Saving money doesn’t have to be time-consuming or require spending hours on comparison websites. A few simple everyday hacks can save you money.
It won’t always be much, but ‘every little helps’ as the saying goes.
Saving a few pounds here and there doesn’t sound like much, but over a year or a couple of years, it could be a lot.
It could easily be enough to see you through an emergency without having to depend on a credit card or use a payday lender.
Those are reasons enough to try them!
Save some money with these 7 simple hacks
If you need to save a little without going to too much trouble, try one of these.
They may not save much, but it all helps!
1. Compare all your bills
Make a note of all renewal dates for your utilities and set a reminder for 30 days before.
Then use comparison websites to see how much you could save by switching.
This will work for energy, broadband, car and home insurance, mobile phone contracts and most other bills.
The energy market isn’t great right now but it won’t always be so difficult. At the time of writing (November 2022), energy comparisons are non-existent. That will change in time though.
All other utilities and services can be compared at:
- Compare the Market
- Uswitch
- Confused.com
- GoCompare
- MoneySuperMarket
- Quotezone
There are other comparison sites but these give you a good idea of what’s out there.
Remember, most utilities tie you into fixed terms. It’s only worth comparing once you’re about to end that fixed term as you may be charged an early release fee.
That’s why I recommend you set reminders for when your contracts are about to expire.
2. Review all your debts
If you regularly run a credit card balance or are paying off a loan, outlining all your debts and the interest rate you’re paying can help.
You ideally want to prioritise the most expensive debt first and work your way to the least expensive.
The higher the interest rate, the more you’re paying the bank in interest rather than what you actually owe.
If you owe similar amounts, paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first will minimise the amount you’re paying for the privilege of borrowing.
3. Cut fuel costs
If you drive to work, do the school run or use your car a lot, you’ll know how expensive fuel is right now.
There isn’t much we can do about fuel prices as it’s out of our hands.
What we can do is make sure we’re getting maximum value out of each tank of fuel we buy.
You can check fuel prices with services like Petrol Prices. You’ll need to sign up but the core service is free and could save some money.
Other tips for saving on fuel:
- Use loyalty cards where appropriate to earn points as you spend
- Look for supermarket discount offers like 4p per litre off if you spend £40 or more
- Empty the boot and remove anything you don’t need. Lower weight means better fuel efficiency
- Remove roof racks or roof boxes when not in use. They add significantly to drag and can drastically lower fuel efficiency
- Lower windows when driving <50mph when it’s warm and use AC >50mph to lower drag
- Check tyre pressures regularly and keep them in the middle of the pressure range
- Drive steadily and avoid heavy acceleration and braking
4. Cancel any unnecessary subscriptions
It seems every service uses a subscription nowadays. Companies are depending on that small headline monthly or annual price to disguise the usually higher price than buying outright.
There’s also an element of out of sight out of mind. Where a small amount is taken each month so you don’t really pay attention to it.
It’s time to change that.
If you’re not using a subscription, cancel it.
Most services let you take up the subscription again immediately if you find you miss it.
If you can live without the service, you could save anywhere from £5 to £15 per month on each service you cancel.
5. Free versions of popular apps
We use apps for everything and pay for most of those apps. You don’t have to pay for every app you use though as there are (legal) alternatives.
We won’t fill the page with them all but we will direct you to this post that outlines 69 Free Software Alternatives to Paid Tools and 24 Apps to Rival Adobe Creative Cloud.
Don’t be tempted by illegal copies of apps or software as they can often contain a lot more than just the software!
6. Check your benefits
If you think you may be entitled to a benefit of some kind, it’s definitely worth checking.
Billions of pounds of benefits go unclaimed each year. While we wouldn’t want to drain the government’s accounts, if you need help getting by, you should claim.
Check out the government website and see if you’re entitled to any type of benefit.
It doesn’t take long and you could end up with a little extra cash each month.
7. Save on food shopping
Shopping for food is now a very expensive proposition. With inflation being what it is and the price of food more expensive than ever, you have to be a very savvy shopper.
Here are a few tips to save on your food shopping:
Never go shopping hungry – Have something to eat with protein in it before you go shopping. It helps prevent hunger-driven purchases
Plan meals in advance – Planning what you’re going to eat for the period you’re shopping for ensures you get what you need and nothing goes to waste
Shop later in the day – If possible, shop later in the day. It’s when supermarkets offer their discounts and when the yellow labels appear on fresh goods
Try supermarket brands – Some supermarket brands are actually made by big brands and are equally nice for less money. Not all are, so experimentation is key here
Consider Lidl and Aldi – Both Lidl and Aldi are discount supermarkets that offer comparable products for less. They also don’t play silly games with their pricing, which is reason enough to use them
Consider a loyalty card – Yes, they are spies in your purse, but in tough times they offer points, discounts, special offers and more in return for your data
Shop local – Consider avoiding supermarkets altogether and support your local butcher, baker and grocer. You’ll often find very little difference in the price but get a higher quality product
So those are my 7 simple hacks to save money on bills and expenses. I did say they were simple but I also said there were definite savings to be made.
None of these take much effort yet could combine to save a little extra money each week that could come in very useful.
Do you have any money saving hacks to share? Tell us about it in the comments!
