Stupidly Obvious And Simple Ways To Save Money Every Day

Do you want to put money away into savings? Or do you have credit card debt that you’re working off?

Either way, trying to save money can sometimes feel hopeless – especially when the cost of living is always on the rise. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible – it just means that you need to learn a few handy money-saving tips to eliminate everyday expenses.

With our simple tricks to tighten your belt (without feeling as though you have no financial freedom), you can make small adjustments that lead to big results.

1. Ditch The Takeaway Coffee Habit

• Average cost of a takeaway coffee: £3.40
• Monthly cost (5x takeaway coffees per week): £68
• Annual cost: £816

If you’re in the habit of grabbing a takeaway coffee before heading to the office every morning, you may be surprised at how much your cup of joe costs over time. Although the average coffee costs around £3.40, some bigger chains like Starbucks cost well over £5 for a hit of caffeine.

However, just making a small switch to instant coffee, such as Nescafé Original, can help you save tonnes of money every month.

In fact, the average cost of 1 kg of instant coffee is around £26 – and that can make around 555 cups of coffee! That means that each cup costs only £0.05 to make. Compared to your everyday latte, that’s a saving of around £3.35 every day (provided you’re only having one cup a day).

Potential annual savings: Around £800

2. Bring A Packed Lunch To Work

• Daily spend on meal deals: £4
• Weekly total (5 days): £20
• Annual cost (48 working weeks): £960

Let’s be honest: Grabbing a meal deal from your closest Tesco or Waitrose is super convenient – especially when you’re running off your feet at work. But is the proverbial juice really worth the squeeze? Well, not quite!

On average, a meal deal can cost anywhere from £3 to £5. And, if you’re buying a quick lunch every day, all these seemingly small amounts can really add up.

Of course, this amount doesn’t account for any extra money you may spend while you’re browsing the aisles of the supermarket. So, if you tend to buy more than just what you went in for each day, you could be spending more than £960 each year.

Fortunately, you can cut your daily lunch costs in half by making yourself a packed lunch. Plus, this is a much healthier alternative since you can ditch the crisps and opt for more nutritious food options.

Potential annual savings: Around £500

3. Cancel Unused Subscriptions

• Average monthly cost for subscription services: £50 – £100
• Annual cost (12 months): £600 – £1,200

Subscription services can bring a lot of benefits into our lives, from providing us with entertainment to eliminating the time we spend out and about at the grocery store. Still, a staggering 42% of people completely forget that they’re paying for certain subscriptions, such as their mobile phone or streaming services.

With most households paying around £50 for monthly subscriptions (on the lower end of the scale), it begs the question: Are these services worth the money?

While a £7.99 standard Netflix subscription may not seem like much to pay for entertainment each month, subscribing to multiple services can really add up.

For instance, adding the additional £7.99 for Disney+ and £8.99 for Amazon Prime already leaves you at a grand total of around £25 per month – just for streaming platforms!

If you want to save money fast and eliminate any frivolous expenses, the best thing to do is cancel unnecessary subscriptions to services you no longer need or use. Just ask yourself? Do I really need to be subscribed to three different streaming platforms?

It’s also incredibly easy when you use apps like Emma, which are designed to track your spending and help you cut down on extra expenses. In some cases, you may be able to slash your subscription fees in half!

Potential annual savings: Up to £600

4. Walk Or Cycle Short Journeys

• Cost of fuel for short journeys (2 miles per day): £2.40
• Annual cost: £115.20

We’re all guilty of hopping in the car for a short trip to the supermarket or on quick errands throughout the day. However, not many of us have stopped to think about how the cost of fuel for these shorter trips can eat away at our budgets.

While longer commutes are mostly unavoidable, being more mindful about how you use your fuel can really help with your money management. For example, switching to walking or cycling for shorter trips can reduce your spending in the long run. And, while it may not feel like a big saving, just imagine being able to put at least £115.20 into an emergency fund or savings account every year.

