ISA Deadline: a last minute guide to ISAs

The tax year is almost at a close (5th April is the D-Day). If you haven't already opened a ISA now is the time to do so!! (We're serious make the most on the next month to get your tax free savings in tip-top shape).

Here's our last minute guide to all things ISA

Total allowance for adults £20,000 this can be distributed across cash, stocks and shares and innovative finance ISAs.

ISAs are tax free savings accounts, this means you pay no income or Capital Gains Tax on the money invested. Each year you have an allowance which allows a contribution of this much per year (the amount you contribute is the same, regardless of whether or not you make any withdrawals).

Cash ISAs

• Includes Help2Buy and some lifetime ISAs
• Money is held as cash in an account like a usual savings account
• Can come in easy access or tied-up (fixed) accounts. 
• Various interest rates but all are quite low at the moment. 

At this stage we would not encourage you to open a Help 2 Buy because it is based on regular monthly contributions and so you can't put in a last minute bulk of money.

Why choose a Lifetime ISA?

Lifetime ISAs are good for those who:

• Don't necessarily want to save on a regular basis
• Want to save more than £200 per month (or £2400 per year)
• Willing to save £4000 or less in the ISA
• Haven't contributed to another cash Isa this tax year
• Are looking to save for a house (N.B they can be used for a retirement but we'll share in another post why this is a BAD idea). 
• looking to buy a house anywhere in the UK up to £450,000
• are a first time buyer
• want to take advantage of some awesome government bonus

In fact we wrote a whole post about whether or not a Lifetime ISA is for you. 

For those looking to buy in the next 5 years or so a cash version is buy far the best option due to the fact that investment in stocks and shares should always form part of the long-term investment aspect of your portfolio. 

Currently Skipton are the only provider offering the cash version and it seems exceptionally unlikely that any of the big banks are going to open in time for the end of the tax year. It is offered with a 0.75% interest rate. Whilst considerably less than the Help-2-buy ISA is worth it due to the increased potential bonus (in our opinion). As always the Skipton ISA is covered by the FSCS scheme which means your money is protected in the case the bank goes into liquidation (this is not the case for the stocks and shares lifetime ISA and thus your capital is always at risk). 

We have tested out the Skipton account for ourselves and have been really impressed by the quality of customer service. The only downside we have found is the potential for branches to be quite sparse depending on where you live (here in Brighton our nearest branch is almost an hour away). However, you should be able most of the banking online. 

Best Cash ISA Rates

• Best fixed ISA - Paragon 5 years 1.9%
• Best "easy access" ISA- Nationwide 1.4% (but only allowed one withdrawal a year) 
• Best easy access ISA- Virgin 1.16%

Junior ISA

These replace the old style child-trust funds and allow for tax free savings of up to £4128 per year per child. You might think "but my child doesn't earn enough to pay tax" and you'd probably be right but when your child turns 18 any money in the junior ISA gets transferred into an adult ISA. This means if you saved at the current allowance at the best rate available (see below) your child at age 18 could have over £100,000 in savings !!

Currently Coventry Building Society has the best rate at 3.5% interest for a cash ISA (junior ISAs can also be stocks and shares). 

Stocks and Shares/ Innovative finance ISAs

• These ISAs have the potential for much greater returns that the current low rates available for cash ISAs.
• However, they are also associated with much higher levels of risk.
• Making an last-minute rushed investment decision is not a good idea and we would therefore no recommend at this stage of the tax year opening up one of these ISAs 
• You are much better off putting the money in an easy-access cash ISA and transferring it at a later date once you are clear what your risk appetite and investment goals are. 

Our biggest tip is don't delay, all financial providers are very busy at the moment and things make take longer than usual. 

Creating a super savings plan

If as Dave Ramsey says "personal finance is 80% behaviour" then changing that behaviour is central to your success. Creating a super savings plan will provide you with the tools you need to achieve your financial goals. 

First of what is a savings/plan goal?
While your budget takes care of your monthly expenses a savings plan take a more long term view, whilst it is connected to how you budget it is essentially deicing how much you are going to set aside, to save for a specific purpose. 

How to create a successful savings plan?

Budget Mastery
Central to saving success is having control on your budget. If you are not already doing so, taking the time each and every month to go over the previous months spending, looking at where change can be made, and praising yourself for your successes, before moving on to making a plan for the coming month. Once you have managed to wrestle your budget under control you will be in a better position to see how much money you actually have available each and every month to contribute to your savings plan. 

You might find that you are budgeting, but yet there is not money spare to contribute to savings. There are two ways to tackle this, either by reducing expenditure or increasing your income (or a combination of both). By having a solid grasp of your budget you will be able to easily identify where you are spending your money, and in turn where you can make cutbacks. 

Earn More, Spend Less
There will be expenses, essentials which it will not be possible to cut down spending. It is worthwhile separating expenses into two categories, essential and non-essential. Then rank those non-essentials in order of importance. Know you know which of your non-essential expenses is least important to you, this is where you will start making cutbacks, progressively working up the list of importance until you are able to cut back the amount you want to contribute to your savings goal. 

