Pennies for thought

Now I know I have already recommended rechargeable batteries in another post but in some cases it makes sense to just buy regular batteries online.

Batteries come in all shapes and sizes and your battery charger will only cover the main types. You could buy chargers for each type but these are specialist batteries that we probably only use for cameras, door bells and torches etc.

You can buy all of these types in high street shops but they cost around £5 each, which leaves you thinking – is it worth it? Don’t waste your money, just go online and you can get them for half the price on eBay. Just note down the battery type from the side of the battery and search or it, simple as that!

So long as they aren’t about to expire and the seller is established with good feedback then you can’t go wrong. You will save more for buying bigger packs but you can save a few pounds even just buying one.

123 battery type (Energizer lithium)
High street price Maplin £6.99 Wilkinson £3.50
eBay price £1.60 (inc free postage)

A good way to save a few pounds here and there.

eBay is a great way to buy things online cheaply but as of late it has become so populated that is now cheaper to by things through the local ads again.

On eBay you are given the choice to search by distance using your postcode and you have the option of how far you want to go to collect. Using this system not only cuts out postage but cuts out a massive number of potential bidders that will be interested in the item.

I personally have collected a good amount of household items very cheaply through this system and would recommend it highly. So long as you have a car and are checking the seller’s feedback then there is not much that can go wrong.

Sellers prefer this method of purchase because in most cases they are not paying any percentage to Paypal and have the money instantly. So check it out, the prices are like using eBay in its early years which were much more appealing.

There are now more accessable ways of getting free Wi-Fi than taking your iMac to your local Starbucks.

There are numerous Wi-Fi hotspot apps flooding the Internet which use GPS and a hotspot database to locate your nearest free Internet point.

This is great if you want to download a large file of just have a stable connection for a Skype chat. Also if you are a SmartPhone user and pay just to access emails here and there then you could eliminate that cost entirely.

They are handy free apps and who knows – it could save you a few quid.

Refurbished stock is not always broken and damaged stock like some people may think. It can be anything from a damaged box to a wrong order sent out to another customer.

Many big companies openly offer their products from resale as refurbs at a reduced price with the same garantee. If there is damage to the product it will still be working and also specified that it has a scratch or fire damage etc.

A refurbished product is always thoroughly tested and repackaged so I would not recommend them for presents. But if you are buying for yourself then 9 times out of 10 the box goes straight in the bin anyway.

The product is up to the standard of the original and you will be told about any cosmetic damage (if any) so why not save a few pounds. Many sites like the Apple Store have a whole section dedicated to refurbished stock but this is not always the case. You stand to find the best deals by typing what you want in to a sites search bar and then typing ‘refurb’ or just ‘refurb’. This will usually bring you up a list of the refurbished stock on offer.

Most items will be high-end electronics and the things that are worth repairing and reselling. You stand to save a substantial percentage of the original cost so why not give it a go and save some money.

Surround sound is the best way to get the most from films, games and music but is expensive and cumbersome.

Although we are all generally tired, bloated and a little hungover by the time Boxing Day rolls round it is worthwhile hitting the shops.

Almost all stores have Boxing Day sales to bring in customers to spend all their Christmas money there. Lots of products are greatly reduced but there is always a main deal to bring people in to the stores, in the case of electronics this will usually be televisions.

Televisions are the main product worth buying in Boxing Day sales as they are genuinely reduced substancially in price. TVs hold their price well, because once a standard is introduced they are only ever slightly modified from model to model.

Once you buy one it will last you years so long as you pick a good brand and all the features you need. I can recommend Samsung, Sony and if you are looking to spend little less then LG sell reliable and good quality products.

Go for an LCD over a Plasma TV as companies are slowly discontinuing Plasma lines. Although Plasma screens can often look better, the price jump is certainly not justified with the recent quality of LCD and this is starting to show.

3D television is our next big jump but the things to look our for on the current LCD standard apart from picture are multiple Scart inputs, VGA input and speaker quality. Multiple Scart inputs will allow you to plug all your equipment in and not have to constantly unplug things behind the unit. VGA will allow you to connect from any computer or laptop to watch your pictures, video or digital films  on the big screen. Speakers can be tinny and meak on some LCD TVs and buying additional speakers is often an expensive business (see ‘budget soundbars over surround sound’).

