Amazon slashes £16 off Crocs sandals that shoppers ‘can walk in for miles'
Amazon has slashed the price of Crocs' platform sandals by 36% in a limited time deal and shoppers have been praising their comfortability and lightweight feel
Love them or hate them, there's no denying the Croc resurgence we've been seeing over the past few years.Embellished and heeled Crocs were spotted all over Simone Rocha's SS24 catwalk show, while new styles including flip flop Crocs and chunky platform Crocs have emerged, lending them a fashionable edge.
And if you've not quite been convinced by the classic clog, you'll be pleased to hear that there's a slightly more fashion-forward and summer-appropriate style currently reduced on Amazon.
The exact style we're talking about is the Getaway Platform H-Strap Sandal, which have been discounted from its usual £44.99 to £27 - £30 (depending on size). There are various colours available, however, it's is just the Quartz colour that has the limited-time 36% discount.
These chunky sandals are a part of the Crocs' most comfortable collection yet, thanks to their Free Feel Technology that makes it feel like you're not even wearing anything on your feet.
The straps are smooth and flexible, which ensures no rubbing or digging in and makes them perfect for long, hot days out. Not to mention the subtle platform is perfect if you want to add a little extra height without having to wear an uncomfortable heel or wedge.
It's worth noting, however, these sandals have a wide, roomy fit so if you've got narrow feet, they may feel a little too loose.
Shoppers can't seem to get enough of these chunky shoes, with hundreds of glowing reviews. One customer wrote: "I am a big Crocs fan and have had this style before but with a thinner platform. Well I am not disappointed, Crocs are really upping their game when it comes to comfort. I can walk in these for miles! Love them to bits, true to size and super quick dispatch"
A seconded added: "I love these!!!. Comfortable, true to size and lightweight. Not had a blister yet and worn them a lot. Great price at £27 though they were more purple than they looked in the picture I still love them."
The main criticism from shoppers was about sizing issues. A few claim that these run smaller, so we suggest sizing up from your usual to ensure ultimate comfortability.
If the Quartz colourway is not your style, Crocs is also running a sale on this style at the moment with the black ones available for £31.49.
In other sale news, Fitflop has kicked off its massive summer sale, which sees up to 40% off best-selling styles. Our top picks include the GEN-FF Leather Fisherman Sandals, now £98 down from £130, and the GEN-FF Leather Back-Strap Toe-Post Sandals, now £88 down from £125.
Happy Crocing!
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The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Free coffee, cut-price theatre tickets and birthday upgrades: 42 genius ways to beat the system
The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. 1 If you sign up to secret seat-filler sites such as Show Film First and Central Ticket, you'll be alerted to last-minute tickets at rock-bottom prices – sometimes nothing at all. The only catch is you have to keep this on the quiet to maintain the illusion that performances are packed with paying punters. 2 Want to read the New Yorker article everyone's talking about, but don't have a subscription? You can do so for nothing with many library memberships and the Libby app, which gives access to pretty much every magazine you can think of, with no loan limits. Libby and a similar app, BorrowBox, also lend thousands of ebooks and audiobooks; read or listen on your phone, iPad, Kindle or laptop. 3 An underutilised benefit of Amazon Prime is Prime Reading: hundreds of free Kindle books and audiobooks are included, as are magazines such as Grazia and Radio Times. 4 Bagging tickets for concerts and festivals has never been more competitive. Tools such as Visualping alert you as soon as a webpage has changed – so you can be first in the queue when seats are released. It's also handy for securing a table at hot restaurants, knowing when a sought-after pair of trainers is back in stock, or alerting yourself to events such as the Eurostar flash sale. 5 Don't let theatres fool you into thinking restricted view seats are a false economy. For instance, the end-aisle seats for Hamilton in London's West End are consistently rated five stars by users of the site SeatPlan, who report that, as Hamilton is primarily performed at the centre of the stage, you won't miss any key plot points or songs. SeatPlan collates hundreds of thousands of seat-view photos, so you can check the vantage point before you buy. 6 You should rarely be paying full price for the latest blockbuster either. Sky Cinema customers get free Vue tickets, Amazon Prime members get discounted Odeon tickets, Tesco Clubcard holders can spend their points at Cineworld, and Lidl Plus members get membership of the Cinema Society, with 40% off many screenings. Buy your insurance through and Meerkat Movies gives you two-for-one on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a range of cinemas, including Picturehouse. 