8 websites that will save you money this weekend

24-Feb-2010

During your weekends, is it often a bit of a rush to get everything done that you didn't have time for in the week?  If so, your plans may include a spot of shopping (and maybe a big grocery shop), a telephone chat with friends and family, sorting out those pesky bills, planning this year's holiday and maybe a night out.  Phew.

Below are a list of websites that can save you money on everything from the weekly shop to finally sorting out that issue with your phone bills this weekend.  And getting all that 'life admin' out of the way means that you can treat yourself too, and save money once again!  So get clicking...

Skype.com

Whether you need to catch up with friends and family overseas, or just spend a lot of time chatting on the phone to people in the UK, why rack up hefty phone bills each month when you can chat for free instead?   As long as you have a decent internet connection, you can download Skype for free at Skype.com and be chatting within minutes.  Get all your contacts to download Skype too, and you'll never be faced with another massive phone bill again!

Toptable

If you're out for a meal over the weekend, you can do your party a favour and get everyone up to 50% off the total food bill by booking it through Toptable.  They feature thousands of restaurants all across the country, and you can check out sample menus and prices and read reviews from other diners before you book.

if you're a regular user, you can collect points by booking meals through the site a number of times and by leaving a short review of the experience afterwards. Once you have collected enough points, you can earn free meals and other rewards.  And best of all, it's completely free to use!

Quidco

Quidco is arguably the best-known of the cashback websites, which are sites that will give you money back on purchases you would have made anyway!  The way they work is by establishing relationships with shops, service providers (such as mobile phone and broadband companies) and banks, and by providing links for them on the site. Other top cashback sites include GreasyPalm.co.uk and Topcashback.co.uk.

You have to become a member of the cashback site (most offer free membership), and then when you click through to these sites from the cashback site, you are rewarded for the transaction and paid either a percentage of the cost of the item you've just bought or a flat fee.  That money is then saved in your account and you can use it on future purchases.  So for just a few more clicks each time you shop online, you can save yourself potentially hundreds of pounds over the course of a year.

Saynoto0870.com

This gem of a website lets you find the landline equivalents for all those premium rate numbers that companies use for their customer service phone lines.  Simply type in the name or the telephone number of the company you'd like to call, and the site will return a list of the alternative numbers for that company that don't cost the earth.  It can't reduce the time you'll spend on hold, and the hold music may still be dodgy, but at least you know that the wait will not cost you a fortune.

Lastminute

A regular in the committed bargain-hunter's repetoire, Lastminute has long been helping people find cheap deals on holidays and flights.  However, did you know that you can also use it to find deals on entertainment a little closer to home?  Lastminute run dinner and theatre offers from as little as 20GBP, spa days from 10GBP and even half-price cinema tickets during the week.  If you're looking for a quirky gift, you can even buy a loved one a chocolate making experience, some wine-tasting or a day out racing cars, all at pretty decent prices.

Travelzoo

A slightly newer addition to the discount travel circuit, Travelzoo releases a weekly 'Top 20', featuring the best deals on UK and international breaks from all over the Internet, and you can sign up to receive this from them by email.  Although the Top 20 comes out on Wednesday, you can find the list on their website all week, and can also browse for additional deals and offers.  As well as tempting worldwide offers, their selection of deals includes cheap UK train tickets and discounted stays in top UK hotels, so even if you are 'staycationing' this year you'll still find something to get excited about!

Savoo.co.uk

The rise of the voucher code has been unstoppable, and Savoo is one of the UK's largest voucher code sites.  You can find vouchers for everything from clothing to food and computers, so before you go shopping for something, have a quick browse and see if you can save yourself some money.  Just remember, it's only saving you money if you were going to buy the item anyway - voucher codes can be a dangerous thing if you are a bit of an impulse shopper!

SimplyFinance

OK, we had to put ourselves in here didn't we?  But if you are looking for mortgage advice, a better deal on your loan, new life or health cover or debt management advice, you can find hundreds of informative articles on SimplyFinance.  If you'd like to speak to an experienced adviser, you can even request a free callback through one of our forms here.  

Using the site costs you nothing, and there is no obligation to proceed with any of the quotes you are given.  Plus we have hundreds of calculators, helping you to plan a household budget, work out the true cost of a new mortgage deal, and even work out how much your gym membership is really costing you.  Check out our full list of calculators here.