You are likely to save up to a few hundred pounds by waiting until Boxing Day sobe patient and in the meantime just keep your eye out for roughly what you want.

Broken and scratched discs have always been common occurrence since the very beginning. There are many ways to go about repairing a damaged disc so always start with the least drastic!

The first step to take is to hold your disc up to the light and see if the damage is visible.

If there is nothing to obvious then the disc may just need a good clean. Find a soft glasses cloth or equivalent and buff the surface from the centre of the disc to the outside all the way round. Do not just smear the cloth round the disc in a circular motion as this will more than likely make it worse.

If that doesn’t work then you will need to fill the scratches on the disc. There are many products you can buy for this use from manual to electric cleaners. Most of the time a little CD repair fluid (costs around £5) will do the trick by covering the affected areas and buffing them – repeating until the scratches are filled.

This can also be done with household products such as wax and even toothpaste if you didn’t want to spend out on the repair liquid. I wouldn’t recommend this if the disc was particularly important though as this is a temperamental method and is not foolproof.

So there you have some options on fixing your broken discs for very little money.

When it comes to taking care of DVDs we are quite often a bit slack and they end up on the floor, in the wrong cases and getting scratched. If you yourself are not they I can guarantee you have a friend or housemate who is when you lend them out.

A good way to backup DVDs we love and don’t want to have to buy again is to create a digital copy using Handbrake. Handbrake is a free and simple-to-use DVD ripper for PC, Mac and Linux that allows you to easily create digital backups.

This method must only be used on products you own or are not copyrighted as it is illegal to use in any other circumstance.  Sharing backed up files over the Internet is also illegal in the case of copyrighted materials.

The back ups can be watched on your computer and used as you like from there. You can put them back on to discs or just transfer them on removable media depending on your viewing setup.

So there you go, don’t waste money on the same DVDs over and over just take more care of them and back them up!

If the disc you want is already scratched then check out the ‘repairing broken DVD’s and CD’s‘ post.

This will not be a preachy post about giving up smoking, more of a realistic evaluation of how much you spend. I was a smoker for 10 years going from pre-rolled to rollies and then eventually phasing them out completely (for now).

There is the ongoing debate of what is healthier to smoke, rollies or pre-rolled cigarettes – the answer of course is neither. But there are factors to take in to consideration like how many you smoke, how much of each one you smoke and what strength of tobacco is in each one.

Pre-rolled cigarettes have chemicals in the papers that keep them alight while you are not smoking them. They are also a set size so you will generally smoke to the trade line unless you are rushed. An advantage is that you have a lot of choice over brands and strengths over the counter.

Roll ups are slightly cleaner than pre-rolled cigarettes but you will find that you smoke them much more intensely and this is often visibly apparent in the filter. Having to make them can cause you to smoke less rather than just picking one out of the packet. The tobacco in rolling cigarettes is generally strong but you can make them to the size you wish to satisfy your craving.

You could go on forever with arguments either way and never get anywhere but lets say you smoke around 20 a day. That would generally work out to around £5 for a pack of pre-rolled cigarettes and around £2.50 for 12.5g of tobacco.

Lets just meet at £4 a day and that works out to around £1460, of course this based on buying small quantities. Buying 200 (20 x 20) packs or 10 packs of 50g bags will work out cheaper but you will still be spending over £1000 a year which is worth considering cutting down for.

We often smoke because we have nothing to do or are restless so why not try cutting down and using the money you start to save on something to occupy your attention and time.

Many companies find that a good way to drum up business cheaply is to offer online vouchers. These are great for online shopping but also if you are not an online shopper then in most cases you can obtain printable equivalents.

Most printable vouchers are usually for money off at certain restaurants, travel services and sometimes clothes. These can come in really handy when you are having a hard month for money but still want to take your partner out for a nice meal.

You can check out a good selection of vouchers at myvouchercodes, there are also many other sites out there that do the same thing. Well worth a look if you are looking to get out the house and not spent too much money.