It’s still only early New Year and already there have been a lot of price hikes, not to mention the VAT rise to 23pc. Add to that the fact that none of us feel secure in our jobs (if we have a job) and what do you get?

You get a situation where we had better make savings when we shop and what’s more, we’d better stick to it. In 2012 caution will reign as our master.

Caution is good but can be a bit boring sometimes, so what about finding ways to shop that will save you money? In other words, buy what you need or want but buy for less. Not a bad goal for this year!

One thing that none of us can avoid spending money on is food. While the VAT increase won’t affect most food products, and thankfully food inflation levels remained low with an average of 1.1pc in 2011, given that groceries account for over 10pc of our household spend, it’s worth trying to get more for less.

Most of us do the savvy thing and shop in more than one store these days and avail of promotions, but how do you know where the best prices are to be found, without having to wear out your shoe leather?

Try www.cheapeats.ie for weekly supermarket special offers. And to do a complete price comparison subscribe to www.fitthebill.ie (free) or www.smartshopper.ie (€11.99/year). They detail all prices and you can create shopping lists from the cheapest.

And don’t forget own brand. The savings compared to big brand products can be as much as 40pc, and with three tiers of own brand offerings in the big supermarket chains and two tiers in Aldi and Lidl, there is plenty of choice.

If you do your grocery shopping online with Tesco or Superquinn, then don’t head directly to their websites. Instead sign up to a cash-back site (www.fatcheese.ie / www.cashbackireland.com) and link to the supermarket’s site via them.

Just for doing that, cashbackireland will give you €1 back (payable to your bank or PayPal account) for repeat shops with Tesco and fatcheese give you 75c. But if it’s your first online shop, fatcheese are offering €10 cash back and a further €10 off if you spend €60 or more. They also give €6 back to new customers of Superquinn online and 75c for each shop after that.

Saving money on your groceries isn’t the only thing cash-back sites can do for you; every sector is represented. On fatcheese for example, new bill pay customers to Meteor get €40 cash-back; you get 9pc back if you buy clothes from All Saints or 3pc back from Dell. It’s a no brainer.

Staying online, remember that offers from the ‘daily deal’ sites average 60pc of the full price. While the majority of deals are health and beauty related, you can also find plenty of restaurant and hotel deals alongside language courses and handymen services. Yes there will be plenty of stuff there you don’t actually need, but wouldn’t it be nice to able to afford a treat because you are getting it for less?

And if you think it’s embarrassing to use coupons like that, think again. A whopping 137,000 deals were sold in December 2011 alone, totaling €4.7million! That’s according to www.mydealpage.ie, who handily enough provide details of all the deals in one daily email, so you’re not faced with a barrage of emails to your in-box from several deal sites.

Sticking with coupons, the Americans have had their coupon books for years, so why not get money-off coupons and information on sales and discounts at www.5hop5.ie, www.bethrifty.ie and www.onoffer.ie.

And you have to get around too so it’s worth saving while shopping for your transport needs. If you drive, check www.pumps.ie to find the cheapest petrol or diesel in your area and use their App if you have a Smartphone.

If your car needs a part, here you have a choice; buy a branded part or an OEM (original equipment manufacture) part for less. For example, front brake pads would cost you €38 instead of €69 or a fuel filter €9 instead of €30.

And, by the way, these parts are exactly the same. Most car manufacturers do not make all of their parts and some don’t make any at all. Instead independent parts makers do. That means that you are buying the exact same thing except it doesn’t come in a box festooned with a car logo. Or you are buying a ‘matching quality’ part, which is made by an independent maker who doesn’t supply to car manufacturers, but makes the parts to the same specifications.

So ask your authorised dealer for an independently sourced part rather than a branded one, buy from an independent garage or buy online from sites such as www.micksgarage.ie or www.team.ie (PR Reilly). For public transport users in the greater Dublin area (for now), buy a Leap card at www.leapcard.ie or in a participating newsagent.

It costs €5 (refundable when you give it back), but you save around 5pc on every journey on the bus, Luas or Dart. This is especially good for occasional users, as you top up the card with cash and it doesn’t expire. For example, you pay €1.95 instead of €2.15 or €1.70 instead of €1.90 on your bus fare, and that all adds up.

Commuters should buy a monthly or yearly ticket and then make sure your employer is in the Tax Saver Scheme (www.taxsaver.ie) and you join it. That way the cost of your ticket is deducted from your wages before you pay tax. You save between 31pc and 52pc on tax, PRSI and USC on the price of the ticket. Given an annual Bus Eireann ticket costs around a grand, that’s worth about €300 to €500 to you.

And while I’m at it, if you’re buying a bike to cycle to work remember that your employer can give you up to €1,000 from your wages before tax is taken to buy the bike. The same savings are to be made as above so check www.cycletowork.ie for more information.

Take it from there and don’t look back!

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