How to watch TV for free

The average cable subscription in the USA has just hit $100 a month and they are increasing at crazy levels (up 39% since 2010). Now is the time to look into alternative options for TV.
But it is possible to never pay a penny for TV, that means no crazy cable subscriptions, no TV license fee, nothing. 

There are some great online TV viewing services such as Netflix, Hulu and AmazonPrime that cost a fraction of the price of cable and are great alternatives. But they aren't free so if your looking for the ultimate money saving option for TV viewing then keep reading. 

All you need is an internet connection and your ready to go.

The TV license is required when you are watching live TV and is £145.50 a year. But it is not required when you are watching play-back. This mean you can watch services such as BBC Iplayer, 4od, ITV player and demand 5 for free a they all offer delayed showing of the live TV of the main UK TV channels. It the same high quality TV, and the exact same programs you would watch live but just at a different time and on-demand, which in many ways makes it more convenient. 

* Update- New laws require you to have a TV license to watch on demand TV. However, there is a loophole for students, if you parents have a TV license and you watch it on a device that is not plugged into the mains (i.e a laptop not on charge or a mobile phone) then you don't need a license*

Students can watch amazon prime FREE for 6 months

Amazon Student gives you free six month subscription of amazon prime (including its online video service). All you need to do is use your academic email to register and your ready to go. Team up with your friends and stagger your 6 month trials back to back to give you free TV throughout the whole of your degree. Be sure to cancel before you are charged the £39 fee upon the end of the 6 months trial. 

Sinking funds and why you NEED them

Within the future there are expenses you will want to plan for to ensure as few emergencies occur as possible.

There may also be bigger long term goals that you are working towards.

A new car or solar panels for your roof. Really it could be anything.

But to buy it your going to have to save up for it to avoid going into debt.

What is a sinking fund?

A sinking fund is a savings pot that you contribute regular amounts to because you have a mid-to-long term savings goal. It is there to prevent delving into your emergency fund as that money is for the unknown. 

It is more specific than a savings account as you know how much you are going to save and what you are going to spend it on rather than just putting money away until you need it. 

Here is an example

You want to save £2,400 for a deposit for a rental flat and you want to be able to do it in one year.

£2,400 = 12 x £200

So you could achieve this goal in 12 months by saving £200 a month

Why have a sinking fund?

It is important to have a sinking fund as to avoid emergencies and dipping into your emergency fund.

You should have a sinking fund for car and home repairs as these are things you know will at some point need repair.

It can also be good to have sinking funds for other expenses such as back to school, birthdays and Christmas.

We use sinking funds for several goals

• Annual, Bi-Annaul and Quarterly Bills  (we have an account for gas and electric which don't come out monthly so we set up a standing order to go out each month).
• Vacation fund (we used this when saving for our vacation this summer though it is currently empty, when we start planning our honeymoon we will use this again).
• House deposit- C and I are currently saving for a deposit on a house and this is by far the longest term goal of our sinking funds.
• Bar exam- I have been saving for the past few years towards the cost of my bar exam this is also a longer term savings goal. 

Where to keep your sinking fund?

You want to keep your money somewhere where you are not going to easily touch it, but conversely it needs to be easy to access in case of an emergency. 

When determining the account look at what your sinking fund is for. Is it for a goal where you are going to have a good period of notice before needing to withdraw such as a deposit fund. 

Or would it be a fund where you would need immediate access in case of emergency such as a car repair fund. 

With that in mind you have a couple of options

• Cash- If your prefer to use cash envelopes consider setting up envelopes for your sinking funds. This will provide you with the quickest access if you need it (but be aware of the temptation to spend the money). Also remember cash earns no interest so if you sinking fund goal is longer term consider the impact of this. 
• Easy access E-savings accounts- This give you instant access- we use the ones attached to the Lloyds bank account for our car fund, bills fund and vacation fund. This is by far the best option as it provides the greatest level of flexibility and means it is easy to transfer money in and out. Plus a small amount of interest will be earned whilst there is almost no risk (as its likely to be covered by the FSCS)
• Premium Bonds- These give you 3-5 working days access and we use this for some of the bar exam money and house deposit money.
• Peer to Peer (P2P) lending- These accounts have 30 days to access and we use this for the remainder of the bar exam and house deposit money. But remember this is higher risk investment.