The alternative is to increase you income, there are lots of ways to add additional income beyond simply picking up as second job , we have plenty of them on our site that work around busy schedules so be sure to check out all your options. 

Goal Setting 
Setting goals is very important but setting goals in the right manner is the key to achieving them. You might remember as a child SMART goals, a principle of goal setting that increases you success rate. 

This means that these goals must be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time 

An example could be "I am going to save £50 a month, towards my car maintenance sinking fund, for 12 months". 

Lets break down this goal
- It is specific, it is for the purpose of a sinking fund. We know where the money is going and what it will be used for. 
- It is measurable by the set amount each month, rather than "I'll just save a bit each month".
- It is attainable because it is not a huge amount to contribute each month, though of course, this should assessed in light of your budget. 
- It is relevant to the needs of car ownership.
- It is time specific, only for the duration of 12 months. 

Accountability 
Now you've determined your SMART savings goal, it is important to write out your plan for success. Maybe even consider filling out a chart where you colour in as you make progress such as these ones.  Share your goals with others for added accountability. 

What are your savings goals at the moment? 

Hiring a car with a debit card

Here at Saving Scotts were big advocates of living a debt free lifestyle. When we paid of the credit card for good almost two years ago, we also decided to cut up the card and enjoy life without that temptation.

Whilst using a credit card wisely, paying it off every month, is great for building a credit score for a mortgage. We knew as Chris was only just starting university at this point that would be a while away. We instead decided we would get a card after I finish my masters (and start full-time employment or a funded PhD). So until then we live debit only (or cash). 

Up until a couple of months ago, we have had no issues living debit only. We have been travelling, hired cars abroad, even paid £1000s in tuition for my masters. However, hiring a car in the UK saw us run into a bit of challenge, credit card requirements, in the name of the driver. As far as we understand the desire for hire companies to have a credit (rather than debit) stems from the fact that if you cause damage or steal the car they can charge it to the credit card (also it is easier to put money on hold for the deposit). 

It took some time but we finally found some car hire companies that allow you to pay on the debit card only. Many will require a refundable deposit (similar to the holding fee on a credit card) so be prepared to put some money aside, and contact the hire company if you are not sure how much you need to put aside.


Whilst they may not be the cheapest companies out there, it is worth shopping around between those who allow debit cards to find the best option for your needs. None of them accept pre-paid debit cards or international debit cards, so you will have to look for an alternative solution if that affects you.

Sixt
Allow hire on a UK debit card (in the driver's name) with a £250 deposit + the cost of the hire. This means if you pay for the cost of the hire upfront (which is always the cheapest option), you only need to set aside £250 for the deposit. See link to further info

Enterprise
Allow debit card only hire but it is a bit more of a tricky process.
They too require a deposit between £200 and £400 and this must be made on a card in the drivers name. 
They also require additional security checks when you pay by debit card. This is what enterprise had to say about the checks when we enquired. 

If the driver choses to use a Debit card in their name then we do perform an additional security check as we deem this payment method a less secure method than a Credit card. This check that is performed to every Debit card paying customer across the UK checks the person, their personal details against their address. It is checking if they have 3 connections to that address. By connections it checks electoral register, mortgage payments, utility bill payments & other payments in their name at that address. To qualify to rent with ourselves that renter must have at least 3 connections as described above to that address. If this is not the case and they cannot pay on a Credit card then unfortunately we are unable to rent to that individual. This is done as an insurance underwriting tool to securely protect our asset.


EasiRent
Easement require a return ticket and a priced deposit (may vary at location but around the £200 mark, worth checking with them before booking). They do require you to take the full-comp coverage if you are paying on debit only so you won't be able to get the cheapest prices available on their site. But they are still pretty competitive, but their customer service can be less than satisfactory. 

Have you hired a car using a debit card only? Who did you hire with? 


*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich.*

10 Common expenses to stop spending money on.

It's all to easy to find lots of little expenses slipping their way into your life. But when money is tight, and you want to make your budget go as far as possible it is worthwhile reassessing all your expenses. So many costs (that very quickly add up) can find their way into your budget and they are not really that essential - though sometimes we might see them more as 'needs' rather than 'wants'. These are 10 common expense that you should stop spending money on - and trust us your budget will thank you for it.  This list is especially aimed at you, millennials and students, who are finding things tight. You might just find eliminating these expenses help you bring that little extra leeway in the your budget you've been needing to achieve your financial goals.

