Piggy Bank is a free site dedicated to helping you find ways of saving money and cutting costs. You'll find our site packed full of useful ideas, tips and suggestions on how to save money on a vast range of everyday goods and services including books, clothing, fuel bills, water bills, driving and mobile phones.

Our site is free and easy to use and you do not have to register with us.

Natural air conditioning Some of the worst air quality is to be found in the home. Plants filter out many air impurities and give off oxygen, so why not grow a few indoors? The green spider plant, peace lily and philodendrons are particularly good air filters (source: FoE).

The very best air freshener? Fresh air! Open the window for a while - its free. Air fresheners do not contain fresh air, but many contain toxins.

Fed up with sales calls? Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) 0845 070 0707. It’s free to register and stops unsolicited sales or marketing calls. It is a legal requirement that all organisations (including charities, voluntary organisations and political parties) do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS unless they have your consent to do so.

Get rid of newspaper and magazine subscriptions Are you really reading all those papers? Probably not! Save one or two that you really do read and use the Internet for the rest. It’s free and more up to date.

Did you know? There are many ways to obtain free stuff. For example, many of the large washing and shampoo manufacturers offer freebies from time to time. Try typing in their names in Google and 'free sample'. See our freebies section!

Lift sharing is becoming especially popular with escalating fuel costs and 'two-person only' lanes on major roads. Car-sharing not only reduces carbon dioxide emissions - it is also an excellent way of saving money. Visit our driving section for more ways to save money on motoring.

Buy used cars Always buy used, never new. When you buy a new car you don’t gain much except a nice smell and knowing that you are the first owner. You lose a small fortune as soon as you drive it out of the showroom!

Ride your bike to work, or take public transport. You save on parking and fuel.

Telecommute: Get a job where you can work from home – at least some of the time. You’ll save money on commuting, lunches, and clothes. Plus you won’t have to see your boss every day!

Pause for thought! The four-day rule works. If you are about to buy something which isn't a necessity, and you have a niggling voice somewhere whispering to you, listen to it. Wait four days before you make the purchase. That gives you enough time to compare prices elsewhere, or to come up with an alternative, or even to decide that you didn't need it after all. Don't be careless with spare pennies They clutter up your pockets and purse and often get thrown in a drawer or lost. Try collecting them up in a piggy bank and then when it is full go and exchange them for pounds instead.

 

Savings Rates Barclays offers a number of instant access savings accounts online Make your money work Ensure you get the most out of your savings account so come and have a look at our best savings rates now Fixed Rate Bonds Interested in a guaranteed rate of return on your savings? Why not take a look at one of our Fixed Rate bonds? Regular Savings If you want to put a little away every month take a look at our regular savings accounts

Don’t go shopping just because there is a sale: Do you really need it? Start with the need first, then look for the sale. Not a very British thing to do but negotiate prices: Wherever you can, from large corporations to small businesses. And always be willing to walk away. "Today, there are three kinds of people: the have's, the have-not's, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have's.” - Earl Wilson Did you know? Almost a billion pounds of electricity is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving appliances on standby! Energy saving electrical devices can save you money around the home and office, and also help to reduce carbon emissions. In most cases, the initial cost of the device is recovered in savings within a short timeframe. "A penny saved is a penny earned.” - Benjamin Franklin

 

Save water and cut your water bills Rain water is free! Water butts are inexpensive and gather huge amounts of water for your garden.

Avoid paying full price for cinema tickets Many cinemas offer cheap weekend or daytime prices, and if you know someone with an Orange mobile phone you can get 2-for-1 tickets on Wednesdays.

Remember to take your own sweets and drinks to the cinema to avoid paying their own high prices!

 

Can't find credit or store cards listed on our site? That's because we don't believe in them! Many of these cards charge very high rates of interest. If you do have one of these cards always try to pay it off in full before interest is added. Try leaving your credit card at home when you next go out shopping.

Don’t buy extended warranties: Ever noticed how these warranties usually last the lifetime of the product anyway? “Creditors have better memories than debtors.” - Benjamin Franklin

Write your own Will Wills.org.uk allows you to write your own fully legal Will online without the expense of a solicitor.

There is no such thing as 0% interest! Whenever you see 0% interest advertised, it just means that the cost of the interest is already included in the purchase price. If you are able to pay cash then ask for this money back.

Only withdraw from free ATMs: Don’t use non-network ATMs often found in petrol stations, pubs and newsagents that are miles from anywhere. The charges can be extortionate on small withdrawals! “A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.” - Bob Hope

Have a clear out: Make money by selling all your unwanted gifts, clothes and accessories on eBay. Local newspapers have pages of small ads for items people don't want anymore. It's always worth checking these out before rushing out and buying new.

Say “no” to packaging: Loose fruit and vegetables tend to be cheaper in the stores than when packaged. It is also kinder on the planet if you avoid plastic and unnecessary packaging. Don’t buy fast food: A waste of money for nutrition you don’t get!

Don’t fall for the marketing hype of bottled water brands Britain has some of the cleanest tap water in the world and is perfectly safe to drink. Alternatively filter your own. Bottled water in the UK is ridiculously costly. Discarded plastic bottles are also a landfill nightmare! Drink tap water: Forget juice, pop or soda. Many drinks are filled with sugar or weird artificial sweeteners. Water is cheaper and far healthier. Make your own coffee: If you drink coffee, make your own batch each morning and carry a thermos with you daily. No more Starbucks.

Stay in: Almost every activity at home is less expensive than going out. Its becoming increasing popular to invite friends over and get everyone to bring their own food and drink, with TV programmes even being made on the subject! Everyone will have fun, you will bond, and the cost will be low. If you do go out, try limiting your restaurant dinners to once a month: But make it a nice one and look forward to it!

Old furniture Buying old furniture, and then cleaning, stripping and repairing and polishing it will give you something unique and different. If you buy new furniture at twice the cost you will have something that is pretty ordinary.

If you own a home, plant trees Often overlooked, but in Winter trees can cut down wind and reduce your home's exposure to the elements, thereby saving on heating bills. In Summer they provide shade and help to keep your home cooler. Plus, they look nice and add to the character of your home whilst helping the environment.

“It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.” - George Horace Lorimer

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