Easy Ways to Save Money Each Week
Saving money is hard work. Unless you’ve got endless cash in your bank account, you’re going to need to compromise if you want to achieve your long-term financial goals. That means sometimes you have to say, “No thanks”, when what you really want to say is “yes please!”.
Changing your habits and building additional willpower requires time, effort and focus. However, it doesn’t have to be as complicated or draining as it seems. There are some easy ways that you can start to save money too. Here are just some of the quick win options that you can consider when you want to start saving money each week.
1. Stop Buying Coffee From Cafes
We’re a nation of beverage lovers. The UK might be known for its fondness for tea, but there are plenty of people out there who believe they simply can’t get by without a fancy coffee on their way to work each morning. Whether you’re over-spending on herbal teas or lattes, one of the easiest ways you can cut your costs is to stop buying drinks on the go.
Buy a thermos and learn how to make your favourite drinks at home instead. You could save yourself up to £20 a week, depending on the drinks that you buy. What’s more, you’ll be doing your waistline a favour by reducing the amount of extra sugar and syrups you’re exposed to. You can always treat yourself to a single coffee a week if you’re struggling to cut down completely.
2. Pack Your Own Lunch
Packed lunches aren’t just for school kids. Although sometimes it feels like you need to buy your own lunch at work if you really want to fit in with the crowd, it’s generally a better idea to pack a lunch and take it with you if you want to save money. You’ll be able to save your money for those meaningful work lunches when you have the option to eat with a peer instead.
Additionally, when you’re packing your own lunch at home, you also have another chance to work on your health and fitness. Rather than buying whatever you can get fast from your cafeteria, you’ll be able to eat healthy foods. You can even prep your meals on the weekend in advance if you’re worried about having time to pack a lunch.
3. Start Dealing in Cash
We’re living in an increasingly digital world where we can do virtually anything with our smartphones or credit card. Whether you pay for everything by plastic or use your Apple and Google Pay options to manage expenses today, you could be causing yourself financial issues by hiding the amount of money you really spend.
Make it easier to track and understand your expenses by withdrawing the money you need for each week and using it that way. You can still set up your digital payments for things like monthly bills and loan repayments, but use cash for food, entertainment, and travel.
4. Buy Must-Have Items in Bulk
Buying in bulk isn’t a new concept for most people looking for ways to save money, but it’s a strategy that’s often easy to overlook. Although you might not save a fortune this way straight away, you will save some significant cash if you start looking for bulk versions of your favorite items, like toilet paper, paper towels, or even pasta and rice.
You can even sign up for services that have bulk items delivered to your door every month. For instance, Amazon gives you the option to subscribe and save on certain purchases. Plus if you have Amazon Prime already, then delivery is free, so you don’t have to worry about getting the item brought to you.
5. Leave More Items in Your Cart
Finally, shopping online can be dangerous. You could end up searching for loan options after a few hours of browsing through available holiday deals and new televisions. However, there are ways to save money on your online shopping too. For instance, if you add items to your carts on certain websites and you’ve already signed into an account with that company, you could increase your chances of getting a voucher code or discount sent straight to you.
Sometimes websites will offer you discounts and other deals like free shipping when you leave them to sweat after placing items in your cart for a while. This is a great way to potentially save some money on items that you would have bought anyway.