7 'JustWatch is a brilliant tool that shows the different places you can stream shows and films, and how much they might cost you,' says Francesca Steele, culture critic and writer of the Trash Culture newsletter. 'For example, you might assume you can only watch the latest season of The Last of Us if you have a Sky subscription. But the JustWatch site shows that you could also sign up to a free seven-day trial on Now, or buy the series on Apple TV.' 8 The Dice app lists cultural events in cities across the UK, which you can sort by price. It's a quick way to discover free or affordable gigs, live comedy, podcast recordings or new art exhibitions. 9 Work out when the hardest-to-book restaurants open their reservations and set an alarm (or use an AI monitoring tool). For example, Gymkhana in London's Mayfair releases tables at 6am two months in advance; for Tom Kerridge's The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, it's six months to the date you'd like to book. Sign up to restaurants' email lists too: some offer early access to loyal fans. L'Enclume, Simon Rogan's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Cartmel, Cumbria, sends priority booking invitations and cancellations via its newsletter. 10 Follow chefs, restaurants or front of house on social media to hear about last-minute tables. Oisín Rogers, landlord of the much-hyped and usually booked-solid Devonshire pub in Soho, London, has been known to announce cancellations on his Instagram Stories. 11 Sushi chains Itsu and Wasabi sell off whatever is left from the day at 50% off 30 minutes before closing. 12 Before you book a restaurant, check for money-off vouchers on the new breed of restaurant discount apps, says Amelia Murray, money expert at 'There are a few to choose from, including TheFork, which is free and offers discounts of up to 50% off your meal, plus you can earn points every time you use it, which can be redeemed against future bookings.' Or try EatClub, co-founded by Marco Pierre White, 'as a way for restaurants to optimise spare capacity and generate predictable revenue'; it has just launched in London and offers discounts of up to 50% off your bill. 13 Get wise to 'menu engineering'. This is a whole area of expertise that helps restaurateurs boost their profits, and it pays not to be taken in by the tricks. 'The top-right corner of a menu is prime real estate,' says Ben Floyd, a chef and the managing director of Lumière Consultancy. 'That's where your eyes tend to land first, so you'll often find the most profitable dish there. You'll rarely see pound signs any more – they remind people they're spending money. And often there'll be a 'decoy' dish – something expensive to make the rest of the menu seem more reasonably priced.' 14 Before booking any element of your holiday via a third-party site, have a look at what you could get by going direct. On flights, online travel agents often charge more for seats or bags than the airline itself. As for hotels, Zanna van Dijk, a travel and fitness content creator, always books direct: 'You often get better rates, they might throw in breakfast and you'll have a higher chance of an upgrade on arrival.' 15 Speaking of upgrades, if it's a significant event – a milestone birthday, say, or a honeymoon, or if you just want to try your luck – email your hotel at the time of booking to say why you're looking forward to your stay and ask for an upgrade. If you don't ask, you probably won't get. 16 The same hotel room may be significantly cheaper booked on a mobile phone rather than a laptop, but you'll be none the wiser unless you check. Sites such as offer mobile-only deals; some hotels will give bigger discounts if you download their app or join their mailing list. 17 That's not to say that boutique travel agents don't earn their commission, especially if you're travelling with kids. Francesca Collinson of Tiny Travelship, a family-focused travel agency and hotel directory, says, 'We have the insider intel on when luxury hotels have sales running, when the best time of year to book flights is – 11 months in advance. We can unlock free transfers, free creche sessions, or complimentary upgrades to room and board.' 18 Hiring a car for a foreign trip? Go to the destination country's website. Research from Which? found that, in the US for example, booking the same car through Hertz's site there rather than cut the cost by £347. In general, just replace the end of the url with the relevant country's top-level domain. 