Getting your cardio in is also a great (and free) way to exercise, improving your health. It’s a total win-win!

Potential annual savings: £110+

5. Stop Buying Bottled Water

• Average spend on bottled water: £0.65 per litre
• Annual cost (2.5 litres per day x 365 days): £593.13

When it comes to cutting costs, it’s worth examining your spending habits. This is particularly true when it comes to seemingly small charges like buying bottled water.

On average, it’s recommended for men to drink around 3 litres of water per day, while women should aim for around 2 litres. Considering that each litre you buy costs around £0.65, that totals around £1.63 every day. Although it may not seem like much, if you’re consistent in your drinking habits, this could lead to spending almost £600 on bottled water a year!

When you switch to tap water (£0.10 per litre), you’re saving £0.50 for each litre you use – that’s £1.25 every day that you can instead put towards your monthly bills.

Potential annual savings: Around £500

6. Use Energy Smarter At Home

• Average monthly cost of energy (standard 3-bedroom home): £130.50
• Average annual cost (standard 3-bedroom home): £1,828.68

It’s no secret that the cost of electricity and gas is a major problem – even when you’re on a fixed-rate tariff. With energy bills averaging £130.50 for 2 to 3 people every month, there’s no wonder that household expenses are through the roof. But they don’t have to be!

Did you know that leaving your devices and appliances (like your TV or computer) on standby mode may actually be costing you a significant amount of money? In fact, these hidden energy-suckers can add up to around £65 every year! So, just by switching off certain devices or unplugging them from the wall, you can score some big savings on your annual electricity bill.

There are some really easy ways to save money on your gas bills, too. For example, shortening your shower time from 8 to 4 minutes every day can save you between £60 and £75 a year. Similarly, washing your clothes at temperatures of 30°C uses 38% less energy than washing them at 40°C. Over time, this can make a huge dent in your energy bills.

Potential annual savings: £150+

7. Embrace Second-Hand Shopping

Thrifting has become all the rage among younger generations. But no matter which age group you fit into, hopping onto the second-hand trend could push you even closer to your ideal monthly savings amount.

Clothes are, by nature, an expense that (while necessary) can really chip away at your budget. After all, the average pair of jeans is around £30. And, when you add a new shirt, underwear, or even a pair of shoes into the mix, a new outfit may cost you well over £100. What’s worse is that these figures are on the conservative side, with some articles of clothing costing over £100 alone!

If you make the smart switch to buying second-hand clothes or furniture, you can save big on items that you want. For instance, a new dining table can cost anywhere from £200 to over £1,000. But when you buy a second-hand table, you can really strike a bargain, especially if you’re a savvy shopper and keep a close eye on platforms like Facebook Marketplace for great deals.

8. Avoid Impulse Buys And Unnecessary Spending

We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling the web, and something sticks out to you. You think, ‘I have to have it!’ and excitedly checkout and wait for your delivery. But, once you get your product, you can’t help but feel a twinge of buyer’s remorse. After all, are you really going to use a £50 bedside lamp just because it’s shaped like a croissant? Probably not.

On average, every single Brit in the UK wastes around £51.90 per year on items they don’t really want or need. And what is the main source of this unnecessary spending? Online shopping.

Although it may seem like a good idea to avoid shopping online, there are some instances where it’s unavoidable. With so many retailers trading exclusively on the web, it can also be an unrealistic expectation to place on yourself.

Instead, if you want to save money, you can implement a 24-hour rule: Do you still want to buy the product after 24 hours? Chances are that after sleeping on your decision to make the purchase, the urge to buy something will pass.

Another great alternative to help you save money is to implement a no-spend challenge. Ideally, you’ll want to try and go an entire week without any unnecessary expenses or purchases. Instead, limit yourself to only spending money on essentials like food, transport, and your bills.

9. Change Your Grocery Habits

• Average weekly food cost: £103
• Average monthly cost: £412
• Annual cost of food: £4,944

Have you ever noticed the difference between own-brand products and their branded counterparts? If you haven’t, this tip is potentially one of the easiest ways to save money fast.

