Top tips to beat the inflationary blues

LONDON (Reuters) - Consumers are increasingly feeling the pinch, as the fall-out from the credit crunch and rising inflation puts pressure on their budgets.

Here are five tips offered by cash-back Web site Quidco.com to beat the inflationary blues:

* Shop late for a good deal

Supermarkets often make price reductions on items nearing their sell-by date -- normally a good few days before their use-by date. The best deals tend to be after 7pm, when reductions of anything up to 75 percent can be found.

* Smart shopping on eBay

Look for items that have been spelt incorrectly. These items would not get picked up as readily by the normal eBay search engine, so will receive fewer bids and end up being sold for a lower price than usual. Sites such as Fatfingers.co.uk will do the hard work for you and find a variety of misspelled items.

* Take advantage of tax free savings

Rule changes that came into force at the start of the new tax year on April 6 mean that individuals can save up to 7,200 pounds tax free each year in individual savings accounts (ISAs), 3,600 pounds of which can be saved in cash. Price comparison sites, such as Moneyfacts.co.uk, give "best buys".

* Freecycling