Buy new and you could make savvy savings in 2009

National housebuilder Taylor Wimpey is offering homebuyers in the north of Scotland some foolproof advice to reduce their outgoings and make savvy savings in 2009. With sorting out finances topping the list of 2009 New Year resolutions*, buying a new home could actually help purchasers reduce their costs in the long run.

According to research**, buying new could save you £700 a year in energy bills and 25 per cent in home insurance***. Modern homes also have less DIY and maintenance costs and in addition to a range of special offers and incentives, there are some significant savings to be made.

Karen Armstrong, George Wimpey East Scotland's sales and marketing director comments: "There is no doubt that 2008 was a challenging year with many people reluctant to move. However, we believe that with the right advice and support, 2009 will be the right time to buy and actually reduce expenditure in the long term. That is why, in addition to an exclusive selection of January incentives, we're providing some expert top tips on where to save. By following our ten simple steps and making some practical changes, buyers could make some considerable reductions."

Plus buyers to George Wimpey's developments throughout the north of Scotland will get more than a New Year hand-shake, as the company has extended its' generous offer to pay the ‘Home Report' costs on a customers' existing property if they buy a new George Wimpey home by 31 January 2009.

This extra-special New Year bonus is in addition to the support already available to customers taking advantage of George Wimpey's Easymover, or part-exchange schemes that are both currently available on selected plots at developments throughout the region.

For more information, log on to Georgewimpey.co.uk.

Ten Top Tips For Savvy Savings In 2009

Household Insurance
It is always worth shopping around when looking to take out a new policy or renew an existing one. Make sure you look at what the policy covers as well as any special incentives on offer from new providers. You can find advice and links to the price comparison sites at moneysavingexpert.com

Energy Suppliers
Comparing electricity and gas suppliers could save you money. Uswitch.com offers a comprehensive comparison database which can help you to compare the leading providers in your region, gives you an estimate of how much you could save on your fuel bills, and enables you to change providers. If you don't want the hassle of switching once you've compared the costs, you can always call up your current supplier and try to get them to price match, but be persistent. Remember, competition is tough out there and many energy suppliers want to keep hold of their customers for as long as possible, a fact that you can use to your advantage when seeking to reduce your bills.

Landline Telephones
Shopping around for a package that best suits your own requirements can significantly cut your telephone bills. The cost of landline phone calls is made up of separate components - line rental and a series of tariffs covering calls to other UK landlines, mobiles and overseas. Choosing the cheapest combination of tariffs to match your own usage will undercut any standalone provider, making you considerable savings. Look out for associated broadband deals to reduce your costs here too.

Mobile Telephones
The variety of mobile phone networks and tariffs can make finding the best deal confusing but there are a number of easy to use comparison sites such as Mobilephonechecker.co.uk that can help you to make considerable savings. First work out what type of package suits you best. Heavy text users, for example, can reduce their bills by seeking out free text deals. If you already have a contract, consider switching tariffs or persuading your network to find the best package; they will often be able to offer you a better deal to retain you as a customer.

Supermarket Shopping
Food costs have rocketed over recent months, putting a real strain on many households, but there are simple ways to reduce costs. Looking out for coupons in magazines, on packets and online will save you money and sticking to a list or shopping online will help you resist unnecessary impulse buys. Try downshifting to cheaper brands, which can result in huge savings across the year. Mysupermarket.co.uk includes a downshift challenge to show the scale of possible savings. If you're worried about tasting the difference, Supermarketownbrandguide.co.uk includes reviews of supermarkets' own brand products by a food critic and rates them against branded goods.

Banking
Making the most of your hard earned cash is particularly important in the current climate. Seeking out the best interest rates will boost your savings and there are some great offers around to save you money on your current accounts, including 0 per cent overdrafts and cash back for switching. Many banks only pay around 0.1 per cent interest on current accounts in credit while overdrafts can often incur charges of around 20 per cent so switching to an account offering a better deal can make a big difference.

Cash Back
When shopping online make sure that you register with one of the 'cash back' web sites. These offer you a percentage of your purchase price back from participating stores. Online cash back is the commission normally paid to one web site that refers a customer to another.

Paperless Billing
Opting for paperless billing can save you money on many of your household bills. Many suppliers such as utility companies and telephone providers give discounts for opting to get bills via e-mail rather than post.

Standby Reduction Devices
A television left on standby can consume nearly 70 per cent of the electricity that it would if it was switched on. A standby reduction device is a socket that slots into a normal electricity power point. You can then connect your appliances to the socket as normal and use the remote control that comes with the standby reduction device to turn off your appliances. If you have a number of appliances across the house you can turn them all off simultaneously. A standby reduction device will cost you around £15 each, but you are likely to recoup the cost within 12-18 months or sooner if you usually leave appliances on overnight.

The 'Four Day' Wait
If you are about to buy something which really isn't a necessity and you have a little voice whispering in your ear, listen to it, and wait four days before you make the purchase. It gives you time to seek advice, compare prices, come up with an alternative, or even to decide that you didn't really need or want it.

*According to research by Gocompare.com in December 2008.

**Energy Bills - Independent assessment, carried out by Habitus Home Information Pack Specialists, compared two similarly sized three bedroom three storey townhouses - one a brand new Taylor Wimpey home and one a traditional Victorian house built in 1899. The cost of heating the new property totalled £241 compared to £947 in the older property.

***Home Insurance - Home insurance price comparison based on like for like quotes for a 1960 and 2005 three bedroom, semi-detached property on moneysupermarket.com. Quote was 25% cheaper to insure the new property.