of it and remember, things you don’t think will sell, often do (if you price realistically). 

4. Bargain supermarket goods

App Too Good to Go can bag you a tidy pile of food for a few quid – perfect if you have space in the freezer, with quite a bit of the produce being close to expiry or you are good at creative batch cooking (which handily I am with my arsenal of herbs and spices at the ready).

I’ve tried this app out a few times and here’s what was in my latest £3 haul: Eight sausages, double Gloucester cheese, diced chicken breast, wholemeal pittas, a yoghurt drink, a raspberry and chia seed yoghurt, tangerines, ham and spinach.

I calculated it to be around £15 worth of food. All of it edible, all of it eaten and I quite like the mystery bag element.

Freebies: There are many free birthday treats to be had if you download a rewards app, including a cake slice from Costa

Freebies: There are many free birthday treats to be had if you download a rewards app, including a cake slice from Costa

5. Free birthday goods

This week marks my birthday and with it the opportunity to bag free goodies from a variety of shops if you download their reward apps – well, when I say free, you’ll have to give up some of your personal information.

If you’re happy to do that, you can nab a free cookie from Lidl, cake slice from Costa, sweet treat from Greggs, free doughnut from Krispie Kreme and a no-nonsense £5 voucher for Hotel Chocolat. 

I wouldn’t recommend eating them all in one sitting, however.

*All deals live and working on Friday 13 May 2022



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