1. Cable TV / Sky - It has become so commonplace to have to get crazy expensive TV packages (we're talking £50+ per month). By cutting out the cable you will find you have more time - it seriously does great things for friendships and relationships because as a society we have become far too addicted to spending time around a TV. You could see yourself saving £600+ a month with one simple change. If your not quite ready to give up all TV have a look at Freesat TVs or Amazon Prime (remember you can get 6 months free as a student) as some great budget friendly alternatives (we have a whole post on watching TV for free). 
2. Tumble Dryers - They're expensive to buy, and even more expensive to run (and lets not forget the cost it has on the environment). You will find your electricity bill significantly reduced when you stop using your tumble dryer. Over the past three years I have not used a tumble dryer once. Instead I make great use of drying racks (and if the weather is good our washing line). 
3. Haircuts - Going to the hairdressers is expensive. Whilst using discounts such as students discount can help mitigate the cost, they can eradicate it completely. You can pick up a hairdressing scissors kit found around the same price as a man's haircut, meaning you have made your money in on go. Though we must admit the task is quite a bit easier if you have someone else to help you cut your hair. Whilst we figure this tip is probably easier for guys, some girls may also find trimming their own hair a great alternative (and at home hair dying kits cost a fraction of a salon colouring treatment). 
4. Bottled water-  While there clearly are some countries in the world where bottled water is an essential, in most developed countries this simply is not the case. If you are buying bottled water for the convenience, then consider getting some reusable bottles, filling them up and storing them in the fridge is for you. If you are concerned about water quality then getting a water filter system will work out cheating in the long run rather than using bottled water and it reduces the use of unnecessary plastics (though you might want to asses whether you really need it). 
5. Gym membership - Whilst you might find the gym on campus is slightly cheaper than others, it is still an unnecessarily expensive way of getting fit. Outdoor gyms are popping up all over the place, they are free and have much of the traditional equipment, but instead of the fancy electronic versions in the gym they are outdoor friendly ones instead. These gyms are free to use, and you might even find some fun, free activities/classes being run there too. Another great option for working out for free it to grab yourself one of the hundreds of free fitness apps available - from walking to yoga you are sure to find something to suit your interests and abilities. 
6. Pharmaceuticals - I'm not saying don't my the medication you need, but next time you buy paracetamol do you really need to spend 10x as much on some fancy brand name version compared to the ultra cheap generic version (which are for all intents and purposes the same product). Sexual health products are also often available for free on university campuses and at sexual health clinics (because condoms can be expensive - though definitely cheaper than a kid). 
7. Tampons/Sanitary towels - In a woman lifetime she can spend a small fortune of feminine products (and make a significant contribution to a landfill). Menstrual cups are eco-friendly, reusable and for only £20 super economical. Some universities even offer free sanitary products, the uni Chris goes to offers free moon cups, towels and tampons every Wednesday so you need not ever go without. 
8. Stationery - I cannot count how much free stationary we have collected over the years. At careers fairs, at the library, at random stalls in town we are always sure to collect some freebies stationery to add to our stash. From pens, to highlighters to post-it notes we've collected it all. When your a full time student it really does add up. 
9. Printing - As a student printing can cost a small fortune, whilst getting refillable ink cartridges can really help save, there is an alternative that can be free. Many universities are starting to have printers with Aiwip which allows you to print for free and in return you have a small banner of adverts at the bottom of your work. 
10. Household utensils - At the end of the academic year you might wonder what your school does with all the stuff that is left behind. Often the items that are in good condition are given away for free at the students union. This is an awesome way to pick up a kitchens worth of goods for nothing. 

How could making these simple changes help you achieve your financial goals?

How to save money on a road trip

Summer is not long off now, like many students Chris and I are off on a road-trip for a post exam treat. This year we are off to Scotland and are super excited to visit as much as possible.

Planning this trip got us thinking about how easy it is for road trip expenses to spiral out of control. It also got us thinking about what we learnt from our road trip to the USA in 2015.

Make a plan (and stick to it)
Having a rough outline of your journey will help you in finding great accommodation deals. Whilst spontaneous trips are awesome, last minute flights, hotels and car hire can get quite pricey. So it definitely pays to plan.

It is also a good idea to plan out your time and think about what attractions you want to visit, this allows you to fit more into your time and take advantage of any discounts or coupons you can find.

Compare fly/driving to direct driving 
Depending on where you are going, fly/drive might be the only feasible option. But if you have the option of either it is worth figuring out if it works out cheaper, fuel can be pretty expensive so if you car is a bit of a gas guzzler you may well find flying and hiring a cheap (efficient car) the better option. Catching the train or coach for part of the longest leg of the journey and hiring a car at the other end can big bucks. MegaBus  have journeys from as little as £1 and they offer journey across Europe, the USA and Canada. Or you might want to consider interrailing as an alternative especially if you are traveling around Europe as multi-journey passes can work out pretty cheap per journey.

If your in Europe don't rule out the use of Ferries or the channel tunnel as great ways to road trip without breaking the bank. The tunnel is from £49 per car as a return, so depending on your destination and how many people are travelling it can quite easily be a cheaper option.

When hiring a car its super important to not just pick the cheapest car, but look at its fuel consumption and whether it is suited to your driving needs (i.e the kind of terrain or number of passengers).

When we went to the USA I (although I can't drive) was in charge of hiring a car $200 fro 3 weeks was a steal and it had unlimited miles - I was sold. It was a tiny automatic Nissan Micra and it was not suited to drive 5,000 miles through some crazy altitudes (we drove through Colorado).

If you don't get the right car your likely to find yourselves not wanting to spend as much time in it (and probably spending more money in the long run).

Pack for the road
Service station food is overpriced and just not that good. It is always worth while heading to a supermarket, and grabbing some easy food for on the go. When we were road-tripping through the USA we found ourselves snacking on trail mix, and tortilla wraps with cheese and ham.

Fresh fruits such as apples and bananas make perfect road trip snacks and don't make much rubbish.