How to support a friend with debt

We look to support our friends through difficult times, through redundancy, divorce. And hope they would do the same for us. But do we support our friends in debt enough? Debt = stigma in our society, and it is our responsibility as a friend to be there and support them through the challenges ahead. One of the hardest stages in getting out of debt is admitting that you have a problem, being able to confide in your friends is a big part of this stage.

It can be hard to know how to support someone in debt, be it friends or family. This is especially so if you have never experienced debt yourself as it can be hard to comprehend the feelings someone in debt goes through. C just recently became debt free and through the journey I learnt a lot on how to support someone with debt. 

Don't isolate them from social activities. 

Be conscious that they may not be able to do all the social activities you normally do due to the price incurred. If you find that your friend is constantly blowing off plans don't assume that they are not interested in your friendship. They may not feel comfortable saying that they cannot afford the activity you proposed. Also, they will probably hate having to say no as it is a constant reminder of their situation. Try to meet up with them the best way to do this is to organise things that are free or very inexpensive. At the end of the day, good friends do not need to spend money to have a good time. This could be a Netflix movie night (rather than going to the cinema), a potluck (rather than going out for dinner) or even just go out for a walk. 

Along the same lines, don't push your friend to buy things that you barely even consider an expense. To them that one coffee can be a lot, as every penny they have they are trying to save. Even the smallest of expenses they are trying to avoid and remember something that doesn't seem expensive to you may be too much for someone in debt. Take this challenge in your friends life as an opportunity to build your friendship and memories together. 

Let them know that you are there for them. 

Your support as a friend is priceless, let them know that no matter how long or challenging this process is that you are still there for them. Debt is oppressive; it brings fear, depression and anxiety into people's lives. It is stigmatised by society and not openly discussed. It is a situation where you need a good friend to share your burdens with, to know that there is a constant in the world beyond the debt situation that feels so out of control. By being there for you friend you can be the best kind of support that is available, you friend may feel like a failure in so many areas in the life but by having a great friendship they will continue to feel success even if in only one area.

They don't need financial support. 

A big part of getting out of debt (and staying out) is about changing of mentality. This is a change that your friend can only make on their own. By loaning someone who is trying to get debt free money to help is not helping it is just shifting their debts and avoids the issue of changing mentality towards money. 

Loaning money to friends and family is never a good option anyway and can put a significant strain on your relationship. And please don't sign as a guarantor on any debts. You may want to "treat them" as a kind gesture, but this just leaves them feeling like a burden and that they should pay you back in some capacity. It may make you feel good to help out someone, but it does just that, it brings no real help to the person on the journey. 

If you want to help them with their finances, offer to sit down with them and work through a plan. Help them to create a debt-snowball and make repayment in manageable sized chunks. Or offer to help them with organising of letters and important documents and they may feel to overwhelmed to deal with it on their own. Offering to help in the process and being a support by doing so is probably one of the best ways to support your friend. 

Be sensitive about bragging. 

You may be debt free and in a great position financially. You may never have known debt. Perhaps you are excited that you recently purchased a new widescreen TV or the latest smart phone. You may have worked hard to save for it and feel justified in bragging. However, be sensitive to the emotions of someone getting out of debt.

They have a big challenge ahead of them, and you can be sure that they wish they weren't in that situation and that they could have the financial freedom to make those kinds of purchases. They don't need it rubbing in their face that they have made bad financial decisions, especially by their peers. Even worse would be if they were to go on a spending spree because of it. So be considerate enough not to raise this in front of your friend.


How were your friends during your debt free journey and how could you be a better friend to someone in debt?

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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. 
• 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!

Earn money by renting out a room

So many people complain about the costs of their home (be it mortgage or rent). If you have a spare room or two in your house you are essentially allowing the value of the property to go to waste so it might be a good idea to consider getting a lodger. It is a relatively easy and very tax efficient option to raise some extra funds. With websites like easyroomate it has never been easier to get a lodger and earn some extra cash. 

