10 Great Ways to Save Money and Have Fun

These days, we all need to save a litle extra cash. In fact, we have already talked about how LED light bulbs can save you money on your energy bills here. But we don’t want to give up all the fun things we love to do. But there are lots of ways to keep in line with your budget without compromising too much. Here are just ten ways to do it.

Go to a local culinary school for a meal out

You know that you can go to a beauty school to get discounts on haircuts and massages, but did you know you can basically do the same thing for food? There are culinary schools all over the UK, and they need their students to cook for real people. But because the students are learning, they offer patrons a big discount.

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Organise a clothes and accessories swap with your friends

If you and your friends are tired of your own clothes but can’t afford to go shopping, you should organise a clothes swap. Everyone brings the clothes and accessories they don’t want any more, and they take home each other’s cast offs. Add some cheap white wine and some nibbles, and you’ve got all the makings for a fun party.

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Find something new to eat with the ingredients you already have

When you’re on a budget, you can get stuck in a food rut, and there is little more boring than eating the same thing day after day. If you want to try something new and save money, use an app like AlltheCooks (for Android phones) or check out the SuperCook website. With these tools, you can say what you have in your friedge and pantry, and they can recommend recipes based on what you already have. You get to waste less food and try new things. Perfect!

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Have a cheap family day out

This tip is something you can do any time, regardless of your budget. Simply take advantage of the free events in your area, or go hiking. Save even more by taking your lunch, drinks and snacks with you. You’ll have fun and keep the costs down.

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Plan a special night in

We all know about having a special night out: you go to a fancy, candlelit dinner, then maybe catch a film or a show and finish off the night with a couple drinks. But you can do pretty much the same thing at home, but for a lot less. Cook a really nice meal, and light a few candles. Pop in a nice DVD, and make some cocktails. You’ll save tonnes of money and have all of the fun of a special night out.

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Get a whole bunch of cardboard and let your kids go wild

You know how you can buy a nice toy, but your kids are more interested in the box it came in? Well, if they are still young enough, just cut to the chase. Get a whole bunch of cardboard boxes. You can buy them for cheap online, or you can sometimes ask shops for their old boxes and get them for free. Then pull out some markers and scissors (you may need to do the cutting yourself), and get them to make whatever comes to mind. They’ll have hours of fun and may even make a new toy, all for next to nothing.

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Make your own sugar scrub for a relaxing treat

If you love to pamper yourself, you need to make your own sugar scrub. First, get a nice jar to put everything in. Then, put in about three parts sugar and one part vegetable oil (add more sugar if you prefer). Add a few drops of vanilla essence, rose water or, if you have them, essential oils to make it smell lovely. Then hop in the bath, and scrub away those money worries with your practically free scrub.

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Snack before you go out to eat

If you do want to meet up with people for dinner, you can always save money by having a snack before you go. Then you can just have an appetiser for your meal, which can cost half as much as a main course.

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Buy tickets at a venue’s box office to avoid fees

When you buy online, you can get hit with a lot of charges: credit card fees, processing fees, convenience fees and more. If you go to a venue’s box office to buy tickets, you will have to take time out of your day and actually go to the venue, which is massively inconvenient. But it will save you lots of money on fees.

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Go online and get some restaurant vouchers

This isn’t the most secret of tips, but it is always worth repeating. Since websites like Wowcher and Groupon have been around, we all know that we can save money on all sorts of things. And they may well have a voucher for money off at the restaurant you want to go to. But it’s worth checking around to find a good deal on a restaurant meal.

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These are just 10 ways you can save money and still have fun. What are your best money-saving tips?