19 A local bus can be a cheap way to see the tourist sites. Lonely Planet rates the 101 that runs along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, towards the scenic rock stacks making up the Twelve Apostles. I rate the number 7, down the hill from the Tuscan hilltop city of Fiesole into Florence, Italy, which costs less than €2. 20 Before you travel overseas, open a Monzo or Starling bank account if you don't already have one. You can do it with a quick selfie video and a picture of your passport, and you'll get a card in the post within a week, which you can use for all holiday spending, free of currency conversion charges. 21 Luton airport lets you skip queues, without any cost, by prebooking security. But don't automatically pay in advance for fast-track access at all other airports: for example, Manchester and Stansted will let you buy it on the day. 22 When buying any item online, try adding it to your basket then sleeping on it before you hit pay. Not only is this the best way to reel yourself back from a late-night emotional spending binge, but you will very likely wake up to a discount code in your email inbox from the retailer who wants you to complete the purchase. 23 Add the Honey tool (powered by PayPal) to your browser, such as Safari, and it will alert you when you visit a website where you can use a discount code or get cashback on your purchase. Coupert, an AI-powered shopping assistant available on Google Chrome, automatically tracks prices of products and tells users when discounts are available. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion 24 'Type into ChatGPT: I have a loyalty card (use any example you want). Are there any hidden benefits I can use here, such as double-points days, referral bonuses or rewards?' advises Harriet Meyer, consumer journalist and creator of AI for media. 'I found I had £50 worth of Nectar points I didn't know I was entitled to. Or try, 'I'm buying XX. What's the best combination of cashback sites and discount codes to maximise savings?'' You could also upload an image of your supermarket shop and ask how you can save money on your food bills. 25 Supermarkets have taken the obvious expiry dates off fruit and veg to reduce food waste. But if you're buying food and you would like it to last for as long as possible, you can hack their codes. According to Which?, at Asda and Tesco, look for a letter followed by a number: 'A' is January, 'B' is February, 'C' is March, while the number is the day of the month. For example, the best-before date of an item with the code 'I27' is 27 September. Sainsbury's codes begin with 'J' and end with 'S', standing for J Sainsbury, and contain the date in the middle. So the best-before date of an item with the code 'J0910S' is 9 October. 26 As former operations director with butchers The Ginger Pig, Lynsey Coughlan recommends buying meat on the bone, which is always cheaper, to save money when cooking at home. 'If you buy chicken breasts, you're more or less paying for the whole bird, and you can use the carcass for soup and the thighs for curry. The same goes for any kind of meat. Ask your butcher to bone it out, and keep the bones for stock.' Sausages can be a cheaper substitute for mince. 'With Italian sausage, you've already got the perfect fat balance, you've got all the seasoning to make a proper ragu and it's a time saver, too.' 27 The packaging for many household products seems designed to make it impossible to use every last drop. That's why everyone needs a tube-squeezer key (for toothpaste, moisturiser, puree; try Lakeland) and a foam pump bottle, which reduces liquid soap use by turning it into foam (try Muji). 28 If you take at least five empties to be recycled at Boots – these have to be packaging you can't recycle at home, such as mixed metal and plastics, or old mascara wands – then spend £10, you'll receive 500 Advantage Card points (worth £5). 29 Price tags are not set in stone. The thought may make you shudder, but you can haggle at many high-street shops. Martin Lewis reports that a member of staff at a big DIY store told him that if anyone asked for a discount, they would automatically give them 10% off. Of those who dared to try, 57% of people got a discount at B&Q, 49% at Currys and 38% at Waitrose, according to a survey a few years ago by Money Saving Expert. 30 Monitor Vinted or eBay when there's a popular beauty subscription box or Advent calendar on sale. You can pick up a bargain when people resell unopened makeup or perfume that doesn't suit them. Last year that included dozens of Le Labo Rose rollerball perfumes, from Liberty's Beauty Advent calendar, for £20 or so (they're £78 new). 