7 money saving sites you need to follow in 2015

Happy new year Liftsharers and fans of money-saving alike!

The new year is upon us and it’s likely many of you will have added ‘save more money’ to your resolution list. Let’s be honest; the cost of living isn’t going down any time soon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break old habits, trim back on non-essential spending and put more away each month to help make life that little bit more brighter.

Liftshare is a site founded on the idea that everyone should have the right to stay mobile – even if they’re cash-poor, so we’re always keen to help our fans and their friends save money both on and off the road.

We had a dig around the internet’s most frugal crevices to find the best money-saving blogs you should follow to enjoy a cheaper 2015. Each of the sites listed below have stellar track records for dispensing top saving advice for many aspects of daily life. So whether you want to trim back your outgoings or save for a holiday, these sites can help you get where you want to be in life.

1. Penny Golightly

Penny is a journalist and author who set up a blog to help everyday people save money. Her advice ranges from small tips that can help curb your outgoings, to big life-altering shifts in attitude, as well as common sense measures that many of us overlook on a daily basis.

Penny kicked off 2015 with a neat series of guides called Jump Start January  that can help you have a frugal year. The guide is superb and kicked off by asking readers to simply take ten minutes to stop and reflect on your position in life, what you’ve been spending, what you want to achieve and more. It’s a simple process that lets you tackle your budget with a clear head and gives readers a starting point for the rest of Penny’s tips.

We’re particularly fond of Penny’s spending diary exercise, which involves taking stock of literally everything you buy for a month to capture all of your hidden spends such as cups of coffee and lunches that really do add up. if you’re already spending money with Liftshare, definitely give Penny’s site a read to give your budget a two-pronged frugal attack.

2. Black Bullion

Founded by former private banker Vivi Friedgut, Black Bullion offers money management courses and training to help make yourself more employable. It has money at its core, and the same is true of the site’s blog. The blog’s articles are also full of handy common sense tips that everyone can enjoy, but there’s also a great degree of industry insight at play, which can help you find the right financial products and workarounds for a variety of situations.

For example, the blog posted a neat guide to debt just before Christmas 2014, because there is actually a great deal of people who take out personal loans to spend on presents, food and other festive outgoings. Black Bullion’s guide reveals ways people can get out of debt before it takes over, such as consolidation, 0% credit cards and more. We’re sure most people would like to add ‘became debt free’ to their list of achievements in 2015, so why not give this guide a look?

3. Happier

Dubbed ‘the super friendly money saving community,’ Happier is just that, and the site’s blog is a great place to find money-saving advice for 2015. While many of the blog’s tips are – again, common sense by nature, there are also some quirky pieces of advice that make total sense when you stop to think about them. This guide on using handicrafts as a way of saving cash is a good example, and it explains why making things is often cheaper – and more heartfelt, than buying them.

Blog aside, Happier also offers a feed of discount codes across many brands that is updated regularly. From cheap ink cartridges to free delivery of online goods, the code feed offers many ways to spend small amounts of money that surely add up to make a significant saving.

Happier boasts money saving guides that focus on a variety of spends – such as how to find the cheapest broadband, more-affordable mortgages and other typically expensive goods or services. Better yet, each guide comes with a projected saving range so you can see at a glance how much you can expect to shave off your monthly outgoings. It’s a practical, clear and useful site that we’d recommend to anyone.

4. Help Me To Save

‘Canny Scot’ Karen Bryan is a dab hand at finding a bargain and regularly reveals a variety of finance ‘hacks’ and workarounds that can help you save big. Her blog recently published a deal linked with Clydesdale Bank, which sees new customers given £150 for switching accounts. If there’s a deal or bonus to be had, you can be sure that Karen will find it first and let the world know.

Karen also presents her own frugal podcast called ‘My Money’ which covers a range of up-to-date topics and new, breaking finance incentives – like when interest rates on certain bank accounts change, and so on. In the last few months Karen has reviewed books on personal finance, blogged about cheap shopping trips and more, giving you an industry, insider and personal perspective at all times. Check our her site and get ready to save big.

5. SavvyAnnie

Annie – like many of us, confesses to living off credit cards and loans for a long time, but she’s now taken to penning a superb money-saving blog from an everyday, boots on the ground perspective. Over on Annie’s blog you will find articles focused on purchases she has made or deals she has found while actually shopping, such as cheap running gear from supermarket chain Aldi – which is ideal for those looking to work off their Christmas indulgence this January.

Other recent blog postss include a review of Tesco’s cheap tablet alternative the Hudl2, cheaper gift alternatives, and more. But Annie’s saving guides are perhaps the most revealing articles on the site, covering a wide range of topics such as how to get your hair done for cheap (or free if you’re clever about it). Essentially, this is the de facto shopping guide for everyday people who don’t want to compromise on buying their essentials, but to help them save big using common sense tactics while they’re at it.

6. And Then We Saved

Created by the wonderful Anna, we like And Then We Saved because not only does dispense great money-saving tips by the bucket load, it also teaches readers to be more positive through charming messages and a wonderfully positive tone that you can’t help but smile at. There’s something of a homebrew vibe going on too, with plenty of DIY guides such as this step-by-step process for making your own cheap laundry detergent that really works.

We were also very impressed by the real and uplifting story of how a couple wiped away 70,000 of student debt in just 26 months – as well as insight into how they did it. There are no theoreticals over on Anna’s site, just real, working and positive tips for change, and we urge everyone concerned about saving money to give her wonderful hub of frugality and fun a look.

7. Frugal Family

Cass and her gamily are all about saving money using simple, everyday rules and shortcuts that are hiding in plain site. Frugal Family is primarily for those with children, but anyone can benefit from the site’s wonderful advice. Cass recently revealed her winter bucket list, which wasn’t just focused on finance, but shows once again that sometimes simply taking time to tally up everything you want to achieve and do can be a positive catalyst for change. Money-saving is no different.

But perhaps the recent and largest jewel in Frugal Family’s glittering crown is Cass’s Money Makeover guide, which offers a week-by-week program of money-saving rules and lessons that – when adhered to, can help anyone enjoy more money and savings in 2015. It covers loads, from saving for school holidays, money saving tips for drivers and ways to cut your home energy bill. It’s a brilliant resource that’s well worth your time.

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