How to save money in Scotland

Member since 30 May 2013

PriscillaViP04 July 2017 10:28:08

42358

Hello everyone,

Did you plan your budget before your move to Scotland? If so, how did you go about it?

How do you save money in your day to day life? Do you find there are any areas where you can't cut costs?

Do you have any tips about saving money in Scotland? For example, getting the best deals on accommodation, grocery shopping and dining out, the best value transportation, etc..

Are there any apps or websites that have helped you to save money?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

GuestPoster96 Guest

GuestPoster96Guest10 July 2017 06:50:46

Groceries - shop at Lidl, Aldi, ASDA and Tesco for good value. Sainsbury's not so much. Waitrose and M&S have premium food at premium prices.

General merchandise - Poundstore, Tesco

Online - Amazon UK prime membership for free or cheap fast delivery. EBay. Tesco online. We bought our Christmas tree and decorations at Tesco Online and collected it 2 days later at the nearest Tesco Express next to my bus stop before going home.

Clothing and household items - Primark and TKMaxx are affordable, Debenhams is okay during sales, John Lewis is premium and House of Frasers can be off the charts.

Public transport - buses are cheaper than trains usually, always buy 4 weekly pass as anything less (weekly or daily is much more expensive). Never catch a black cab. Get the number for your local taxi company and save it to your phone. Always catch airport express bus to and from the city then cab it from there. You will save at least 拢20. Remember buses and trains stop running between midnight to 5 am thereabouts so you will be up for cab fare to get home. If you have to work in the city or somewhere that closes after 11pm you might need to deduct cab fare from your wages. Parking in town is not economical except Sundays when it is free.

Lunches - Tesco, Sainsbury's 拢2-拢3 lunch deals. M&S 拢3-拢4. Pub meals 拢5-拢8.

Entertainment - Cineworld Unlimited ticket for movies. Glasgow Live website for specials, free stuff and competitions.聽 Living Social for discounted pre-purchase (like Groupon). Ents24 website and newsletter for music and entertainment what's on - buy tickets in advance to save money and secure your seat. Get yourself a Znetflix account - cheap and lots to watch. TV series especially. Save on movies.

Night out on the town - cheaper Thursday and Friday.聽 Saturday is most expensive. Check out nightly specials like Thursday night Indian at Wetherspoons pubs.

Employee discounts - For example, if you work for a mobile phone company - get huge discounts on your mobile plan for yourself and your family. Insurance company, get huge discounts for home, car, travel insurance discounts.聽 You get the picture.

Manage your cash flow - arrange to pay your Council Taxes monthly (actually over 10 months), electricity and gas quarterly, TV licence monthly.