31 Shops discard skincare, hair care or makeup products when external packaging is damaged or opened, even if the product is untouched. Sites such as This is Beauty and Boop buy them up and sell them on, often at a 70% discount, to avoid landfill. The product is quality-checked and it's made clear what is wrong. 32 It's frustrating that with some bills – water and council tax, for example – it's impossible to shop around. Martyn James, a consumer-rights expert, says there is one way to ease the pain of your council tax payments, 'and it's so simple, you'll kick yourself. Almost all of the local authorities in the UK will bill you over 10 months, so you get February and March for free each year. But you can ask your council to spread the payments over 12 months instead. If you're paying £1,800 a year, then over 10 months you pay £180 per month. But over 12, you pay £150.' When it comes to water, if you have the same number or more rooms than people living in your house, a meter will most probably save you money. This is because you're being charged for the actual water used rather than an estimate based on the rateable value of your property. Look on your water company's website for water-saving gadgets; some are free. A tap aerator can reduce water consumption by up to 50%. 33 Before paying for software – or signing up for trials you might forget to cancel – look for the open-source alternative. Gimp is the free rival to Adobe Photoshop; Audacity lets you record, edit and manipulate audio files; and KeePass is a free, open-source password manager. 34 The best deals on mobile contracts are available from smaller companies that use the same infrastructure as the big four, such as Lebara (on Vodafone), or 1p Mobile (EE). Both score higher in Which? customer satisfaction ratings, too. You'll feel extra smug on holiday: while three of the big four now have roaming charges in the EU on their standard packages, many of these small companies don't. 35 University libraries are peaceful but vibrant co-working spaces, at a fraction of the cost of a WeWork. The University of Manchester, for instance, offers annual community membership for free, with access to its 2,000 study spaces and guest wifi, and it's open into the evening. Members of the public can get reference access to UCL libraries from £7 a day, £30 a month or £200 a year – less than the cost of just one month at many private co-working offices – giving access to study space across all campuses in London, including Senate House, as well as the subsidised student canteen. 36 Buy discounted gift cards online, or through cashback websites such as TopCashback. You can then use them to pay for your normal shopping, services such as Spotify and Uber, food prep services like HelloFresh, and most supermarkets and chain coffee shops. It's a faff, but will work out a little cheaper as long as you don't forget to spend them. 37 Comparison sites are constantly competing for business, so they offer generous freebies. 'I got a £20 Sainsbury's voucher and a monthly free coffee at Greggs when I bought car insurance via says Clare Seal, a financial coach and presenter of the podcast Help Me, I'm Poor. She also rates the app Sprive, which lets you overpay your mortgage using cashback from everyday spending, 'potentially knocking years off your term'. 38 Don't pay for mobile data you don't need. Switching on low data mode on your phone saves battery life, but also bills, if you have a low-data package, by reducing how much you're using. Adjusting your app settings to lower the default video quality and turning off auto-play on social media helps, too. 39 Got a parking ticket? If a car park operator is not a member of the British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Community (IPC) and they leave a ticket on your car, they can't access your details from the DVLA. Citizens Advice says you can choose to do nothing, if it's a private parking firm, as it's a civil rather than a criminal matter. 40 The best interest rates on savings often fall away after a year and providers bank on their customers not having time to shop around. By signing up to a platform such as Raisin UK you can easily move your money between different accounts when rates fall or rise, without having to fill out new application forms each time. 41 If you open a bank account with a subscription fee jointly with a partner, you can both take advantage of add-ons, such as mobile phone and travel insurance, for no extra monthly cost. 42 Check if you can access financial advice through your employee benefit scheme for the whole family. One money coach says that she offers the opportunity for employees to bring a partner to one-on-one coaching sessions, free – though hardly anyone takes her up on it.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Amazon shoppers swear by this £17 find for sweaty nights
