I often wonder if those small money-saving habits and acts I try to implement into my daily life are actually worth it. Does it really make much of a difference if you leave things in standby mode? Does boiling only the amount of water you need for your cuppa save that much energy? These are just some of the things I ask myself regularly.

I think it’s important to remind ourselves that any saving no matter how small all adds up. In today’s economy with the cost of living increasing rapidly, we must explore ways to save ourselves the maximum amount of money we can.

It’s not about having a scarcity mindset or being cheap, it’s about being smart and putting ourselves in a better financial position. We don’t want our hard-earned money in an energy company’s or a retailer’s pocket, we want it in ours!

To get ourselves into a good money-saving mindset we should start by learning the facts about how much money we could be saving. Let’s explore some money-saving habits we can start making today and how much some of them might actually save you.

Energy Saving 

We are all looking for ways to lower our energy bills, especially in wintertime, here are some ways you can save money easily.

• According to Smart Meter by turning down your thermostat by just 1° you could save £90 a year. That’s such a simple and low-effort change to make.
• Switching off all devices at the wall when not in use might be a nuisance but could actually save you up to £45 over the year.
• According to the Energy Saving Trust, you could save on average £7 a year by switching lights off when not in use.
• If you are on a water meter then swapping one bath per week for a shower could save you around £9.
• Avoiding using the tumble dryer and opting to line dry could save you £50 per year.
• Washing at a lower temperature for example 30° according to Which? could save you £22 a year.

Shopping

With the increasing cost of food, it’s more important than ever to make savings where you can. Here are a few things you could do without much effort to save money.

• Using coupons when shopping for groceries can save you hundreds of pounds a year, but it’s hard to estimate. Lots of coupons are now digital but you can still find lots of printable ones too.
• Cashback websites and apps are super easy to use and save the average customer £300 per year.
• Swapping from branded to non-branded products in the supermarket can save you between £500 and £700 a year on average. This is such an easy swap to make.
• Meal planning is a great way to avoid overspending. Using a list and having a plan means that you will also reduce food waste which according to WRAP UK could save the average family up to £700 per year.
• Shopping second-hand for clothes, household items and furniture can save you so much money. Again it’s hard to estimate as it depends on what and how often you purchase.

Lifestyle

Making small changes to your lifestyle can also help to save you money. Here are some examples of things you could do.

• Borrow books from the library instead of buying new ones. The cost of printed books has risen sharply over the past few years so it makes sense to save yourself some money and borrow instead of buying.
• You could swap your gym membership and try some free online workouts instead. Depending on the monthly cost of your membership this could save you between £500 to £1000 per year.
• Make full use of any apps or loyalty cards that could save you money on the things you love to do. If you like eating out then check if the restaurant has a loyalty app. Doing something as easy as scanning your app or card could save you money every time. Lots of these apps offer you freebies on your birthday too which is a bonus.

These are just some examples of the small things you can do every day to save money. Some of them might only save you pennies but others can lead to big savings in the long run. I think saving any amount of money is worth the little bit of effort that most of these things take.

If you have any other ideas of small money-saving habits then do leave a comment. I love reading what other people do to save money.