Super Saver’s Advice to save on your hobbies this Summer
The world is opening up and, apart from when it’s snowing, the sun is starting to visit more often. That means it’s the perfect time to take up a new hobby in the great outdoors. Here’s how to save money on your new clobber.
Text:
Jonathan Watt
Published:
April 28th, 2021
This article has been written by PriceSpy’s Super Saver Jonathan Watt and approved by Milk & Honey. There are no paid links or other types of advertising collaborations.
Join the club
Tons of retailers offer immediate unconditional discounts to people that sign up for a store card or equivalent loyalty scheme. Make sure you’re on whatever list will get you that discount. Often, all you have to do is hand over an email address and some basic information. I have a second email address so that my main personal inbox doesn’t get clogged up with newsletters and other things.
Don’t shy away from paying a small charge, either. Go Outdoors, for example, charges £5 for annual membership to its loyalty scheme but you make that back (and more) in one purchase. If a shop needs to charge, the deals are bound to be good.
Spend to save
This one seems counterintuitive, but trust me. Especially when it comes to sports gear, it’s never worth taking the cheapest option. If you’re investing in anything that needs to endure some kind of impact – running shoes, tennis racquets, footballs, and so on – look for something slightly more expensive with lots of good reviews.
The hours soon rack up when you’re getting into your favourite new hobby. You need two things out of your gear: durability and quality. As you improve, either thanks to breakage or technical limitations, dirt-cheap equipment will have you spending again much earlier than you’d like.
Resist Wimbledon Fever!
Every sport has a Wimbledon. Big tournaments and cultural events inspire us to emulate our heroes and give things a go. Unfortunately, from a price point of view, there’s never a worse time to pick up a hobby than when it’s all over the TV.
Deals totally disappear during these intense “hype” periods. You can’t really plan ahead for what might give you the bug, but you can hold off for a couple of weeks until the next craze is in full swing.
Use web alerts
Comparison sites like PriceSpy are perfect for putting together a shortlist of retailers offering your chosen gear at the best price. Check back regularly, set shopping alerts on PriceSpy, and then pounce when a good deal reveals itself. Patience pays, so you don’t have to.
This article has been written by PriceSpy’s Super Saver Jonathan Watt and approved by Milk & Honey. There are no paid links or other types of advertising collaborations. Ellie Yeardye can be reached at [email protected].