I’m a cash-strapped pensioner but my tricks save me £3,700 a year and I still get to enjoy days out
PHILLIP Duffin has spent his whole sniffing out a bargain, so when he finally retired, he knew nothing would change.
The 80-year-old former civil servant has saved over £3,700 in the last year alone by making use of little-known membership cards and other freebies.
The great-grandfather of five reckons he has saved thousands of pounds on his retirement experiences just by making the most of different membership schemes.
“I always look for the best deal,” he told The Sun.
“Memberships are a great way to save money on all sorts – if you use your membership cards and you live near properties and places of interest, you can save a huge amount on days out.”
As Phillip was a former principal in HM Customs and Excise – a public service job – he qualified for a Boundless membership, which gives him access to freebies and discounts.
Anyone who has worked in the public sector could qualify for a Boundless membership, meaning hundreds of thousands of people could benefit.
This includes the NHS, armed forces, teachers, council workers and former civil servants.
A membership costs anywhere between £40 and £68 a year – but if used well, the savings can be huge.
USING BOUNDLESS TO SAVE £3,700
The membership helped retiree Phillip save £340 on entries into National Trust venues and £28 on trips to Kew Gardens in one year.
And it is not just Phillip who has reaped the rewards of the membership, his wife Kathleen is also a fan.
The couple, who have been married for 60 years, have managed to save £136 by using the scheme to get discounted meals at ASK Italian, so he could save while also enjoying a meal-out.
“If you use your membership cards and you live near properties and places of interest, you can save lots on days out,” Phillip said.
“We’re lucky as we’re near a few different National Trust places and we’re not far from London.”
He also saved £3,000 by using Griffen, a discount scheme used by members of Boundless which knocks the price of a new car.
“The discount allows me to get a top-of-the-range model, and I’ve always been able to get rid of my cars at the going rate for a second hand one,” he explained.
“We last purchased a new car a couple of months ago – a Suzuki Ignis, to replace our last one that I aqua-planed into a ditch on the way back from choir practice.”
Motor insurance can be high so, Phillip recommends haggling for the best deal – he managed to wiggle his own prices down just by bartering with his provider.
“We’ve been with LV= Britannia Rescue for ages for breakdown cover and with LV= for car and home insurance,” he explains.
“I’ve often used their prices as leverage when talking to other insurers and they can’t match the price. That’s another good tip to get the best deal.”
STAYING SAVVY
Membership schemes are not the only way Phillip saves cash.
“We get some discounts and cashback through our Halifax HBOS bank account – we always look for the best deal.
“It gets us high street discounts at places like Cotswolds Outdoor,” he explained.
Some lenders offer cash back on their credit card offers, which means you can get a small percentage of money spent on purchases.
It can be a good way to save as you get a discount on things you already spend money on.
Many banks offer the service so it may be worth checking with your provider if you are keen to try it out.
With many bracing themselves for another winter of high energy bills, Phillip also has a number of hacks he likes to use to save money.
Phillip explains that he only puts on the hot water on for an hour a day and also saves washing up water for rinsing anything to go in the dishwasher.
“My wife thinks it is a useless thing to do but I still do it” he laughs.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER OPTIONS?
The Blue Light Card is another kind of membership card for some public service workers including social workers, firefighters and ambulance drivers, offering exclusive discounts.
You can grab discounts on clothes, holidays, insurance and cars.
It can be used across thousands of restaurants, shops and venues.
All in all, there are 15,000 discounts to choose from.
In 2024, teachers were added to the list of workers who are allowed to join the discount scheme.
A full list of those who are eligible includes anyone in the following roles:
- Ambulance service
- Blood bikes
- Fire service
- Highways traffic officers
- HM armed forces
- HM armed forces veteran
- HM coastguard
- HM prison and probation service
- Home Office (Borders and Immigration)
- Independent lifeboats
- MoD civil servant
- MoD fire service
- MoD police
- NHS
- NHS Dental Practice
- Pharmacy
- Police
- Red cross
- Reserved army forces
- RNLI
- Search and rescue
- Social care
- St Andrews ambulance
- St John ambulance
- Teachers
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.