If you are driving your own car consider taking a cool box with snacks all ready for on the road.

What are your favourite snacks for road trips?

Consider hostels and campsites
Whilst its a bit cold to be camping in the spring in Scotland (at least for us southern softies), camping makes a really great affordable accommodation option with many camp sites being around £20 per night (when you divide that by a few friends it quickly becomes super cheap).

Hostels are also a great alternative, whilst the cheapest options will always be the dorms, you can often get private rooms at prices much lower than traditional hotels. YHA and SYHA are great options for those staying in the UK, and similar programmes exist worldwide.

I recently saw these brilliant air mattresses for cars, that could make sleeping in your car a viable option. Just make sure to not rack up any parking fines like Chris once did.


What is your favourite thing about road trips? Are you planning on going on one soon? How do you save money on road trips?

Should I get a Lifetime ISA?

The new tax year is now upon us and so too is the launch of yet another ISA - the lifetime ISA.  First things to remember is that this tax year the ISA limit (cumulatively for what you contribute to all kinds of ISA in 17/18) is now £20,000.

If you are new here, or not quite sure what an ISA is, essentially it is a tax-free savings account. ISA stands for Individual Savings Account and are available to both children (in the form of junior ISAs) and adults.  The amount you are able to save each year is called the ISA limit. It is important to understand that it is how much you contribute per year and that withdrawals are not taken into consideration. For example if you contributed £20,000, withdrew £4000 before the year was up, you could not re-contribute the £4000 in the same tax year as you are seen to have contributed £20,000 (the current ISA limit).

Chris and I have contributed to our Help to Buy ISAs ever since they launched in December 2015. We were lucky to have a great interest rate when we first open (4%), but sadly it has since been reduced. With a new product on the market we've been deciding whether it is worth switching from a Help to Buy to a Lifetime ISA.

They are two similar, but distinct products so it is important to consider who you are as a saver and which better fits your needs and financial goals. To help you better make this assessment we have made a table comparing the two ISAs. 

So which is the better account. Well that depends on a few things if you are looking to buy in the very near future and not go over the property value limits then Help to buy is your friend. The same goes if you are an older first-time buyer again Help to buy is for you. 

However, if your a young millennial just starting to save for a house then the Lifetime ISA is for you, you can save more, gain more bonus and have the flexibility of lump sums rather than rigid monthly payments. You also have the option of stocks and shares which should only be considered if you are looking to invest for at least 5 years (in order to mitigate any fluctuations in the market impacting short-term value). 

However, there is one key issue with the Lifetime ISA though is that so far very few providers are confirmed to be offering it. 

The following are the list of confirmed providers: 

- Hargreaves Landsdown.

- Fidelity

- Nutmeg

- The share centre

In addition all of those who have said they will are only offering it as a stocks and shares option. We were both initially pretty put off by this but after doing some further reading into the topic it seems that the reason why the big banks are slow on the band-wagon is because the Government was so late in giving them the final rules and details on the account (they only finalised the details in mid-March)

*UPDATE* 

Skipton Building Society now offer the very first cash lifetime ISA !! While this is certainly more appealing than the stocks and shares versions previously available. The interest rate is 0.5% so leaves a lot to be desired. We are still going to hold out for a bit, whilst many of the big banks have said they are not interested in offering the product there are a few including Barclays, HSBC, Virgin and, first direct are still considering it. We are waiting until they provide more information as if they do launch the product they are likely to provide better rates of return than Skipton's 0.5%. 

Though if the money you plan on putting into the Lifetime ISA is currently in an account with a lower interest rate, then it may be worthwhile opening the account contributing your annual allowance, and then if another providers open with better rates transferring to the new provider (which incurs no penalties). 

It is for that reason it may be worth waiting a little while, seeing what the big banks do (don't forget if you have it in cash you get the £75,000 FCSC backing that stocks and shares don't get). It is likely that banks and building societies will start offering the Lifetime ISA later in the summer. Plus as lifetime ISAs are not dependent on monthly contributions if you think that is the direction you want to go in you won't be limited in how much you can contribute this tax year (like you would with help to buy if you missed the monthly contributions). If you choose to make the switch from Help to Buy to lifetime you are able to transfer you Help to Buy balance without it counting towards your annual contribution limit. 

For Chris and I our plan is to wait out with the thought that the big banks will be offering a Lifetime ISA in cash form later this year. We then intend to contribute the £4,000 limit in a lump sum. In the mean time we will not contribute anything to our Help to Buy ISA during this tax year. If it looks like the banks are not going to open lifetime ISAs this tax year, in order to not miss out on the bonus we would open it with one of the stocks and shares providers and opt for a cash fund for example fidelity have a cash park which allows you to hold money in a stocks and shares ISA in cash form (though presently it pays no interest, the bonus makes it still worth switching for us). 

Are you planning on getting a LISA or are you going to stick to a H2B, or perhaps neither. Let us know you plans for saving for a house deposit. 

Valentines Day on a Budget

Valentines day can be expensive... too expensive for a student. It can really feel like its a corporate gimmick to suck your wallet dry. It can be easy to lose sight of the day's real objective to show your unyielding love to another when you are inundated with financial expectations associated with the day. 
But valentine's day does not have to cost the earth, today we will share some great ideas we have found to enjoy valentines's day on a student budget. 

