Find out how to stop wasting money on shopping and utility bills in Spain. Here’s a compilation of the best top tips on saving money from me and my many alter egos!
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Are you wasting money on your shopping and utility bills?
Isn’t it cheaper in Spain?
Are your bills getting bigger?
What you need is the most comprehensive list of top tips on saving every single cent!
Stick around, and that’s exactly what you’ll get!
Dining out
Everybody likes a nice meal in the sunshine, but when you live here, and especially when you’re on holiday, it’s tempting to do it a lot, so how can you do it for less money?
The Over-65 card
That’s a very handy thing to have. You can save on food and travel and other things with it, but remember it’s for residents only. HERE is a link to where and how you can apply for the card for residents of Andalucia. If you live in another autonomous region, Google ‘over 65 card’ followed by your region.
What if I’m only on holiday?
There are a few ways that we can all save money, whether we live here or not. First of all, tap water is drinkable in Spain and by law it’s supposed to be available, so you don’t always need to buy bottled water.
You might encounter a little resistance to it in some restaurants, but there’s nothing wrong with asking. You might also find drinking fountains in some towns and villages, so it’s worth carrying a bottle with you to fill up, especially when it’s hot.
The Menu del Día.
In a lot of restaurants they serve a limited 2 or 3 course menu for an all in price, and that’s called the Menu del Día.
It’s not available all of the time, usually only on weekdays and not in the evenings.
Can you get free food anywhere?
Spain is famous for it’s tapas, which is small dishes of snacks, and depending on where you are in Spain, you can get free tapas when you buy a drink.
Granada
Granada city is the tapas capital, they’re very proud of that tradition. The whole of Granada province tend to offer the same, but the further from the city you go, the less guaranteed you are to get it automatically. In the city you even get a tapa with a soft drink in most places, but elsewhere it’s only with alcohol.
Outside of Granada you may get a little bowl of olives or similar. That’s mostly what you get where I live in Malaga province, which is only next door to Granada, but a lot of restaurants have a tapas menu where you can pick and choose what you get. But it’s not free. It’s quite cheap, and you do get to choose what you have, which isn’t usually the case with the free ones in Granada, you just get what they bring out. But with only a couple of drinks each, you can have a very cheap lunch or evening snack. Some of the portions can be quite big.
HERE is a link to a video I made about Granada that tells you lots about the tapas tradition.
Stop tipping like a tourist!
When you’re on holiday, every meal out is a special occasion and in the sunshine with a smiling waiter you feel like you should be giving a sizeable tip every time you eat or have a drink, but if you do that when you’re living here it can really add up and it’s not always expected.
Spanish people only really do it in restaurants when they’re out for a good meal, but maybe not when it’s a snack or a drink, perhaps a coin or two, it’s up to you really. I tend to leave a tip in the local bars because I believe in supporting local businesses.
Free festival food & drink!
There’s sometimes a big communal paella or some local dish that they serve for free at festivals & Ferias. There’s a celebration here in Cómpeta called Noche del vino (night of wine) which actually starts early in the afternoon and along with free entertainment they give out the local wine and some food too.
Avoid the tourist traps!
You may find that the busiest places for tourists are the ones with the most expensive prices for everything. So find the quieter places for the best prices.
Charity shops.
There are charity shops in Spain, so you don’t always have to splash out on brand new clothes, and just like anywhere else, there are sales going on all the time.
Furniture!
This might sound a bit strange, but one of the best places to pick up something for free is at the local rubbish tip. People are always leaving things there that are almost new or still in good condition.
I think it’s because when you buy a Spanish house, the furniture often comes with it so gradually you replace it all with your own style. It’s a bit of a hobby for retired expats to be changing furniture, decorating their homes, building extensions.
But a word of warning, don’t just throw big items by the bins at the side of the road assuming someone can use them. In some places people are throwing any old junk there and it makes a mess and makes the council workers’ jobs harder. They do an excellent job emptying the bins.
But it’s amazing what you can pick up for free at the tip.
Check your local Facebook group.
That’s another great source of free or cheap stuff. Every village and town seems to have a buy and sell page on Facebook, so if you join up with them and make sure you say yes to notifications, you’ll be quids in.
Use public transport
If you don’t use public transport you’re missing out on meeting people on the busses and trains, and you can save a lot on fuel and all of the regular expenses like tax, insurance, maintenance, parking and tolls.
Also, if you’re a working couple in Spain with two cars, have a think about whether you can arrange your lives to only need one. And can you use public transport for some journeys? There are also some savings you can make on train and bus tickets, especially if you use them regularly.
How about using the bus to go to the local market for fruit and veg.
Markets
Markets have fresh local produce, which means you’re getting what’s in season which makes it plentiful and cheaper. You can also buy just what you need for a few days so you’re not wasting food when it goes off. And you can haggle a bit on price if you want. At our local fruit & veg shop they’re always giving away a bag of something they’ve got too much of.
It doesn’t grow on trees!
Money doesn’t, but free food does, if you’re lucky you’ll have trees and bushes in your own garden where you get regular free food. Spain’s climate means you can grow lots of amazing stuff, and there’s nothing quite like eating food straight from the tree or the ground. Especially if it’s free, it tastes all the sweeter!
Utility bills
You can save money on your utility bills. It’s always a good idea to shop around and find a tariff that suits you. Ask your utility company to begin with to see if your usage is more suited to a different tariff, and if they can’t help, phone up some others, or try some comparison websites.
More than half of Spanish properties are on a tariff where the price is always changing and certain times of day and on different days you can find much cheaper rates.
There are apps where you can check on today’s prices, and they announce in the evening what the next day’s rates are, so you can plan when to use some of the more expensive electrical items like washing machines, cookers, dishwashers, dryers, anything with a heating element to it really. We have a bill of less than €100 per month, which is great considering what we use.
Vouchers
Check what you can get on special offer in the supermarket, use vouchers from magazines.
Any questions or other ways of saving? Tell us below so everyone can benefit.
Peace & Love! Peas & Fluff! Let’s dance!
Article by Skatz
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