Savvy ways to save your lifestyle when money’s tight
So you like to get your nails done every week, dine out at the best restaurants and have a pair of designer heels on at all times. Join the club. We don’t mean metaphorically, but literally – you really should join the club.
Cost-sharing sites, members-only clubs and online flash-sales are becoming the new way to maintain a luxurious lifestyle on a budget. We’ve hunted down three of the best ways to save without needing to slum-it
1. Flash sale sites
Some sites allow members to make great savings, but only if they act very quickly.
Perhaps the best known site of this type is BrandAlley.co.uk, where well known fashion, homes and beauty brands sell their products at hugely reduced prices for a very limited time only.
You have to sign up to Brand Alley to be eligible to buy, and you have to act quickly to get the best deals. The site’s members get sent emails notifying them of forthcoming sales, which makes it easier to get involved. At the time of writing there was up to 75% off Stila make-up, up to 61% off 7 For All Mankind jeans, and lots of other bargains.
Achica.com is another site which only launched a couple of months ago and operates on a similar principle with sales on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The virtual doors open at 8am and members receive emails prior to the opening of sales, with sneak previews and details of what will be on offer.
2. Bulk buying for discounts
No, this doesn’t mean heading down to CostCo and buying 300 tins of baked beans while they’re cheap, it means harnessing the power of a group to secure a massive price reduction.
If you’re based in London then Keynoir.com is a site featuring food, travel and entertainment bargains – but you’ll only get the special rate if a specified number of people sign up for it – this is known as the ‘tipping point’, the number of people needed to activate the deal.
For beauty deals, Wahanda.com is worth checking out too. Each day there’s a special ‘MobDeal’ advertised (at the time of writing it’s £20 to spend at a beauty salon in London, Birmingham or Manchester for £2) and again there’s a ‘tipping-point’ for the deal to become active.
3. Rent, don’t buy
If coughing up hundreds of pounds for a designer bag or gown for a wedding or just for a treat isn’t an option, then you could consider renting the objects of your desire instead.
Several sites have recently sprung up that offer the most amazing goodies – from Dior dresses to Christian Louboutin heels. Ones worth a visit include:
* girlmeetsdress.com – a dress hire site where you can find little numbers by YSL and Marc Jacobs among lesser-known designers, and also hire yourself a fascinator and clutch bag to match;
* Cinderella-me.co.uk – a very glam site where you can find Jimmy Choo and Louboutin heels from as little as £40 a week. The posher pairs are more like £80 a week though.
* FashionHire.co.uk – our favourite for designer bags. It has everything from the Chanel 2.44 shoulder bag to the delectable Mulberry Mabel on offer.
