According to the National Lottery records which were published last week, you are more likely to hit the jackpot with an old-fashioned which people can spell. John and Margaret top the lists of men and female names respectively, whilst James, Peter, David, Michael, Susan, Patricia, Mary, and Linda also stand a good choice of winning.

Ilford, Essex is in pole position for Lotto wins, where there has been a top prize winning ticket among every 6,722 people. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne closely follows Ilford, where there is a winning ticket for every 6,884 people.

The statistics also reveal you are more likely to get lucky on the lottery if you work in construction, administration or management. Taxi and lorry drivers are in with a better-than-average shot at the winnings, whilst chefs, factory workers and shop assistants are also better equipped to strike it lucky. Bankers, politicians and estate agents however aren’t so lucky, statistically speaking, and are far less likely to win.

Other stats include nearly half (49%) of all lottery millionaires have won with a lucky dip, and nearly 40% of jackpot scoopers claim to have received a ‘sign’ that they were going to win. 53% of Lottery Millionaires considered themselves to be ‘lucky’ people, while 92% described themselves as ‘fairly or very optimistic’ in life.

Popular buys for the newly rich include a Mercedes Car, a holiday to the Caribbean, Canada or Australia, a hot-tub, a walk-in wardrobe and a snooker table.

The final stat revealed the most jackpot winners toast their new found wealth with… a cup of tea!
Don’t despair however, if you are not a Peter, from Ilford who drives a cab and has an optimistic approach to life.

To date, the biggest solo lottery winner is Iris Jeffrey, from Belfast, who won a cool £20,100,472 in July 2004.

1. Affiliate scheme site

These sites make you shop through them to pick up points which can be redeemed for gifts. They make their money by redirecting you to the shops site and then making a percentage on what you spend. They are great as if you were going to the shops site anyway why not get something back from it. My favourite affiliate site is ipoints which has almost every major retailer, gives a good number of points and has a great range of gifts when you redeem your points.

2. Voucher codes

When shopping online try searching for voucher codes in Google first for your favourite shop. The site myvouchercodes.co.uk has loads of codes for many shops and they’re often for 10-20% off and free delivery which is great when you only spend £5 and don’t want to have to pay another £5 for delivery.

3. Savings websites

Moneysavingsexpert.com is one of the biggest names in saving and provides all the best deals and offers that are on at the moment such as 2 for 1 offers at well known restaurants, voucher codes, comparisons between credit cards, utilities, mortgages and consumer rights advice. Other sites such as thismoney.co.uk provide great advice on personal finance and global financial news.

4. Shop around

Price comparison websites are genius, they allow you to save time and effort by checking the price of the product you desire at lots of different shops in split seconds. Kelkoo.co.uk is a good comparison site for electrical products / gift. For insurance, gas and electricity comparison then check out moneysupermarket.com.

I hope you find these sites useful, I don’t know how I’ve ever lived without them as they have saved me so much money over the past few years. If you know any really useful sites that warrant a mention then post a comment and share the wealth.