The UK government currently has a "rent a room" scheme which means you can earn up to £4250 a year from rent tax free. * This is now £7,500 tax free earning from renting a room*. 
All you need to do is to opt into the scheme when you fill out your tax return. This means you have the chance to have a tax free side hustle. Though for this scheme to apply you must provide a furnished room. It is important to note that you must inform you mortgage provider (though they are usually fine with you having a lodger) and if your a tenant (private and local authority) check your contract and notify your landlord. 

What to consider when taking on a lodger:

Who the lodger is.
It is often best to pick someone who you already know, no matter how slightly (it could be just a friend of a friend). This is because a lodger is generally going to act better is there is something else to loose beyond just annoying the landlord. If you don't know anyone in need consider opting for an organisation to chose the lodger for example I know many university students who have used easyroomate with much success. However, regardless of how you find your lodger all ways meet up with them before you allow them to move in and if possible talk to former landlords or housemates.

- Will you provide meals / cleaning services. 
You may wish to include (and charge for these services), though be aware that this may make a lot more work for you. With regards to meals be sure that the lodger is willing to work with your meal times. The advantage as a landlord is that it prevents your lodger gaining a tenancy and reduces the legal rights that they have.

How much rent will you charge
It can be hard to know what is a fair market price, I would recommend looking at sites such as easyroomate to give you an idea of how much rooms are being listed for in your area. By doing this you are able to stay competitive in your pricing. Remember to review you pricing every year or so to ensure you are still charging market rent. 

Will rent be inclusive of bills.
This can be a tricky one as its hard to know what a lodgers consumption is which means you could be left short if you include bills. However, the advantage of bill included is you don't have to go chasing the lodger when bills are due especially if they are annual/bi-annual and the lodger has moved out by that time. 

Set out some house rules. 
At the end of the day it is still your home and your rules apply. Try not to be dictatorial, but some rules are okay. 
Think about things such as:
- energy saving (i.e. turn lights off when not in room)
- reasonable curfew (i.e not coming back at 4am and waking everyone up) 
- Is the lodger allowed friends over if so how often and until what time

Draft up a list of house rules when the lodger moves in and discuss them with the lodger on the move in day, giving them the opportunity for discussion. A two way conversation will lead to a much better dynamic between you and your lodger. 

If you are looking for a lodger easyroomate.co.uk is a great website and is the UK's number one roommate site. Best of all it is FREE to advertise your room meaning more money for you. 

Have you ever taken on a lodger? What was your experience like?

______________________________________________________

This post contains affiliate links.

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. 
• 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*

How meal planning can cut your grocery costs + FREE PRINTABLE

Meal planning is one of the best ways to save money on your food shop. It allows you to only buy what you need and avoid waste. Discover how we incorporate meal planning into our food shops. At the end of the post are the printables we use to help with our planning, and we are sharing them with your today. 

When we do the weekly shop there are a number of stages to the process. 

1. Update inventories of cupboard, fridge and freezer. We keep a list of everything in them and when it comes to the time to prep for the shop we update the list.
2. Create a meal plan based on inventories. Breakfasts and C's lunches reaming the same week to week. Dinners will be based on what we have already. Often if we have purchased food in the reduced aisle in bulk then we will plan the meals around these purchases. I will look out for sales on meats and may buy these at a different time. But whilst I'm buying meat on clearance I am constantly thinking of how to incorporate it into meals. If we are short of food in the inventories then this is where I turn to my recipe book and plan out a meals to cover the gap.
3. Write a list of what needs to be purchased. Though we may have meat or the carbs (potato/pasta) in the store cupboard we need to buy fruit and veg weekly. In addition other common items include milk and yoghurt. 
4. Shop be it online or in store. I prefer shopping inshore because I can pick up better deals and choose sell buy dates. However, there is more of a temptation to be drawn of track and buy items I don't need. Though I find that if I'm going with a set list I'm less likely to go off track anyway. 

To access the free printable with todays post click the image below where it will take you to google drive. From there you can print it as many times as you like.