To ask for your best money saving tip?

[AirFried]

What have you found genuinely made a difference? I’m thinking things that are accessible, not ‘paid off our mortgage early’ or ‘put £10k savings into this that or that or the other’ stuff which is suitable for lower incomes too…

Not drinking at home anymore has saved me a lot of money.

Pay yourself first - set up a standing order first thing in the month into savings and don’t touch it. If you wait until the end of the month to put savings away, you’ll inevitably spend it.

Meal/food prep each week. Not individual meals repeated 5x per week for lunch/dinner as some people do (I'd die of boredom!) but chopping/washing veggies and fruit, making some healthy-ish muffins or pancakes for sweet snacks, making ahead one or two dinners and some sides, or a batch of soup, etc just to make the fridge stocked with ready to eat/easy to assemble things so that I don't end up popping to the shop (and spending £20+ on nothing!) or ordering a takeaway because I don't know what to make/cba. Also having things like chicken dippers/fish fingers, or macaroni cheese, in the freezer for emergency dinners.

I used to be really good at zero-based budgeting (allocating every penny!) but more recently I've struggled with knowing how much food/petrol/etc will cost and kept going over, but it is a great strategy once you get your head around it

Start a savings account you can’t get to and put something anything away every month, increase gradually and more dramatically if you get a rise

Use monzo to hide pots of money for periodic expenses like Christmas

knock off the takeaway coffee / snacks habit - not completely but only do it as a treat. You can spent a fortune on this stuff.

Meal plan and shop online. You don’t get such bargains online but overall you spend less. Have CBA food in at all times to keep you off the takeaways

make a list off alll your bills and see if there are better deals

Go throw your account for random direct debits

If you aren’t great at money management, take apps off your phone / don’t have a credit card on system and all that.

If you go to restaurants with friends switch to a walk and a coffee sometimes

Use Libby for books and magazines

commit to not buying new clothes for a year

Adding that I only say healthy-ish because we are trying to eat healthier; if having unhealthy/more fun food stocked in the house (like homemade brownies or cookies etc) will make you less likely to pop to the shop, then do that instead!

Not buying things ( especially toiletries ,cleaning products etc) until needed. It stops me opening new ones and wasting the drop left in the old bottle.

Cook a little extra and freeze so there's always a spare dinner when I'm really poor/ in a hurry . No takeaways.

I found that a big declutter last year means I think more about purchases. Everything that comes into the house has to go out at some stage. Often I decide I don't need it.

Get creative with make do & mend . Fix small problems with clothes with iron on transfers.

I just fixed a pair of sports leggings that had a hole in the knee with little iron on hearts. I put them in a trail up the leg so now I've got a customised pair of leggings I can wear again.

My dog ripped a tear on the front of a jumper, I've got a transfer to iron on over that.

I've got another pair of leggings I really like the material of. They got holes in the seams at the top of the legs. I've got oval elbow patches to iron on and give those a new lease of life, even if it's only for wearing at home.

I just sewed two bras where the wire was poking out, to save those.

Start putting away something in stocks and shares. I'd recommend the S&P500 as the risk is spread. Put away an amount each month that you can afford to not touch for 5 or more years, ideally 10+. Don't sell in a dip.

Transfer debt to 0 % then cut up the card.

Pay off what you can.

Before calling out someone to repair washing machine, leaking tap etc, look on YouTube. There's a tutorial video for everything. I do sometimes have to call a plumber for eg but I've fixed things myself many times.

Topcashback!
www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/Member1168271642322/?source=App-Android-TAFPage

Sign up, and whenever you buy something online, look for the website THROUGH topcashback, i.e., type in Argos into the site and click on the link from there and buy as nornal. It gives you money back for virtually everything you buy online... I.e. Argos, you get 10% back...

We buy so much online these says, even if you only get back a few percent, it all adds up... I'm at about £500 after a year. A friend of mine just bought a TV at Curry's and reclaimed 15% (so made back £750!)
Well worth it!

Really cut out using electricity - as in economy light bulbs, never using the oven and walking about in the dark. Really saves money.

Write down every penny as you spend it. Eg bread 83p. Don't round up as you'll convince yourself that the total was less than that.

It stops me spending money on drinks/sandwiches out, which is where I spent too much money without thinking about it. This one habit has saved me a fortune.

