30 EASY WAY TO STASH YOUR CASH; SKINT? SAVE pounds 7,200 THIS YEAR.

Byline: By RUKI SAYID Consumer Editor

WITH only bills and a still-smouldering credit card to show for the festive spending spree, most of us will be tightening our belts.

One in three who splashed out in the post-Christmas sales will still be paying for their impulse purchases in March.

And according to research by the Yorkshire Bank, nine out of ten Brits didn't bother to budget for the bargains bonanza - leaving millions with a massive financial hangover.

Now experts from consumer watchdog Which? have come up with 30 money saving tips which could save a total pounds 7,223.24 over the year - enough for a new car, new kitchen or a luxury family holiday.

Says Which?: "Saving money isn't just about checking your accounts and investments - though it is a good place to start.

"You can save hundreds of pounds on everything from holidays to gas bills."

1 USE zero per cent credit card deals

SWITCH to a zero per cent deal if you are paying interest on your credit cards. Choose one without a transfer fee and save yourself pounds 176 on a debt of pounds 1,500 with a 15.9 per cent interest rate, repaid over nine months. Check www.credit-I card-savings.co.uk.

2 DOWNGRADE your company car

IF you have a petrol-driven company car and you switch to one with lower carbon dioxide emissions, it can knock 20 per cent off your tax bill. Changing from a car with emissions of 190g/km to 165g/km will save pounds 110 for a basic-rate taxpayer with a pounds 10,000 car.

3 USE price comparison websites

CHECKING prices of items like electrical goods can save a small fortune. For example, a Nikon Coolpix 8800 digital camera from Jessops is just pounds 513 at www.pixmania.com - a saving of pounds 187.

4 Claim for missed allowances LOOK at past years and see if you have missed allowances like child tax credit. If you forgot to claim child tax credit from 2002-03, you could be due pounds 529.

5 Energy labels CHECK domestic appliances as some are expensive to run. An A-rated washer-drier costs pounds 340 less to run over ten years than a G-rated machine, an annual saving of pounds 34.

6 Give up smoking SMOKING 20 a day costs pounds 1,825 a year.

7 Book trips early IF you know you are going to make a rail journey, advance booking, for example, on a journey from London to Edinburgh saves pounds 90.

8 Switch your mortgage IF your deal has finished, then go elsewhere. Moving a pounds 100,000, 25-year mortgage from a rate of 6.5 per cent to a lender offering 4.5 per cent can save pounds 933 a year.

9 Use tax-free savings accounts

CASH ISAs pay tax-free interest and could save pounds 126 a year.

10 Shop around for your car insurance

DON'T just accept your renewal quote - save up to pounds 100 by getting quotes from other companies or at www.money supermarket.com

11 Avoid fee-charging cash points

MOST banks still offer this service as free but if you pay to withdraw your own cash you could throw away pounds 78 a year in unnecessary charges.

12 Scart connectors

DON'T be pressured into buying an expensive pounds 40 scart lead for electrical goods. A pounds 10 lead will do the job and save you pounds 30.

13 Child car seats

atsSAVE money without compromising your child's safety by getting the Which? Best Buy Mothercare Travel Cot Deluxe for pounds 40 which scored higher in tests than the Britax First Class SI costing pounds 120. Save pounds 80.

14 Parking

THINK ahead and book off-airport car parking instead of just arriving at a long-stay car airport car park. Two weeks at Gatwick costs pounds 121.50 - pounds 69.25 more than booking in advance for a fortnight at APH's off-site facility.

15 SWITCH power suppliers

SAVE pounds 100 a year by changing your gas and electricity companies. Websites like Switch, SimplySwitch and energyhelpline are useful.

16 TURN down the thermostat 

KNOCKING one degree off your thermostat can cut heating bills by up to ten per cent - pounds 30 off an average bill of pounds 300.

17 Car tyre J. I pressure

HAVING the correct tyre pressure can save you pounds 85 a year on petrol if your drive an average 10,000 miles a year. Under-inflated tyres would cost you pounds 1,062.50 a year in petrol compared with pounds 977.50 if the pressure is right.

18 Switch your home phone supplier

SAVE up to pounds 107 a year on your phone bill by changing your landline provider.

19 Avoid branded medicine

BUY supermarket labels or the generic equivalent. A packet of Canestan tablets in Boots costs pounds 12, but if you ask for fluconazole it costs pounds 3. Save pounds 9.

20 Use low energy light bulbs

IF you fit eight low-energy 60W light bulbs, expect to save pounds 140 over five years or pounds 28 a year.

21 CHANGE your house insurance

SAVE up to pounds 100 by researching home insurance and go online for a better deal.

22 Cut down on take aways

CUTTING out one takeaway a week for a couple can save pounds 15 - that's pounds 780 a year.

23 REVIEW your savings

MOVE money from poor paying savings accounts into higher rates. Shifting pounds 5,000 from an account which pays one per cent interest to one that pays 4.8 per cent will save pounds 152 after tax.

24 Turn off appliances

SWITCHING off TVs, DVDs and computers rather than leaving them on stand-by will save you pounds 112 a year.

25 SHOP around broadband

DEALS like Freedom2surf Connect Lite package at pounds 14.99 a month can save pounds 420 a year compared with Supanet's Just-Broadband Unlimited package for pounds 49.99 a month.

26 Avoid extended warranties

IGNORE the sales pitch and save pounds 169.99, for instance, on a five year warranty for a Siemens WXL147 washing machine.

27 Switch your mobile tariff

TEXT maniacs can save pounds 150 a year by changing their tariff to one that better suits their needs. Heavy users on an Orange 12-month contract can reduce their monthly bill from pounds 45 to pounds 32 by switching to Orange Direct Plan 300.

28 Avoid designer coffee shops

A DAILY coffee on the way to work can cost pounds 2. Save pounds 500 a year by taking a flask. Get 29 GET savings tax back

IF you are a non taxpayer, get form R85 from your bank or building society to have interest paid tax free. It will save you pounds 20 on pounds 2,000.

30 Household water meters

IF you use a small amount of water think about getting a meter. If you pay annual water rates to Thames Water of pounds 268, it could save you pounds 93 a year.

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CAPTION(S):

PLAY SAFE: Keep your finances under lock and key' DEAL: Swap credit cards' RATING: Che your appliances' COOL: Turn heat down' DIAL DEAL: Change providers' BREAK: Take a flask