Have a treat dinner at home. 
Not going out for dinner doesn't have to make the evening any less special. Get dressed up like you would for going out, set your dining space up for the meal, light a few candles. It can be a fun opportunity to cook together. We like to use Great British Chef's recipes for treat dinners, they have high quality restaurant recipes that almost anyone could cook and even have a section on valentine's day recipes. 

If your not feeling overly ambitious about cooking then the big supermarkets are back with their at-home valentines dinner sets that usually fall around the £15-£20 mark. Waitrose offer a dinner for 2 for £20 which includes three courses, sides and drink (and the food looks delicious). While Marks and Spencer offer a "2 dine in for £10" including drinks. 

You can get a free takeaway (up to the value of £15) with lots of big brand takeaway companies including Just Eat and Pizza Hut through Quidco. Or order through Deliveroo and get £10 off your first spend. 

Dine out for Less
Whilst lots of chains are offering discount vouchers at the moment many of them are not valid on valentines day. These will only work to your advantage if you plan on celebrating on a different day. 
We've found a hack to get you 48% off pizza express (without any discount vouchers).  
Other ideas for eating out on a budget include using Lastminute.com who have a great feature called 'cheap eats' where you can set your price point i.e. eat of for £20. Or why not consider going out for brunch for the better deals earlier in the day or just for dessert in the evening. 

Entertainment 
Going to the Cinema for a couple could cost £20+ in tickets plus any snacks you buy. This year valentine's day falls on a Tuesday so if you are thinking about going out to the cinema its the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the trick we have found to save 65% off Cineworld. To learn more click here. 

Perhaps you want to have a movie night from the comfort of your own home. Local libraries and often university libraries allow you to rent DVDs for free. Plus Amazon Prime have tons of movies available free for 6 months for students. 

Gifts
Flowers are crazy expensive (and die so quickly) you can easily be looking close at £40-£50 for roses. Luckily a number of florists at the moment are running special offers. Prestige flowers are offering 30% off 12 red roses. Bunches have 10% off with the promo code BUN10  and a free box of chocolates if you order online. Bouqs have 20% off with the code VDAY20.

O2 priority are currently giving away a free valentines day card with Choosy. Which you can order online. While new customers with TopCashback can get a free moonpig card after cashback or a free box of Thontons chocolates. 

More ideas? 
It is often the small more sentimental touches that make the big difference. The Dating Divas is a great site for help organising date nights that are big on sentimentality and not on budget. They have over 100 ideas for valentines dates (many you can do from your own home). Most of their ideas are inexpensive or entirely free making them perfect for any budget. 



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If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:

• Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
• Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck and get £5 free when you make your first purchase through our link. 
• Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
• Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
• Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!

*This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are our own*

Save Money Using Discounted Gift Cards

Chris and I have been using Zeek for a couple of months now. Zeek is a gift card market place that allows you to buy and sell gift cards. We're going to share why we love Zeek so much and how you can get a PizzaExpress gift card 48% off with no work or hassle or 65% off at Cineworld. Plus we'll share how you can get £5 credit for free. 

We've mentioned before that we enter a lot of competitions (and have won over £5,000 in prizes in the past few years) often prizes will be gift cards. Zeek provides an easy way to sell unwanted gift cards that you've collected perhaps as a gift or as a prize. If your an avid Swagbucks user you may also find Zeek useful to trade in any unwanted gift cards and it allows you to set the discount.

Zeek also provides an easy way to get more bang for your buck as you are able to buy gift cards at less than their cash value. That means that simply by changing your payment method to gift cards vs cash/debit card you make instant savings. Plus they can be used in conjunction with other coupons and discount cards to you can get lots of savings. 

They have a mixture of e-gift vouchers and physical gift cards which they post out in 7 days (though we have found they have shipped quicker). You have a wallet that allows you to keep track of your gift cards allowing you to mark when they are used and there is an app that allows you to take your e-vouchers on the go and save on printing. The only real downside to this interface is that you have to manually log when they are used it would be cool if that data was automatically imported (though perhaps I'm being unrealistic and a little lazy). 

Some of our favourite uses of Zeek purchased gift cards include:
- Food Shopping. 
Its an essential expense so why not save a little extra. Over the course of a year you could save £100s of pounds. Looking for other ways to save on your food shopping? 
- Dining out. 
We mentioned one of our new years goals it to not pay full price dining out and using gift cards is part of our tactic. We'll share with you today how you can save almost 50% at Pizza Express with Zeek. 
- Cinema tickets 
We used it in conjunction with student discount and Meerkat Movies (learn how to get 2for1 movies for a year for £2 or less). It should cost 2 adults £21.20 to see a 2D movie. But using a gift card (with an 10% discount), 2for1 and student discount it is £7.29 over 65% saving.  
- Giving gift cards as gifts. 
Perhaps your not quite sure what to get someone or a wedding registry has specifically asked for gift cards. Gift cards are an easy and convenient gift and now even more affordable. 

Save Big on Pizza. 

