What are your best day to day money saving tips?

[WhisperingHi]

What are your best day to day money saving tips?

I’m not talking about investments and ISAs. I’m talking about the small things you do or don’t do throughout the month that saves you money.

For me, my best one is when I get regular urges to spend. You know, browsing websites and wanting to splash on new decor or clothes which used to cost me at least £100 at a time. I’ve found the best thing to do when I’m feeling the urge to shop is to go straight onto my Tesco App and revise my food shopping basket for the next week. It takes some time up, satisfies my urge to search and select, and is actually useful.

Another thing I do is transfer money out of my main account into my savings pot when I get paid, even if I know I’ll end up transferring it back at the end of the month. It makes me feel tighter so I spend less.

What do you do?

I agree about the money saving tips. Sprive annoys me. So many of them rely on you buying extra things. If you have a shorter mortgage term you will spend less overall. If your mindset is not to waste money, but pay off the mortgage instead, you will get there quicker than putting a bit of extra cashback on it every so often.

Agree. I’m always amazed at the amount of ready meals, jar sauces etc that people put in their trolleys. Home made is far better. Batch cook and freeze helps. If I’ve got veg that’s not going to be used rather than throwing it away like I used to I now freeze to use in soups and stews.

When you’ve seen something you like online, go and see it in person.
Things are photographed to make them look good but in real life the homeware is shoddy and tacky (M&S, looking at you!) and the clothes don’t hang right on an average human body.
Also knowing that you’re parting with real cash can put you off.

Reel back on adult gifts and Christmas. Nobody needs more clutter.

Keep clothes if they’re good quality and suit you. They’ll come back into fashion. Today I’m wearing a red/pink top that must be 17yo and I have lots of on-trend gingham things that were bought over the years. I’m 58 btw.

Find a supermarket whose own brand products you trust to buy blind and stick with them. I like my local Co-op’s which stand the comparison, are ethical and reliably sourced whereas ALDI’s own brand always disappoints.

Decide against “silly” food like fizzy drinks and juice boxes (sorry kids), readymade rice salads, cut-up melon and breaded homogenized chicken crapola.
Anything a person has worked on will be more expensive when it gets to you. VAT may also be added. Learn to joint a whole chicken and portion it out. Buy a bag of flour and bake quick cheap things like muffins, crumble, naan with yoghurt, breakfast pancakes. Use your freezer, meal plan and keep leftovers.

Don’t fall for advertising. I use own brand washing powder, homemade citric acid spray and my favourite Ajax brand window spray. I was taken in by Persil 15 minute detergent and it was all smell, no clean!

I’ve used a Kakeibo (Japanese daily spending notebook) for the last 6 years and notice spending evens out over the month. You may have a huge shop one week and feel bad about it, but if it’s stocking up on basics, no need to worry!

I'm saving a fortune since switching to a WFH job. No expensive coffees and lunches. No travel costs. Can work in casual clothes. Am able to cook from scratch every day. It's literally saving me £100s a month.

We went from 2 cars to 1 when DH retired. Now that’s how to reduce your budget! Luckily there’s a good bus network in our city.
Being retired also means you have the luxury of time.

I go through all our bank transactions every few days. I download a statement and add it to an enormous spreadsheet. I started this a few years ago when my employer threatened everyone with a 20% cut in pay (covid times). They didnt actually do it in the end but it made me look at all of our spending.

We have an allotment. I cant pretend it is a saving but it does mean we get best quality produce for a low price. It also makes us eat seasonally.

I sew a lot. Having lost a lot of weight I have been altering and re-using fabric from old clothes. There is something hugely satisfying in making new clothes from old.

Don't buy new clothes without selling/donating old clothes. Sell/donate one item per each new item bought.
Get rid of subscriptions.
Meal plan so unnecessary food isn't bought.
Seek out free days out instead of paid events, take picnic

Become too depressed to eat.

Amazon lists. I love Amazon lists. I have many, many lists. Whenever something interests me or I have the urge to spend I’ll pop it in a list. Then it might become a gift I receive or (more likely) I’ll review the list and realise most of it is rubbish!

Every month all my money gets divided up into pots on Monzo I have a pot for all expenditure obviusly food essentials petrol car insurance and car tax , yearly expenses like Xmas , I save incrementally each month towards all these.