'These are so useful, they make sleep bearable again' The UK has been sweating through a string of warm summer nights lately - and for those still tossing and turning in the heat, you're not alone. While a quality fan or temperature-regulating bedding can help, Amazon shoppers have found a cheaper, clever alternative that's gaining traction. The Bramble Cooling Pillow Insert Pad, now £16.99 on Amazon, is a no-fuss sleep jack designed to be chilled in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then, it can be slipped over or under a pillow to provide an instant cooling sensation. Shoppers are loving it, with many saying it's been a total 'godsend' during hot weather. One reviewer claimed it 'keeps cool at night', while another said it 'calms me into a serene sleep.' The pad itself is made from waterproof nylon and filled with high-grade silicone gel, so it stays cooler for longer without creating dampness. Weighing just over 1kg, it's light enough to stay in place without shifting around and compact enough to store in the freezer between uses. While ideal for heatwaves, it can also be brilliant for muscular pain relief. The cooling effect will provide gentle, soothing comfort for anyone experiencing back strain, neck tension, or frequent headaches. However, there are numerous other moisture-wicking alternatives on the market. I've compiled a list of some of my favourite temperature-regulating options here. These include Piglet in Bed's linen sheets, available in a variety of colours and boasting a timeless yet breathable design. For those who still prefer using a duvet, the low-tog Slumberland duvet starts from £49.99 and has received accolades from users as being 'perfect for all year round.' Back to the pillow pad, the majority of Amazon shoppers love it. One said: "It keeps cool all night and I like the shape. It sits well in the middle of the pillow and doesn't fall into the bed like so many I have had in the past. I will repurchase it when it loses its gel." A second added: "It stays cool for a good length of time. So far, I've found it useful for icing injuries to my leg and also wrapping around my head when I have a headache." However, they noted: "I haven't used it so much as a pillow insert because, at some point in the night, it inevitably warms up and is then just an item that makes the pillow slightly less comfortable." Another person had a slight complaint, too: "Cools down for a little bit but then goes the other way after a while and makes it uncomfortable. Will probably use it to cool down my feet rather than my head." That being said, other shoppers have had a better experience. This user said: "Since the menopause, I always seem to be flushes, just uncomfortably are so useful they make my sleep bearable again. They are soft, of course, and they eventually get warm by your body heat, so I bought two." And another piped up: "It does do exactly what you hope. It cools your head, and it does it well. Just be mindful that it does warm up over time, and it bunches up as well, losing its shape as you move about. This isn't avoidable at this price point. I recommend it."
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Free coffee, cut-price theatre tickets and birthday upgrades: 42 genius ways to beat the system
The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. 1 If you sign up to secret seat-filler sites such as Show Film First and Central Ticket, you'll be alerted to last-minute tickets at rock-bottom prices – sometimes nothing at all. The only catch is you have to keep this on the quiet to maintain the illusion that performances are packed with paying punters. 2 Want to read the New Yorker article everyone's talking about, but don't have a subscription? You can do so for nothing with many library memberships and the Libby app, which gives access to pretty much every magazine you can think of, with no loan limits. Libby and a similar app, BorrowBox, also lend thousands of ebooks and audiobooks; read or listen on your phone, iPad, Kindle or laptop. 3 An underutilised benefit of Amazon Prime is Prime Reading: hundreds of free Kindle books and audiobooks are included, as are magazines such as Grazia and Radio Times. 4 Bagging tickets for concerts and festivals has never been more competitive. Tools such as Visualping alert you as soon as a webpage has changed – so you can be first in the queue when seats are released. It's also handy for securing a table at hot restaurants, knowing when a sought-after pair of trainers is back in stock, or alerting yourself to events such as the Eurostar flash sale. 5 Don't let theatres fool you into thinking restricted view seats are a false economy. For instance, the end-aisle seats for Hamilton in London's West End are consistently rated five stars by users of the site SeatPlan, who report that, as Hamilton is primarily performed at the centre of the stage, you won't miss any key plot points or songs. SeatPlan collates hundreds of thousands of seat-view photos, so you can check the vantage point before you buy. 6 You should rarely be paying full price for the latest blockbuster either. Sky Cinema customers get free Vue tickets, Amazon Prime members get discounted Odeon tickets, Tesco Clubcard holders can spend their points at Cineworld, and Lidl Plus members get membership of the Cinema Society, with 40% off many screenings. Buy your insurance through and Meerkat Movies gives you two-for-one on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a range of cinemas, including Picturehouse. 