Bling is out and bargain is in! The days of OTT are over, instead savvy shopping and clever budget management is in vogue. Those who can find the best deals and discounts are the new trendsetters and here are some of their savvy tips to make sure that you are part of the "in crowd".

Discount divas:

Be the one to tell all your friends about the best bargains in town, like the fantastic discounts available to eBucks members who bank with FNB (available on www.eBucks.com). Do a night at the movies for half price or do your Woolies shopping with gift cards from www.eBucks.com at a 15% discount. Now you can maintain your lifestyle and your supermarket!

Creative alternatives:

Get more out of the products you use everyday and follow the latest micro trend from the urban trend scouts. Here are some of the alternative uses for products that are the current buzz: Toothpaste for drying out pimples, plain, natural yogurt as a sunburn soother or mix with uncooked oats as a facial scrub and Stoney Ginger Beer as a cure for nausea (go to www.instantgrass.com for more of the latest trends).

Airtime bundlets:

Cut down on chit-chat with R5 and R12 airtime bundlet options. R5 worth of airtime will give you up to three days of MXit time with friends and family. The less you have, the more you learn to do with it. If you want to hold onto your pennies, buy airtime with your eBucks instead.

DStv:

Select viewing – Tired of flipping through endless sports channels that you never watch and still pay for? Switch to the "mini" version of DStv which can be found in DStv EasyView for as little as R20 per month.

All a-Twitter:

Not only is Twitter the hottest latest social phenomenon it's also a great way to get news updates for free. So you can be cool and in the know at the same time!

Shampoo savvy:

Stretch your good hair days – Use the 'good stuff' every alternate wash and your good hair days will last twice as long. For the in between days choose a basic shampoo and conditioner which will be good enough.

Free fuel:

With so much of our disposable income being swallowed by fuel costs, nothing like filling up for free at Engen with your eBucks. Just think what you could do with that saving...

About eBucks:

eBucks, the rewards programme offered by First National Bank (FNB) and RMB Private Bank, is acknowledged as one of South Africa's leading rewards programmes with highly active members spending in excess of 80% of the eBucks earned in any given month.

Notes to editor:

eBucks, South Africa's most powerful rewards currency, has found that consumers value their loyalty points even more highly during economic downturns and members are using their eBucks to help them stretch their wallets.