I also have investment and savings pots.

And fun /spending pots so when I want I just spend what's there.
I don't try and save it because everything else is covered .

We always save on payday. I opened a Monzo pocket money account for myself and I move only my allowance into there, and it’s not linked to any of my Amazon/vinted etc .

meal planning and cook from scratch, genuinely saves a fortune. Tesco delivery saver and no top ups, if we need a top up I do a full basket.

I have started viewing everything as planet killing tat which is really helping me to just generally want less, so I spend less. Once you get into the mindset it’s actually really liberating to not want things.

I do a seasonal blitz onto vinted but last time I pulled the money out and didn’t just spend it on more vinted things. Made £140.

my next mission is to get better at utilising cash back deals and money off, we have a great benefits scheme at work and we never use it. I claimed £50 back after getting my eyes tested.

I track all spending with the You need a budget app. After a couple of months it became obvious where money was draining away and started taking packed lunch to work, also cycling saves public transport fares. Also "bargain" clothes from Vinted and eBay really add up.

That's after going through all the monthly expenses and subscriptions in case any are over paying, but to be honest I get more entertainment from a month of Netflix than one Pret sandwich.

Altho we eat out for lunch rather than dinner as it's often cheaper.

I go to my “save from landfill” place twice a week. That means I get typical portions of 10 fruit and vegetables for £2 ( think bag of spuds, carrots, swede, onions, broccoli, cabbage, apples, bananas, grapes, tangerines but it varies every day). If it’s a Friday they often let you get an extra 5 portions for free as they close over the weekend. Last week I got 5kg of pork collar for £4 so I processed it, diced and diced it and froze it in portions and that is curry/sweet and sour and fajitas for the next 2 months or so. You get up to 6 free bread items every visit to so I get two of the freshest sourdough loaves and freeze them and grab a stale/older one for bread and butter pudding. Saves me a fortune and I’ve got my food bill down to about £50-60 a week and we eat like kings with a huge variety of food and an ever changing menu.

i also take a travel mug of coffee or a Stanley of juice out with me so I’m not tempted to stop for a coffee/drink. If I want to go out I’ll go to my community cafe lunch and that costs me £4 for a 2 course lunch and a drink. And it’sa beautiful ancient church that dates back to the 1300s, they have live music on and everything. Brilliant!!

and if i want to buy something, ill add it to my basket and ill leave it there for a few days.90% of the time the impulse to buy it passes. So I’ll put the money into my savings account instead.

Another fan of YNAB here.
I cut dishwasher tablets in half
i keep a list in my Filofax of clothing items that I think I need to add to my wardrobe. Eg this summer I’ve missed a pink shirt and navy blazer. I’ve just spent a nice 15 mins browsing in Vinted for them. If I don’t find there I’ll keep an eye on the shops till I find one I know I’ll wear for years to come.

Tidy up and take stock of what you actually have. Then don’t replace anything until you are down to the bare minimum, or used up. That can be soap, socks, stationery, hair bobbles, eyeliner etc. the result is less expenditure, a decluttered house, organised mind and when you do replace, you can afford to buy something really nice. I haven’t bought pens and socks for 2 years now.

As others have said, meal planning, batch cooking, using up leftovers. Buying good quality reduced foods that we will use / freeze. Monitoring & getting the best deals from all the supermarkets & using all the loyalty schemes - different accounts / apps on both mine & partner's phones.

Taking advantage of employer & other discount schemes for money-off, cashback and discounted gift vouchers- including for petrol. Often using two different schemes at the same time for bigger discounts. I save about £1000 a year from this & using coupons & loyalty apps.

Knpwing your prices at all times. Shopping in Farmfoods, Heron Foods, Home Bargains etc.

Budgeting & keeping a running tab every month. Enjoying free & cheap meals out & experiences now but also maximising saving money & into pensions for tax benefits. I also stooze big time on credit cards to earn extra money in interest - circa £1500 per year.

Oh yes. Dont drink alcohol! That saves £££££s in no time.

Mine was get a hobby I absolutely love, I can do it indoors and at classes. Now if I have spare time I do my hobby and don’t have time to buy anything.