10 Weird things you can do to save money
Saving money is super important, but also super hard. Many of us are already squeezing every last drop out of our incomes and can’t see how we could possibly manage to set any savings aside. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and sometimes you just need to think outside the box.
So we’ve done the hard work for you — these ideas could save you thousands a year. How far would you go?
1. Go au natural
Did you know that Brits spend an average £93.37 a month on hair, beauty and grooming products? If you quit makeup (if Alicia Keys can do it…), stopped shampooing and styling your hair and went right back to basics, you’d be over £1000 a year better off. Some people swear by it!
2. Make your own toiletries and cleaning products
So maybe completely au natural isn’t quite for you, but you can still save money on toiletries by making your own. Did you know that vinegar and bicarbonate of soda make a killer oven cleaner? Or that used coffee grounds make an awesome exfoliator? You can make your own soap, shampoo, toothpaste, washing up liquid… you name it, you can probably make it for way cheaper than you can buy it, not factoring in what you decide your own time is worth, of course.
3. Don’t buy clothes
Hold on, we don’t mean adopt that naturist lifestyle, tempting though it may be. The average person only wears 20% of the stuff in their wardrobe, and considering we mostly buy stuff we want rather than need, why waste the money?! Nobody needs that many pairs of jeans. Work your way through everything you have, and when stuff wears out, get it mended. It costs a fraction of replacing the item, and you don’t have to go through the drama of finding another pair of boots you love as much as *that pair*. If you must replace something, hit up charity shops. People give away all sorts of goodies that would cost a bomb if you bought them new.
4. Pick a bath buddy
Did you know that the average annual cost of two people having a daily bath is over £400? That’s money you could be saving! Sharing bath water will cut your annual costs in half just like that. If you’re worried about being the one who always gets the sort of cold wash, then just share the tub at the same time, too! You share your life with your housemates, what’s a bathtub in the grand scheme of things, AMIRITE?
5. Turn your grocery shop into a race
Everyone loves a little competition, right? What if you turned your food shopping into a race against time, and yourself? Make a list before you go, and see how quickly you can make it round the aisles, challenging yourself to beat your personal best each time. With competition as your motivation you won’t be tempted to diverge from the list and pause over any impulse offers you want but don’t strictly need.
6. Or, only shop from the reduced section
It’s a well known fact that after a certain time of day, supermarkets will mark up items soon to date expire as reduced and move them to a special section. By lurking suspiciously in the aisles of your local supermarket in the evenings and late at night, you’ll quickly pick up what time the reduced stickers come out and get first refusal on everything going. Lots of stuff freezes well too so it’s not even like you have to eat everything you buy in one sitting before it goes off!
7. Limit your loo roll consumption
Everyone overuses loo roll and it’s so unnecessary. Limit anyone who uses your supplies to a set number of sheets per visit to make each roll last longer. Better yet, give it up completely! Use newspaper, junk mail, anything you have lying around. And, if cloth nappies are good enough for babies (and making a comeback), why not bring the principle into adult life? Buy a ton of cheap facecloths from a pound shop, wipe away, and wash them on a very hot cycle with bleach to keep them fresh and reusable. People will probably even think you’re fancy.
8. Dump your partner
Sure, you might like them a lot and maybe even want to spend the rest of your life with them, but paying for all those Christmas, birthday and anniversary presents, not to mention the extra travel costs getting between your place and theirs and the hidden “oh can you just pick me up a …” costs that come with being a good person and having someone need you are a real drain on your finances when you’re saving for a bigger goal. Live the single life and reap the benefits, friend.
9. Befriend your neighbours
To some of us it’s common courtesy to exchange small talk when you see the guy next door. To some of us, it’s the worst social nightmare and you’d rather become a hermit. But, your neighbours can be a great source of stuff to borrow that saves you money when you need it. Giving your lawn its annual mow? Borrow a mower from Terry down the street. Throwing a party? Borrow a sound system from that weird lady upstairs who thinks 4am on a Tuesday is an appropriate time to blast Justin Bieber. If you can hear it three floors away, you know they’re quality speakers, and it’ll save you hundreds!
10. Find an easier way
This all sounds well and good, but what if there was an easier way to save money that didn’t involve becoming a strange soap making hermit? Well, there is, and it’s called Plum. Plum is your new savings assistant. Harnessing the power of technological wizardry, it’ll monitor your spending and work out what you can safely put away, without you changing your habits at all. And then, because Plum knows you’re a bit of a flake even though you have the best intentions, it’ll put that money to one side for you in a savings account.
“But what if I need money for a night out, or… something more responsible and grown up?!” we hear you cry. That’s fine! Plum will automagically adjust to your spending patterns, and you’ll have immediate access to the funds in your savings account. So, you can have that splurge when you fancy it safe in the knowledge that you won’t have to get up to any funny business.
Talk to the robotic saving assistant here.