Right now you can buy a £15 Pizza Express Gift Card for £12.70 giving you 15% off and remember you can use the gift card in conjunctions with any other coupons you have (Pizza Express regular run 2for1 offers). Plus if you sign up through our link you'll get an extra £5 in credit FREE bringing the cost down to £7.70 saving you 48%. Thats almost half price !!

We enjoy using Zeek and find it really easy to use and make purchases. Whilst the discounts could tempt you into purchasing more than necessary we try to limit our purchases to gift cards for stores we know we will use. For example, we have recently been buying a Tesco gift card at the start of the month for our grocery money and using only that. It saves money two-fold because it works much like the 'cash-envelope' system; once the money is gone its gone. Secondly, we save money because we are not paying full price for the gift card. 

This  is a sponsored post that contains affiliate link. To learn more about why we use affiliate links please see our disclaimer at the bottom of our page. All opinions are our own and we have used Zeek for a while before being approach for this post. 

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If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:

• Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
• Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck and get £5 free when you make your first purchase through our link. 
• Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
• Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
• Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!

*This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are our own*

Save money food shopping

Food shopping is one of those essentials we just can get out of. Being a university student it is often the first time you have to food shop. For us we find we all to easily pop to the shops for a pint of milk and come bag with a bag full of stuff. Whilst we are working on tackling this by limiting the number of times we go to the shops (doing online shopping also helps with this), it is inevitable that we will go shopping. That doesn't have to mean there aren't other ways to save money.

Today we are sharing some of the best ways we have found to save money on your food shopping whilst requiring minimal effort. 

1. Use discount cards
If you can use a discount card either staff, student or NHS etc. then go for it. Though for staff discount please read the terms and conditions carefully (as using a family members card is not always allowed). Typically such discount cards save you 10%, so a couple spending £35 a week could save £182 over the course of a year. 

2. By reduced and freeze
Become familiar with where your local shop keeps reduced items and at what time of the date they do final reductions can see you pick up food for pennies. Granted its going to be close to its use-by date so be prepared to have to freeze these items but this makes a great way to stock up you freezer. After seasonal events (christmas and easter) a lot of seasonal food will be reduced too; so long you aren't fussed about having christmas food in the spring this is also a great option. 

3. Using gift cards
Using gift cards either bought through an employee discount scheme or an online site such as Zeek (get £5 free through this link) allows you to purchase them at a discount from their usual price. This means you are saving money even if you buy the same stuff you would normally. Plus you can use other forms of discount in conjunction with gift cards (i.e staff or student discount) as the gift card is just another form of payment method (like card or cash). Buying a fixed amount on a gift card is kind of like using cash envelopes as you have a sent amount allocated to each expense which can really help with controlling spending and impulse purchases as once its gone its gone. 

4. Meal plan.
Meal planning is an great way to got shopping with a plan and buy only what you need. Pinterest is full of awesome meal plans and we even have a great budget friendly meal plan for two here. Try to plan meals that will share several ingredients so that there is less waste and you are able to buy greater quantities and take advantage of cheaper per unit prices. 

5. Use cash-back 
If your choose to use debit cards don't forget you can get cashback on your shopping at supermarkets (aka free money for spending money you would have spent anyway). Our favourite cashback site is Quidco and if you sign up through this link you get £10 FREE (who doesn't love freebies). Even just a 3% cashback over a year would save you over £50 (for no real effort).

What nifty tricks do you use to save money on your food shopping. 

Financial checklist for the new year

2016 has flown by, and 2017 is now only a few days away.  Here at SavingScotts we have compiled a financial checklist to get 2017 off to a flying start. 

The start of a new year provides a great opportunity to assess your financial situation and goals to make effective plans for the new year (and perhaps even some new years resolutions). As with all finances if you are in a serious relationship we recommend that if you have a spouse or partner to work through this checklist together and it is important you are both on the same page about finances (check out our post on money conversations to have with your spouse if your feeling a bit apprehensive about having a joint checklist meeting).

To get your new year off to a great start we have shared some of the key items to include in you financial resolution checklist. To help you on your way we have included a free printable which you can find at the bottom of the post. 

Assess your current situation. 
Look at how much you have in debt, savings and investments and make a note of it as this is the starting point for your year. It is important to be familiar with your starting point to allow goals to be made and progression to occur. Reflect upon the past year and how your financial situation has changed throughout 2016. A great way to do this is to know your current net worth and where your assets and liabilities are held. This will allow you to compare where you are now to throughout the year. 

Pay down debt 
Paying down debt is key to making financial headway. Credit card and other consumer debt should be highest on your priority list. Look at paying off the debt with the highest interest level first in order to save more money. If you are working on paying off debt have a read of our 5 steps to becoming debt free. 

Check your credit score
Though it is a good idea to check it regularly, now is a great time to check it. We love to use Noddle who provide a free credit check for life. Making sure your credit score is where you need it to be is important when you set your goals for 2017.  For example, you may want to take out a mortgage, but have just discovered your very low credit score, knowing this information will allow you to take steps to amend your credit score and move it in the direction you want it to go. 

