1 Stop Visiting Costa!  Sandwiches and Coffee Add Up!

We know from experience that all of us are guilty of nipping into Starbucks or Costa for our favourite coffee to boost our mood, or Greggs for a perfect pasty!  If you spend £3 twice a week, this accumulates into £312 for the year, for just that one coffee!

Why not take a look at what you spend each week on ‘convenience food and drink’

2 Use The Outdoors

We have beautiful countryside in Scotland, enjoy the scenery and be imaginative. There are so many days out that can be free.  Take a picnic to the beach, or climb a hill with a packed lunch! Take a dip in the sea, or even better learn some bushcraft and you can start your own fires and cook marshmallows with friends, or go camping.

The BBC mailing list also offers free concerts all around the UK – if you look hard enough you will find free stuff to do.

3 Mobile Phones

Do you really need the latest mobile?  Has your contract ended and you are happy with your current mobile phone and could consider switching to a Sim-only plan?  It might save you another £20 per month (that’s another £240 saving per year)

4 Broadband Costs

Some companies are now offering discounts to users that take both their internet/broadband and mobile costs with the same company.

5 Transport

Can you car-share with a neighbour or friend to get to work?  Can you walk or cycle?

6 Extra Work

Do you have the time to squeeze in some freelancing work?  Do you have a hobby that could be a great cash generating side-line?  Multiple income streams are always a winner.

7 Review Memberships / Subscriptions

Can you cut back on any of your ‘Memberships’.  Gym memberships often have gradings and you might be paying for facilities that you don’t currently use.

Check your back for any ‘automatic’ renewals that might catch you unaware.

7 Be Hard On Yourself

Keep a note of everything you are spending, from the supermarket to going out with friends, then give yourself a task to try and spend £x amount the following month.

8 Send Money To Your Savings Account For Investment Dream

Why not set up an automatic transfer from your current account into a savings account for your investment property.  This is a great way to force yourself into getting that money saved.

9 Coupon Codes

Always conduct an online search for ‘discount codes’ prior to making any purchases online.  And when out and about, don’t underestimate the power of negotiating savings when paying by cash.

10 Creative Gifting

Get creative with your gifting, why not make birthday gifts, bake a cake, paint a plant pot!

11 Shop Around

When it comes to items such as insurance, make sure you shop around and find the best deals.  Using comparison websites and also going directly to companies that are not listed on the comparison sites too, such as Direct Line, can save you money.

12 Motoring Madness

Removing heavy items from your boot, avoiding quick acceleration, switching off the air conditioning (opening the windows instead) and checking your tyre pressure is correct can all help save fuel costs.  Why not use an ‘App’ that can tell you where the cheapest place to get fuel is in your local area.

13 Utility Madness

We have all been hit hard by the sudden increase in utility bills, but you can save hundreds of pounds by following a few simple steps. 

• Unplug items not currently being used
• Boil the kettle with less water in it
• Take shorter showers
• Installing dimmer switches and LED light bulbs
• Invest in a smart thermostat

14 Check Your Tax Code

Lots of people get caught out with tax codes, make sure you are paying the right amount, rather than too much, or even too little, you don’t want to get caught out and have to pay a large bill at a later date.

15 Credit Cards

Credit card providers will often let you transfer the balance from one credit card provider to another, offering an ‘interest-free’ period for a set amount of time.  Clear your debt within that interest-free period and you will save money.

16 Debt Consolidation

Consider bringing all your debts together

17 Mortgage

If you have a mortgage, look to switch rates and potentially in this market ‘lock in’ a deal prior to your deal expiring.  You can also extend your mortgage term to make payment cheaper.

18 Change Your Bank

Switching a bank account can offer incentives, take a look at the best rated current accounts on the market, before you do this.

19 Quit Bad Habits

Smoking and drinking can be costly, and as it is also bad for your health, now might be the time to stop.  Think how much you could save if you smoke 2 packets of cigarettes a week (£26) x 52 weeks = £1,352 a year!  If you smoke 4 packets a week, you will save £2,704!

20 Do The DIY

Try to fix things around the house yourself.  It is amazing what we can achieve when we set our minds to something.  Thanks to YouTube instructions we can learn how to fix nearly anything online by watching a video.