As a Trainer since 2010 and Mentor since 2005 I, a self employed Trainer like many of you, find that work can flow in the way of either a feast or a famine at times! Given that some months, quarters, and indeed years, leave us with more cash flow than others it is always worthwhile looking at where and how we can save money as we go about our business. My granny always said to me: “if you take care of the pennies then the pounds look after themselves”, so in true penny pinching fashion here are five of our top TrainingMatchmaker.com tips for our local network of Trainers operating across Northern Ireland and beyond. Sure, you could even end up making yourself a little cash if you follow our advice:
1. Take advantage of reward schemes:
I hold loyalty cards for retail spends in Tesco, Nectar, Boots, Applegreen and for coffee shops like Clements and Caffe Nero, to name but a few! Trainers like us find ourselves spending significant amounts of money on petrol and on coffee meetings so why wouldn’t you sign up to get something back from expenditure you will be making regardless. Signing up is generally free and your rewards can add up to something relatively significant. I personally turn my Tesco blue reward vouchers that arrive in the post quarterly into diamonds… honestly…it’s simple really – by logging online to Tesco Clubcard you click to turn your blue vouchers into three or four times the value towards Goldsmiths, hotel stays, meals out, cinema tickets and more. As far as my hotel stays go – I book via TopCashBack (more about that in tip 3) to earn between 4% and 10% of my total cost back in cash – I also log in to my own profile on sites such as Hotels.com to use ‘Hotels.com Rewards’ in order to get one night free for every ten nights purchased (they take an average of your spend). Given the business I operate in and the amount of travel it entails – I have redeemed 5 free nights so far.For coffee shops it is generally one coffee free for every ten purchased. In Caffe Nero if you bring in your own reuseable cup you get 2 reward points for every 1 coffee purchased. Also if you download their loyalty app and send the ‘invite a friend’ code – you receive 2 free coffees when your referred friend purchases their first coffee using the app and they get a free coffee too. You could also use my code as well, so that you will get one coffee for free after getting your first loyalty stamp. There are a lot of Caffe Nero’s throughout the UK where you can have your daily coffee intake.
If your mobile phone is 02 – download the 02 priority app and get a free hot drink in Caffe Nero every Tuesday afternoon and one main course in Pizza Express each week for £5. (Aside from your work as a trainer you can also pick up free ice-cream or even a branded Advent calendar in Thornton’s)
I’m such a cheap date thanks to @PizzaExpress @O2 Priority App
— Christine Watson DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer (@Watsonmydear) April 10, 2018
🥗 🍕£10
Escaping from work for lunch hour with my beau – priceless
Thanks @MSE_Deals for all the penny saving advice pic.twitter.com/u0u0wFu27q