Set your goals
Set a few goals (but not too many) to aim for achieving this year. If you have any debt then your focus should be on working to pay of this debt first before any savings goals are set. Whatever your goal is it is important write it down and make realistic steps for achieving that goal. Think about how you will achieve this goal? Will you need to cut spending, do you want to take on a second job, work from home more. There are so many ways that you could achieve goals, so it is important to discuss the how within the making of a plan. 

Perfect that budget
If you already are using a budget then work through how effective it is and if there are any areas that need to be tweaked (especially in light of the goals you have set). If you don't already use a budget then now is a great time to start. Get out a pen and paper and write down your income and expenses for the month. If you prefer an app why not try Dave Ramsey's every dollar or out student budget spreadsheet. What is important is to pick a method, go through your budget monthly and stick to it. 

Be tax efficient.
Tax efficient savings accounts often have a limit of how much can save within a certain period. Whilst in the UK all of this periods are based around the tax year; the new year provides a good opportunity to assess how much you are going to want to use up of those allowances (obviously the optimal option is to max them out, but that can't always be the case). For those in the UK making use of accounts such as ISAs (tax-free savings accounts) especially Help to Buy or the soon to be launched lifetime ISAs where you can receive a 25% bonus on all your savings when used for property. If you are saving for retirement, ensure that make use of the tax relief (for most its 20%) meaning that if you contribute £8000 into your pension, the government will raise it to £10,000. 

How are you preparing for 2017?

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If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:

• Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
• Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek (get £5 free with this link) to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck. 
• Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
• Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
• Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!

*This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are our own*

Financial goals to reach by age 30

This week Chris turns 30. This big milestone got us talking about what financial goals are great to achieve by 30 to give you a great foundation for financial success. Today we are sharing our top 15 financial goals to achieve by age 30. 

1. Get out of debt.
Your twenties are likely to be the years when your first accumulate debt. Obviously the easiest option would be to never get into debt in the first place, but life doesn't always work out like that. If you are in debt purpose to become debt free by 30 allowing you to spend future years accumulating wealth rather than drowning in a sinking hole of debt. 

2. Retirement savings.
It is never too early to start saving for retirement. Make sure you are taking advantage of employer contributions and tax breaks to make the most of your investments. Setting up a regular payment each month will help you to achieve this goal without feeling the pinch. We recommend contributing about 8-10% of your income towards retirement. Also if you have changed jobs, it is also a great idea to move you pension funds into a single account allowing you to manage them more easily. 

3. Be bold about your career.
Your career is going to be the main source of income in your life so it is important to choose something you enjoy.  Your late 20s is a great time to assess where you are in your career and if you are happy with the current trajectory. If you are not happy in your job NOW is the time to make a change. Chris started his Engineering degree at 28 having decided he was no wanting to spend the rest of his working years in sales and we know in the long term this decision will be for the better.

4. Financial independence.
Gaining financial independence from family and friends is a key. Whilst you may have relied on them to 'help you out' in the past now is the time to move away from that habit as it not only doesn't build financial independence it creates relationship problems. 

5. Have an emergency fund.
Having a solid emergency fund is a valuable financial asset. This money is set aside and used ONLY in the case of emergency. As financial responsibilities become greater (i.e having a family or a mortgage) having this contingency plan becomes increasingly important. An emergency fund of 6 months of expenses (not your 6 months income) is a good benchmark to aim for. 

6.  Get life insurance.
Often your employer will offer some form of life insurance (or death in service). Life insurance is like your BIG emergency fund and just like an emergency fund the more financial responsibility you have the more important it is. 

7. Learn how to budget properly.
Knowing how to create an effective budget and sticking to it will help give you to the tools to achieve financial goals in the future. Only through knowing where your money is going will you be able to manage and manipulate your budget to meet your needs and aims. We love using Tiller as our way of tracking our spending for budgeting purposes. 

8. Live away from home.
Living away from the parents and other family is key to developing financial independence. It allows you to gain a realistic understanding of day to day costs of living and running a house. And we're not just talking about living in halls of residence where all your bills are included. 

9. Stick to debit only. 
Plastic is fine, but its needs to be debit all the way. With credit cards its all too easy to spend more money than you have. Whereas, a debit is more similar to spending cash. Whilst you are more likely to spend more on plastic vs cash (which makes using cash very good option) at least with debit you won't spend more than you have. 

10. Be overdraft free.
Its time to kick that overdraft to the kerb and stop paying silly fees to borrow money. After all an overdraft is just another form of debt. Get out and stay out by deactivating your overdraft. Many students will take advantage of the free overdrafts available and treat it as an extension of your income what they forget is that this money will at some point need to be paid off. 

11. Be open with your partner about your finances.
By 30 you are likely to be in long-term serious relationship that warrants the discussion of finances. Being open with your partner is the key to being on the same page financially. Devote time together each month to go through your budget and talk about your short and long term financial goals. Whilst one person may feel more comfortable taking charge of the budget it is important that both of you are involved in the budgeting process. 

12. Be tax savvy.
Never pay more tax than you need to. This could mean taking advantage of tax free savings allowances for ISAs, pension saving bonuses or using tax free side hustles such as competitions or matched betting.  


