Ever since I started working, much like the majority my biggest issues have been saving money and avoiding living from pay check to pay check. The sad thing is, I know a lot of the tips and tricks, the ways I could be saving money yet I never seem to act on these because:
A) I never bother to weigh up and calculate when paying for things aka laziness, who even wants to use their brain? (As IF I can afford to do that).
B) I always convince myself I’m not really going to save that much anyway, saving a few pounds won’t make a massive difference to my pocket.
But let me tell you, once you sit down and compare – even saving a few pounds each time adds up. Wouldn’t you rather save even £50 a month than not save up at all?
Here’s the push you’ve been looking for - you may be aware of these money saving tips, but NOW is the time to implement them into your daily life. Below are three ways to discipline yourself, which have helped me to save a few pounds each month, slowly to turn into hundreds a year.!
1) Bring. Food. From. Home. I cannot stress this enough, the biggest saver! On average, even if I go for the cheapest meal aka Tesco Meal Deal which is £3 (cannot believe they increased the price from £2.50) I spend £15 a week. Doesn’t sound like much right? But let’s do the math
£15 for 4 weeks = £60 a month
£60 a month X 12 = £720 a year
You could be saving £720 a year by just bringing food from home. Insane.
2) Tap water only rule: I’ve been doing this for years to be honest, whenever I go out e.g. Nando’s, I always stick to tap water which means I save anywhere from £2-4 every time I go out to eat. Plus, it’s the healthier option, and if you want to fulfill your fizzy drink cravings just buy a can of coke on the way home!
Let’s do the math: You go out to eat even four times a month, you can save a minimum of £12 by just drinking tap water.
£12 X 12 months = £144 a year
3) Travel expenses - the bane of my life and every Londoner. What I’ve learnt is that taking the same route five times a week for work means buying a ticket from my home station to my work station works out so much cheaper than buying a general 1-4 zone.
Sounds obvious but maybe, just maybe there are others out there like me who don’t even register the simplicity and importance of this.
Let’s do the math: Currently living in Zone 7+ means I would have spent £270 on a monthly travelcard. Yet when I realised I could just buy one route ticket, it meant I spent £190 a month – saving £80! All this time I was spending on 1-7 zone cards INCASE I decided to go to central London during the week. What an idiot.
£80 X 12 = £960 saved per year
So just by doing these three things and remaining disciplined, you could save £1,824 a year. That’s worth more than your car insurance and a brand new Macbook – start saving. Even putting the money you WOULD have spent on a day could be added to your savings account.