7 'JustWatch is a brilliant tool that shows the different places you can stream shows and films, and how much they might cost you,' says Francesca Steele, culture critic and writer of the Trash Culture newsletter. 'For example, you might assume you can only watch the latest season of The Last of Us if you have a Sky subscription. But the JustWatch site shows that you could also sign up to a free seven-day trial on Now, or buy the series on Apple TV.' 8 The Dice app lists cultural events in cities across the UK, which you can sort by price. It's a quick way to discover free or affordable gigs, live comedy, podcast recordings or new art exhibitions. 9 Work out when the hardest-to-book restaurants open their reservations and set an alarm (or use an AI monitoring tool). For example, Gymkhana in London's Mayfair releases tables at 6am two months in advance; for Tom Kerridge's The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, it's six months to the date you'd like to book. Sign up to restaurants' email lists too: some offer early access to loyal fans. L'Enclume, Simon Rogan's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Cartmel, Cumbria, sends priority booking invitations and cancellations via its newsletter. 10 Follow chefs, restaurants or front of house on social media to hear about last-minute tables. Oisín Rogers, landlord of the much-hyped and usually booked-solid Devonshire pub in Soho, London, has been known to announce cancellations on his Instagram Stories. 11 Sushi chains Itsu and Wasabi sell off whatever is left from the day at 50% off 30 minutes before closing. 12 Before you book a restaurant, check for money-off vouchers on the new breed of restaurant discount apps, says Amelia Murray, money expert at 'There are a few to choose from, including TheFork, which is free and offers discounts of up to 50% off your meal, plus you can earn points every time you use it, which can be redeemed against future bookings.' Or try EatClub, co-founded by Marco Pierre White, 'as a way for restaurants to optimise spare capacity and generate predictable revenue'; it has just launched in London and offers discounts of up to 50% off your bill. 13 Get wise to 'menu engineering'. This is a whole area of expertise that helps restaurateurs boost their profits, and it pays not to be taken in by the tricks. 'The top-right corner of a menu is prime real estate,' says Ben Floyd, a chef and the managing director of Lumière Consultancy. 'That's where your eyes tend to land first, so you'll often find the most profitable dish there. You'll rarely see pound signs any more – they remind people they're spending money. And often there'll be a 'decoy' dish – something expensive to make the rest of the menu seem more reasonably priced.' 14 Before booking any element of your holiday via a third-party site, have a look at what you could get by going direct. On flights, online travel agents often charge more for seats or bags than the airline itself. As for hotels, Zanna van Dijk, a travel and fitness content creator, always books direct: 'You often get better rates, they might throw in breakfast and you'll have a higher chance of an upgrade on arrival.' 15 Speaking of upgrades, if it's a significant event – a milestone birthday, say, or a honeymoon, or if you just want to try your luck – email your hotel at the time of booking to say why you're looking forward to your stay and ask for an upgrade. If you don't ask, you probably won't get. 16 The same hotel room may be significantly cheaper booked on a mobile phone rather than a laptop, but you'll be none the wiser unless you check. Sites such as offer mobile-only deals; some hotels will give bigger discounts if you download their app or join their mailing list. 17 That's not to say that boutique travel agents don't earn their commission, especially if you're travelling with kids. Francesca Collinson of Tiny Travelship, a family-focused travel agency and hotel directory, says, 'We have the insider intel on when luxury hotels have sales running, when the best time of year to book flights is – 11 months in advance. We can unlock free transfers, free creche sessions, or complimentary upgrades to room and board.' 