We all know how expensive groceries can be. But, by switching over to own-brand foods, you can save loads of money every month. For example, a tin of own-brand baked beans costs around £0.30, while opting for Heinz baked beans costs almost five times the amount at £1.40 per tin. Just by making small changes to your shopping list, you can potentially save up to 50% on your grocery bills each week.

Of course, that’s not the only way to save on your groceries. For some of us, buying groceries each day has become a habit. After all, it’s a great way to reduce food waste, right? Well, this isn’t entirely true. Plus, it can really add up when you’re buying food in smaller amounts.

By buying your groceries in bulk and opting for meal prep, you can save hundreds of pounds a year. Each meal will only cost between £2 and £5 to make, which is much cheaper than spending £20 on groceries every day. So, it may be worth your while to examine your spending (and cooking) habits to avoid overspending on food.

Potential annual savings: £1,000+

10. Take Advantage Of Discount Codes, Cashback, And Rewards

Sometimes, the best way to save money is to be as shopping-savvy as possible! That means searching the web for discount codes or other ways to save. To help make it easier, we’ve put together some of our top money-saving tips using discount codes, cashback sites, and more:

• Discount codes: If you’re shopping online, take a second to look around for discounts before you hit the checkout button. With platforms like NetVoucherCodes, you can save up to 50% (or more) on certain brands and products!
• Loyalty rewards: Becoming a member or subscriber to your favourite stores or online brands can help save you a lot of money. For example, Tesco Clubcard holders can access exclusive prices and promotions just by signing up. Additionally, brands like The Body Shop reward members for shopping with points that can eventually be used for major discounts or freebies.
• Cashback websites: Cashback sites like Quidco can be extremely rewarding. All you need to do is shop with your favourite eligible brands, and you can receive a percentage of your purchase back in cash. It’s a great way to put money towards your savings goals without changing any of your habits.

11. Ditch Takeaways

• Average cost per person: £10
• Average cost per year (per person): £120

Having a sneaky takeaway at the end of your week is a great way to avoid cooking and treat yourself to something you really want. However, this spending can easily get out of control. And with the average cost of a single takeaway meal rounding out to around £10, it’s easy to spend over £120 on fast food every year.

In contrast, you can make a homemade meal for as little as £2 per serving (even less if it’s a simple meal!). That means you can eat five servings for the cost of one takeaway meal. So, just by cutting back on your weekly takeaway, you can save £8 a week on your food expenses.

Eating at home is also a much healthier option, which means you’re benefitting from more than just extra cash in your wallet at the end of the month.

Potential annual savings: Around £400

How These Small Changes Add Up

While a small saving here and there may not seem like it’s impacting your finances, it’s all about focusing on the big picture. In fact, if you implement a few of our money-saving tips, you can expect an annual saving of:

• Ditch coffee, bottled water, and lunches out: £1,800
• Cancel subscriptions: £600
• Be fuel-conscious: £110
• Use energy smarter: £150
• Change your grocery habits and avoid takeaways: £1,400

All of these savings require small but sustainable changes, but they total a whopping £4,060 a year! That’s not including other changes you can make, such as using discounts, buying second-hand clothes and furniture, and avoiding impulse buys.

FAQs

How do you save a little money every day?

The easiest way to start saving money every day is to create a daily budget and stick to it. Plus, you should only budget for necessities and essential expenditures such as food, bills, and transport.

How can I save a lot of money fast?

The best way to save a lot of money – and quickly – is to avoid impulse buys and limit the amount of ‘luxuries’ you’re purchasing. These include takeaways, coffees, and bottled water.

Final Thoughts

If you feel as though your spending habits are spiralling out of control, the easiest way to regain control of your finances is by eliminating unnecessary costs. Luckily, these handy tips are simple to implement in your everyday life and, with a little dedication, can save you thousands of pounds each year.