13. Make use of sinking funds.
These are savings funds for specific expenditures (such as roofs or car maintenance) that you make a regular contribution to so that when you need to spend money in those areas you use the money from their respective sinking fund.

14. Start developing passive income sources.
Being able to supplement you main income source with passive income source(s) is the best way to get intense with your financial goals. Starting a blog is a great way to introduce a passive income stream into your income. 

15. Work on getting onto the property ladder.
You might not own your fist home yet (the average age in the UK is 34) but you should be working towards the financial steps necessary. These include saving for a deposit (of at least 10%), increasing your income, knowing and improving your credit score and saving for the additional costs (taxes, estate agent fees) that are associated with purchasing a property. For those in the UK making use of Help to Buy (or in April 2017) Lifetime ISAs to gain tax benefits towards saving are a great option. 

What financial goals are you trying to achieve by 30?

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If you are new to our blog, we are all about finding new ways for students and millennials to make and save money. Here are some of our favourite sites and products to help you out:

• Start a blog. Blogging is our side-hustle just over a year ago we didn't think I would bring us any income . You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
• Save money with gift cards Whether its for buying clothes, your weekly shop or dining out use Zeek (get £5 free with this link) to buy discounted gift cards to get more bang for your buck. 
• Use Swagbucks for your online searches. Swagbucks is a passive way to earn gift cards. Over the course of a year you could earn $500.  Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded “points called SB” for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more. Receive $5 for signing up today.
• Try matched betting. Matched betting is a great way to may easy money online. Despite the name it is not gambling and could see you earn £500-£1000 a month for only a couple of hours work a day see here and here. For your free trial head to profit accumulator or join the Facebook 'getting started' group.  
• Sign up for a cashback site like Quidco. where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free £10 bonus!

*This post contains affiliate links, all opinions are our own*

10 ways to save money as a student

This post was originally written for Student Nannies blog, click here to see the original article.
Autumn term is coming to a close and odds are you’re finding yourself at the end of your student loans. With money running short, Christmas presents and parties adding up, you need some money saving tips to make it until the January loan installment. Here’s my top ten thrifty tricks for students….

Cook with friends. Food shopping for one can be quite expensive as often you will purchase larger quantities than you need just because it is the smallest amount available. Shopping and cooking with friends allows you to share the workload, take advantage of special bulk offers and reduce the cost of your weekly shop. 
Buy your textbooks secondhand. Textbooks are extortionately expensive, especially from the campus bookstore. Odds are you can find a much more reasonably priced second-hand copy from someone in the year above you. Check to see if your department runs book sales or see if there is a Facebook buy/sell page for your course. 
Don’t pay for a TV license if you don’t need it. If you are a student, your parents have a TV license and you are watching on a device not plugged into the mains, you do not need to pay for a license. If you do require a license don’t forget to reclaim the summer months you are not living away from home. For more information to help you understand if you need to pay click here.
Take advantage of student discounts. Both NUS and UniDays offer great student discount systems well worth subscribing to. After all why pay full price when you don’t have. It is also always worth asking if a store/restaurant offers a student discount as it is not always clearly advertised (especially for smaller non-chain companies). Don't forget you can use conjunction with some student deals (Quidco give you cashback when buying a 16-25 railcard)
Ask a member of staff what time their supermarket marks down food items and schedule your shops for that time. Typically supermarkets will do their biggest reductions at about 7/8pm. Most supermarkets have a designated reduced section for different departments (chilled, fresh, dry goods) so it is a good idea to familiarise yourself where these are in your local store. 

Get the best student bank account for you. Whilst the biggest selling point for most student bank accounts is their overdraft (not something we advocate dipping into) they will offer additional freebies including NUS cards, train or coach discount cards. Look at which of these freebies will be of most benefit and value to you when deciding who to bank with.

Most students will work part-time during their studies in order to bring in some extra income. Working as a Student Nanny offers a great opportunity for flexible work schedules, avoids zero hours contracts and provides the chance for you to  network with local professionals and gain valuable work experience. StudentNannies.com is a great place to look for nannying work suited to fit around a student’s busy schedule. If you are looking for something even more flexible consider getting an online job that allows you to work from home. 

Being on a tight budget doesn’t have to mean no fun. From free festivals, museums and galleries wherever you live there is sure to be plenty of free (or low cost events to go to). Don’t forget events on campus are also often low cost or free as they know students are on a small budget. You can also get 2for1 movies for the whole year for less than £2 (learn how ) making it a great budget outing as you can combine it with student price tickets for an extra discount.

When the next student loan comes pays out in January there are couple of things you can do to make your money go even further next term :
Pay your rent first. Most landlords if you ask are happy for you to pay several months upfront, just be sure to ask first so they know that is what you are doing. When you get your termly student finance in, pay that term’s rent. 

Pop the remaining money into a separate account. Pay yourself an income. Odds are you get student finance three times a year, you might also get some sporadic scholarships or grants. When money comes in so irregularly it can feel tricky to establish a budget. Open up a separate account and set up a standing order for your ‘salary’. Depending on how easy you find it to manage your money you may wish to ‘pay yourself’ weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Just do what best suits you and your spending habits. 
With some creative ideas you can make living on a student budget a liberating not limiting experience.