18 Hiring a car for a foreign trip? Go to the destination country's website. Research from Which? found that, in the US for example, booking the same car through Hertz's site there rather than cut the cost by £347. In general, just replace the end of the url with the relevant country's top-level domain. 19 A local bus can be a cheap way to see the tourist sites. Lonely Planet rates the 101 that runs along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, towards the scenic rock stacks making up the Twelve Apostles. I rate the number 7, down the hill from the Tuscan hilltop city of Fiesole into Florence, Italy, which costs less than €2. 20 Before you travel overseas, open a Monzo or Starling bank account if you don't already have one. You can do it with a quick selfie video and a picture of your passport, and you'll get a card in the post within a week, which you can use for all holiday spending, free of currency conversion charges. 21 Luton airport lets you skip queues, without any cost, by prebooking security. But don't automatically pay in advance for fast-track access at all other airports: for example, Manchester and Stansted will let you buy it on the day. 22 When buying any item online, try adding it to your basket then sleeping on it before you hit pay. Not only is this the best way to reel yourself back from a late-night emotional spending binge, but you will very likely wake up to a discount code in your email inbox from the retailer who wants you to complete the purchase. 23 Add the Honey tool (powered by PayPal) to your browser, such as Safari, and it will alert you when you visit a website where you can use a discount code or get cashback on your purchase. Coupert, an AI-powered shopping assistant available on Google Chrome, automatically tracks prices of products and tells users when discounts are available. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion 24 'Type into ChatGPT: I have a loyalty card (use any example you want). Are there any hidden benefits I can use here, such as double-points days, referral bonuses or rewards?' advises Harriet Meyer, consumer journalist and creator of AI for media. 'I found I had £50 worth of Nectar points I didn't know I was entitled to. Or try, 'I'm buying XX. What's the best combination of cashback sites and discount codes to maximise savings?'' You could also upload an image of your supermarket shop and ask how you can save money on your food bills. 25 Supermarkets have taken the obvious expiry dates off fruit and veg to reduce food waste. But if you're buying food and you would like it to last for as long as possible, you can hack their codes. According to Which?, at Asda and Tesco, look for a letter followed by a number: 'A' is January, 'B' is February, 'C' is March, while the number is the day of the month. For example, the best-before date of an item with the code 'I27' is 27 September. Sainsbury's codes begin with 'J' and end with 'S', standing for J Sainsbury, and contain the date in the middle. So the best-before date of an item with the code 'J0910S' is 9 October. 26 As former operations director with butchers The Ginger Pig, Lynsey Coughlan recommends buying meat on the bone, which is always cheaper, to save money when cooking at home. 'If you buy chicken breasts, you're more or less paying for the whole bird, and you can use the carcass for soup and the thighs for curry. The same goes for any kind of meat. Ask your butcher to bone it out, and keep the bones for stock.' Sausages can be a cheaper substitute for mince. 'With Italian sausage, you've already got the perfect fat balance, you've got all the seasoning to make a proper ragu and it's a time saver, too.' 27 The packaging for many household products seems designed to make it impossible to use every last drop. That's why everyone needs a tube-squeezer key (for toothpaste, moisturiser, puree; try Lakeland) and a foam pump bottle, which reduces liquid soap use by turning it into foam (try Muji). 28 If you take at least five empties to be recycled at Boots – these have to be packaging you can't recycle at home, such as mixed metal and plastics, or old mascara wands – then spend £10, you'll receive 500 Advantage Card points (worth £5). 29 Price tags are not set in stone. The thought may make you shudder, but you can haggle at many high-street shops. Martin Lewis reports that a member of staff at a big DIY store told him that if anyone asked for a discount, they would automatically give them 10% off. Of those who dared to try, 57% of people got a discount at B&Q, 49% at Currys and 38% at Waitrose, according to a survey a few years ago by Money Saving Expert. 30 Monitor Vinted or eBay when there's a popular beauty subscription box or Advent calendar on sale. You can pick up a bargain when people resell unopened makeup or perfume that doesn't suit them. Last year that included dozens of Le Labo Rose rollerball perfumes, from Liberty's Beauty Advent calendar, for £20 or so (they're £78 new). 