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- Moneymagpie.com

Making money can be very easy when you put a bit of effort in, but it can be easier and more realistic to have more money by being smarter with what you’ve already got.

Making sacrifices isn't always easy, particularly when you've got used to a certain way of life. But getting a better deal on all the essential costs of your life can help you save money without having to risk giving up any necessary insurance costs.

1. Switch your insurance.
Use comparison sites to find the best prices and better deals on everything from home insurance, car, private medical and life insurance.

2. Insurance - don't pay twice.
Check your home contents insurance before taking out separate mobile, computer, or bike insurance. It may already by covered to a certain extent.

3. Give up some luxuries.
Do you really need two cars? Downsize or use Streetcar.com. Do you need hundreds of channels? Switch to freeview for £20 and get 30 or more free-to-air channels. Save £192 on your subscription.

4. Ditch the costly mobile phone.
Do you really need a contract or can you use pay-as-you-go? Or some companies now allow you to buy sim cards that are not on contracts, but have a good deal like £25 a month with free minutes.

5. Downgrade to the cheaper brands.
Try a few budget items at your local supermarket to see what you like. You can save up to 30% on your weekly shopping bill.

6. Don't forget those little day-to-day costs.
The average Brit spends £5 every working day on lunch, which works out to over £1000 a year! Try taking your lunch to work more often, and bring a flask of coffee.

7. Don't waste food.
We throw away a third of all food that is bought in the UK according to Lovefoodhatewaste.com. Check out their website for loads of information and ideas on how to use those leftovers.

8. Cut your water bills and save water.
Save litres by washing your clothes at 30°, have showers instead of baths, use the dishwasher and save 75% of water compared to hand washing dishes, and turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

9. Cut your energy bills.
Don't use the tumble dryer, dry your clothes outside or get an airer for £10. Save £37 a year by turning off electrical equipment rather than leaving it on standby. And get timers for your plugs so you won't forget!

10. Cut your gas bills.
Use comparison sites to get the best deal. There are over 6000 different tariffs in the market and some companies claim to save you over £300.

So hopefully we've proved you can save yourself a fair bit of money without having to ditch too much of what you love, and of course keeping that all-important insurance.

We took a look at how much the average family could save by cutting their costs:

Home buildings and contents insurance £169.45 a year, car insurance £190.55 a year per vehicle, which if you have two cars works out as £381.10. So altogether a total of £550.55 per year (of course this is higher if you have life insurance, or private medical insurance).

But if you follow our advice and cut some of your other costs to compensate, you stand to save much more. Even if you only follow a few of the tips, your savings could look like this:

Switch sky for freeview - £172 a year

Switch bought lunch for homemade lunch - £1,000 a year

Saving water - upwards of £25 a year

Saving energy - upwards of £37 a year

Total Saving = £1,234

For more tips go to Moneymagpie.com and sign up for the newsletter.