Now that I am out of the United States Air Force, I have realised how expensive it really is to live over here and when Americans complain about rising gas prices, I can only roll my eyes because they do not know how good they have it!
You might be asking why this has only hit me when I separated from the military and it is because Americans stationed over here can buy gas (petrol) on base at American prices and the utilities are paid for.
The first tip I have for you is to sign up for the weekly Money Saving Expert Newsletter, he gives tips on how to save money on days out, utilities and much more!
Days Out/Low Cost/Free Activities
Geocoaching- I learned about Geocaching on one of our A to B Homes walks. All you need is a GPS to participate. The idea is people hide geocaches and then put the coordinates in the database. So if you know you are going to a certain location, you can see if there are any geocaches hidden there. If you take something out of the geocaches, you leave something there for the next person. Then when you get home, you go to that database and log that you found it. Children love a treasure hunt!
DIY Tours-You can do a search for podcasts for tours of the local areas which are free or for a small fee. Here are a few links that I found:
Park and Rides are a good way to visit city centers. There are set rates, time is unlimited, and saves hassle of finding central parking lots. Look for vouchers before going out.
Get the Tescos clubcard and the Nectar card. Save up the points but do not use them in the shop. Use them for other rewards such as days out as they are worth more.
Sign up for Martin Lewis’ weekly ‘Money Saving Expert’ newsletter. It has great deals for shopping, eating out and more!
Pack a picnic and head to the town centre in Cambridge, Ely, and Bury St Edmunds! Great idea when the sun comes out! Also head out to the country parks too!
Take walks on the public footpaths; they are free and will show you a new side of the U.K.
If travelling by train, you might be able to get in to your favourite attractions 2 for 1.
Get an English Heritage membership one year, and National Trust another! Use these to plan your days out and save money!
Get active! Start cycling, walking, or running.
Sign up for the newsletters of what is going on in the local areas, there are always free events on.
Eating Out
Sign up for restaurants newsletters.
Look out for coupons.
Collect Tesco clubcard points and for out.
Food
Shop off-base for breads, fruit and vegetables, they will be fresher and last longer. Meats are more expensive off-base but the quality is higher and will fewer chemicals in it.
If you are shopping on-base, keep on top of coupons from this website from the Commissionary.
Get coupons from the Airman and Family Readiness Center. Coupons can be used up to 6 months after expiration in the BX and Commissionary.
If shopping online at grocery stores off-base, use My Supermarket. You put what you want in the basket and they tell you where it is cheaper to get from.
Relook at your grocery habits; buy in bulk staple items on-base and use the corner shop (i.e. Co-Op) and market to top your fridge up during the week.
Homes
Do not get more house than you need, there are hidden costs for the bigger your house is, such as the heating costs and utilities. Also people end up hiring cleaners because they can't keep on top of things and they cost money!
Do not go over your OHA, no matter how much you love a house; instead save up for buying a house when you go back to the States. If you do, have a limit.
Live where your commute is not too far from base so that you save on gas but areas where you will frequent are accessible.
Live away from base, but not in commuter towns. The rents will be lower and you will get more house for your money.
Money
Withdraw British pounds off-base as the ATMs on-base add a small charge to the transaction (hidden of course!). You will see the exchange rate is higher on-base and that is why. Your bank will give you the best exchange rate and most ATM’s in the UK do not charge you for withdrawing money. When it asks you for your currency or the local, always choose local.
Do not buy money at the airport.
Shopping
Get coupons from the Airman and Family Readiness Center. Coupons can be used up to 6 months after expiration in the BX and Commissionary.
If you shop online, always search for a promotion code or voucher. They are easy to find and can save you loads of money.
Reduce your shopping in favor for days out. Pictures say a 1,000 words and memories travel better than stuff does in the next move.
Also sign up to Groupon, they will let you know of deals that are going on.
Sign up for a newsletter from the local shops, they will always have promotions and want you to keep coming back. Also hairdressers are always looking for people to work on for pics so you can also get a free or reduced haircut this way
Travel
Get a rail card, saving you money on your train travel.
Try the tickety split app. It splits your rail journey to save you money.[ii]
When travelling with 3 or four people, get the group save tickets.[iii]
See if a single ticket is cheap than a return. So buy your way there and your way back separately.
Book as early as you can for train tickets.
Travel off-peak if you can, generally not before 09:30 and between 15:00-18:45.[iv]
Park in the correct areas to avoid a ticket.
Turn data roaming off on your smartphones. Your apps may still be running without you knowing it.
Check when parking fees stop on streets in city centers when going out to eat in the evening. You could park some places for free.
Use Park ‘n Rides when visiting towns.
Enroll your children in American schools because the holidays are different, so the times you will be traveling will be cheaper.
Get in the habit of walking or cycling for those shorter journeys, it is good for you and the environment.
Get an Oyster card or use your contactless card when you travel on the tube in London, it will not cost you more than a travelcard but could cost you less!
Pack light when flying to avoid paying for checked luggage.
Never exchange money at the airports! Instead check out the Post Office and off-base banks that do not charge a commission.
[i] Family and Friends Railcard, “Home,” accessed June 27, 2013, http://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/
[iii] National Rail Enquiries, “Groupsave,” accessed June 27, 2013, http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr354fdc0a0400020101fea1769fbf60.aspx
[iv] First Capital Connect, “Off-Peak Ticket Restrictions,” accessed June 27, 2013, http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/tickets-and-fares/off-peak-tickets/travel-off-peak/ticket-restrictions/
Utilities
Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
Don't leave appliances on standby or charge unnecessarily, turn them off at the socket.
Only use the washing machine when its full.
Hang your laundry to dry rather than using dryers.
Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC (3ºF) could cut your heating bills by up to 10% and save you around £65 per year.[i]
Only get a home that has an energy efficiency rating of D or above.
Get a house with double glazing.
Wear slippers around the house.
Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
Don't leave appliances on standby or charge unnecessarily, turn them off at the socket saving up to £90 a year.[ii]
Wear your clothes more than once. This is also better for your clothes and makes them last longer.[iii]
Replace your light bulbs with energy saving ones. Shop around for good deals and save around £60 per year![iv]
Only heat the rooms that you are using.
Do not call 0844, 0845, 0870 or 0871 numbers because they call you for the call. Try to locate a local number to contact companies instead. They are not in the inclusive costs for many mobile phone.
Do not call 0800, 0808 or 0500 numbers on your mobile phone because it costs you extra. However, 0808 80 numbers are free. There are apps that you can download like 0800 Wizard which will give you a local number so that you use your inclusive minutes instead of charging you extra.
Set the timer on the water heater for when you need hot water.
Only heat the house when you are there.
Check the energy rating of your house, the better the rating the more it saves!
Use cleaners, laundry detergent and body products from off-base, they are better suited for the hard water here.
If your front door has a draft, put a curtain over it to prevent the cold air from coming in.
Dress for the weather, in the winter wear sweaters inside the house because it is too expensive to heat a home so it feels like summer.
Do not bother with getting Sky or any other cable, make the most of your assignment and step away from the TV! You can get Freeview which will give you plenty of channels and is free!