31 Shops discard skincare, hair care or makeup products when external packaging is damaged or opened, even if the product is untouched. Sites such as This is Beauty and Boop buy them up and sell them on, often at a 70% discount, to avoid landfill. The product is quality-checked and it's made clear what is wrong. 32 It's frustrating that with some bills – water and council tax, for example – it's impossible to shop around. Martyn James, a consumer-rights expert, says there is one way to ease the pain of your council tax payments, 'and it's so simple, you'll kick yourself. Almost all of the local authorities in the UK will bill you over 10 months, so you get February and March for free each year. But you can ask your council to spread the payments over 12 months instead. If you're paying £1,800 a year, then over 10 months you pay £180 per month. But over 12, you pay £150.' When it comes to water, if you have the same number or more rooms than people living in your house, a meter will most probably save you money. This is because you're being charged for the actual water used rather than an estimate based on the rateable value of your property. Look on your water company's website for water-saving gadgets; some are free. A tap aerator can reduce water consumption by up to 50%. 33 Before paying for software – or signing up for trials you might forget to cancel – look for the open-source alternative. Gimp is the free rival to Adobe Photoshop; Audacity lets you record, edit and manipulate audio files; and KeePass is a free, open-source password manager. 34 The best deals on mobile contracts are available from smaller companies that use the same infrastructure as the big four, such as Lebara (on Vodafone), or 1p Mobile (EE). Both score higher in Which? customer satisfaction ratings, too. You'll feel extra smug on holiday: while three of the big four now have roaming charges in the EU on their standard packages, many of these small companies don't. 35 University libraries are peaceful but vibrant co-working spaces, at a fraction of the cost of a WeWork. The University of Manchester, for instance, offers annual community membership for free, with access to its 2,000 study spaces and guest wifi, and it's open into the evening. Members of the public can get reference access to UCL libraries from £7 a day, £30 a month or £200 a year – less than the cost of just one month at many private co-working offices – giving access to study space across all campuses in London, including Senate House, as well as the subsidised student canteen. 36 Buy discounted gift cards online, or through cashback websites such as TopCashback. You can then use them to pay for your normal shopping, services such as Spotify and Uber, food prep services like HelloFresh, and most supermarkets and chain coffee shops. It's a faff, but will work out a little cheaper as long as you don't forget to spend them. 37 Comparison sites are constantly competing for business, so they offer generous freebies. 'I got a £20 Sainsbury's voucher and a monthly free coffee at Greggs when I bought car insurance via says Clare Seal, a financial coach and presenter of the podcast Help Me, I'm Poor. She also rates the app Sprive, which lets you overpay your mortgage using cashback from everyday spending, 'potentially knocking years off your term'. 38 Don't pay for mobile data you don't need. Switching on low data mode on your phone saves battery life, but also bills, if you have a low-data package, by reducing how much you're using. Adjusting your app settings to lower the default video quality and turning off auto-play on social media helps, too. 39 Got a parking ticket? If a car park operator is not a member of the British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Community (IPC) and they leave a ticket on your car, they can't access your details from the DVLA. Citizens Advice says you can choose to do nothing, if it's a private parking firm, as it's a civil rather than a criminal matter. 40 The best interest rates on savings often fall away after a year and providers bank on their customers not having time to shop around. By signing up to a platform such as Raisin UK you can easily move your money between different accounts when rates fall or rise, without having to fill out new application forms each time. 41 If you open a bank account with a subscription fee jointly with a partner, you can both take advantage of add-ons, such as mobile phone and travel insurance, for no extra monthly cost. 42 Check if you can access financial advice through your employee benefit scheme for the whole family. One money coach says that she offers the opportunity for employees to bring a partner to one-on-one coaching sessions, free – though hardly anyone takes her up on it.