Don’t spend money on stuff you don’t need.

read Money saving expert.com website

work out where your money is going over the whole year. not month by month.

but seriously, don’t buy shit.

Don't go to the shops. Staying away from temptation makes it much easier not to spend.

Revisit direct debits and see if they are all still relevant - cancel magazine subscriptions and whatnot

Revisit all insurance policies and get new quotes - swap to cheaper policies. I've just saved £200 a year on pet insurance by doing this!

Meal plan and stick to it.

Download the olio app - loads of free food on there - well worth it.

Sell clothes, and other bits you no longer wear on vinted.

Sell books, old mobile phones on music magpie - cut out the scammers on marketplace.

Move savings if you have any to a higher interest account.

Check your bank balance daily - make this a habit.

Mobile phone - are you still in contract? Check. If not, swap to a rolling monthly contract or payg - keep your current phone for as long as possible, no need for the latest swanky upgrade ever.

Always use your clubcard/loyalty cards when shopping - those little rewards add up to perks.

No spend days. It really helped me stop hemorrhaging money on coffees/at the petrol station/on my lunch break. I aim for 4 days a week of spending zero- all travel on previously purchased fuel or travel cards, food packed from home, browsing instead of spending etc. I always found it hard to stick to my savings goals but it helps keep me committed in in the moment and also forces me to plan my spends ahead of time when I'm grocery shopping etc if I know I won't be spending again for x days.

Appreciate this is incredibly privileged and many people have no choice but to do this

Minimise buying liquids.

Ensure you spend most of your time either making money or not spending any money. So working, reading, gardening, walking, running, volunteering, chatting, writing, repairing, tidying, birdwatching, pottering. Try to take pleasure in simple things, even when times are good.

Zero based budgeting transformed my financial life, no exaggeration. I had no savings and no idea what I had coming in and was finishing the month with pennies in the bank. I drew up a proper budget, opened a Chase current account, opened 10 linked savings accounts, gave them all a purpose (gifts, Xmas, holiday, holiday spends. Expected expenses, unexpected expenses etc..) and now treat them as a bill.

So now I always have money for stuff like house insurance, washing machine breaking down etc...

If I spend on anything that's not groceries, petrol or dog food, it needs to come from one of my other linked accounts

Following. My successes albeit small have been meal planning and shopping accordingly to use up the bits so no waste. Making a lunch for work rather than being lazy and buying something. Ditto takeaway coffee- both of those are treats now rather than commonplace.
Also, whilst it sounds counterproductive, I'm also working on quality over immediacy. Eg source one possibly expensive umbrella that will last rather than several cheap ones that break. The Terry Pratchett boots theory.

Meal plan and batch cook.
Cook with slow cookers and/or air friers/halogen oven.
only boil the water you are going to use or fill a flask at the start of the day.
if you are cold put on another jumper.
if your cold sit under a blanket
switch to led bulbs. Turn off ALL appliances(apart from fridge, freezer, cooker) when not using...including tv
cancel sky!
save what you can and if possible put into a pension pot..you get tax relief so £100 becomes £120
If not save into a cash isa...tax free...shop around every year for cash isas and if possible switch your current money to it.
shop around for gas/electric/phone/broadband
if possible join Costco and bulk buy, bulk buy offers especially store cupboard items like tins, rice pasta....some big supermarkets do big bags of rice.
if you can cycle or walk.I
Have more evenings in with a cheap bottle of wine and home made food.
Take your own coffee, lunch, snacks to work
Don't buy brand names..own brand of value items of things like baked beans taste no different.

I'm fully retiring at 55 at Christmas and have never earnt more than £30k but have bought a band new car, cash plus trade in every 3 years for 30 years. Holiday in 5star hotels...It's not impossible to have a good life even if you economise

If I do decided to buy it
Can I buy it cheaper? Discount codes, cashback sites...........

I wouldn't say this is the best tip, but stop buying ice-cream from ice-cream vans. They charge a crazy amount for ice-cream, usually in the region of £2-3 each. Instead find a local supermarket where you can often buy 4 for £1.

Just taking food and a drink out with you, because if you don't and you just want a snack before you know it you'll waste time walking about, and end up with some non-food for about a fiver.