20 websites that will save you money

Saving and Making Money

Updated on 09 November 2010 | 9 Comments

Check out these 20 online bargains on everything from entertainment to household running costs.

Your PC is a powerful gateway to a host of money-saving websites. Most of us use eBay, Lastminute.com and, of course, lovemoney.com to help find bargains - but there are a host of safe and reliable websites around to help you cut the cost of specific tasks. Here are 20 of the best.

Cut your spending

1. Greener, cheaper power

The Energy Saving Trust website offers a host of calculators that will help you cut your energy consumption - and your bills - as well as information on grants and money-off offers for home improvements and energy-efficient appliances.   

2. Control your spending

Our own lovemoney.com online banking service allows you to view all your various transactions and balances in one place and lets you compare your outgoings - so you can see where your money goes each month and identify any savings you can make. 

Cheaper Shopping

3. Get the cheapest groceries

Price comparison website My Supermarket lets you compare prices and find promotional offers from the big four online supermarkets - Sainsbury's, Tesco, Ocado and Asda. The site will even offer to switch the products you choose for cheaper available alternatives.

4. Get paid to shop

Cashback site Quidco offers cashback from a range of popular online retailers, including Tesco, HMV and Dixons. Cash rebates can be as high as 10% of your purchase cost and you don't have to register your credit card and bank details. Instead an annual £5 membership cost is deducted from the total cashback you earn.

5. Compare thousands of prices

So-called "price-scraper" website Kelkoo scours all online retailers to find the cheapest prices on a huge range of items, from electronics to fashion items and mobile phones. The site also runs its own cashback reward scheme.

6. Find free stuff

Innovative recycling website Freecycle works as an online swap shop. The site matches people with goods they want to get rid of with people who want to use them. Goods can either be donated or exchanged and the scheme covers nearly 500 local areas.

7. Get money-off purchases

Voucher code website Myvouchercodes offers another way to enjoy cheaper shopping. The site works by advertising deals and discounts from high street retailers and online shopping sites, which can be picked up by entering a special e-code. Members can enjoy reductions of up to 75% from major retailers.

Cheaper communications

8. Make free phone calls  

Online telephony service Skype allows you to make free unlimited phone calls over the internet to other Skype users and offers reduced rates on calls to landlines and mobile phones. The software is free to download, there's no subscription fee and the application also works on certain mobiles. 

9. Avoid premium rate lines

Campaign website Say No to 0870 encourages users to avoid calling premium rate 0870 telephone lines, which can cost as much as 15p a minute. The site lets you type in the name of the company you want to contact and gives you a list of standard-rate (or even free) alternative contact numbers.

10. Find free web access

You can find the nearest public place offering free Wi-Fi through site Hotspotlocations. The site lets you search more than 3,000 UK outlets offering free web access - which means you could dump your costly dongle. 

Cheaper Transport

11. Fill up your tank for less  

Price comparison website PetrolPrices.com lets you locate the lowest-priced fuel in your area. All you have to do is register and enter your postcode: the site will then locate the lowest prices for petrol, diesel and even LPG fuel near you.

12. Find cheap flights

"Price scraper" website Skyscanner searches thousands of travel websites to find the cheapest flight deals on all major airlines - which means you can enjoy a cheap getaway without enduring the hidden costs and baggage limits of no-frills airlines.  

13. Get a railcard

You don't have to be a student to enjoy cheap rail travel: the official railcard website lists the various discount schemes that allow you to enjoy a third off selected rail journeys. There are four national schemes - the Young Persons Railcard for 16-25s, the Senior Railcard for the over-60s, the Disabled Persons Railcard and the Family & Friends railcard - priced at between £20 and £28 per year.

14.  Free days out in the capital

Keep yourself entertained in London without spending a penny with online travel guide London Is Free. The site lists all free events in the capital, from exhibitions to comedy nights and gigs.  

15. Explore the world

Catering for the more adventurous traveller, Couch Surfing lets you stay anywhere in the world for free. The scheme works by putting travellers in touch with locals offering free accommodation in more than 230 countries. Be aware - there are some horror stories to be found online.   

Cheaper entertainment and computing

16. Never pay for books again

Avid readers can save significant sums through community website Read It, Swap It. The site works as a swap shop for book-lovers; registration is free, and the only charge is a £1.40 postage fee.

17. Turn your PC into a jukebox

Free music streaming service Spotify lets you listen to millions of songs at no cost. Registration is free (although you may need an invite from another user) and the service allows users listen to an online catalogue of six million tracks for free with adverts between tracks or for £9.99 a month an ad-free service.

18. Watch better TV

Nothing on TV? Why not turn to YouTube? There's far more available than home-made videos - the archive now includes classic Channel 4 shows and thousands of on-demand music videos. And, with a VGA cable, you can watch them all on your home TV. 

19. Run your PC for free

You don't have to pay upwards of £100 for a basic Microsoft Office package - freeware suite Open Office boasts a comparable suite offering five office functions, including word processor, spreadsheet package and simple graphics creator. It's absolutely free to download and completely safe - unlike certain Microsoft products! Join our Kit out your PC for free goal to discover other ways of saving money.

20. Secure your PC for free

You can also find solid, reliable anti-virus software for free from a surprising source - Microsoft. Its Security Essentials suite provides full anti-virus protection, as well as malware detection and removal. The only requirement is that you own a legitimate copy of Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7.

More: I can't survive till payday! | Online banking: How to stay safe

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