How to save money in 2025.

Tune off lights, wear a jumper instead of turning up the gas and keep doors closed to avoid unnecessary drafts into the house. 

Always shop around for new insurance/utilities etc, and haggle! Sadly, you don’t get the best deal from being a loyal customer.

Saving should be regarded like any other monthly bill. It doesn't matter how much you save - even if it's just a tiny amount. Gradually, it builds up into a nice rainy day fund. Having a bit put by means you have a few bob for those times when you need a helping hand.

Don't let your utility contracts and insurance policies rollover each year. Make sure to shop around using comparison sites before the renewal is due. And don't leave it until the last minute as providers wont offer the best deals if there's any urgency.

Stop getting takeaway food every week. Deliveroo and Uber Eats are not your friends !

I cut down on my mobile bill by switching provider after 13 years! Also, I decided to cancel my tv subscription, go with freebies and get a cheaper internet. It saved me £720.

I also browse for best prices, shop around, make use of loyalty programs and cash back apps

Don’t expect to wander around in the winter wearing shorts and flip flops.  To achieve this you need to stop draughts but draughts are necessary ventilation.  Heat only the rooms you use and use TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves) to set each room at the necessary levels.  Do not prevent ventilation as you can create an unhealthy environment.  Wear slippers and jumper in the colder weather, like we used to do before central heating...

I opened a Monzo bank account and I love having pots to save for various things like holidays, hairdressers, dentist, car insurance etc. game changer for budgeting. 

When buying an expensive food item use an app like "trolley” to compare prices

Money saving sites and apps are great but bad timing mentioning Honey with the recent youtube reveals showing how scummy their practices are.

Do you use your library, or do you buy books for yourself or for your children and have a subscription for audio books or newspapers? You could visit your local library instead and save money. Joining and borrowing is free. Most libraries have e-books, e-audio books and e-magazines, and electronic daily newspapers to download to your phone or tablet, too. (If you haven't got a tablet, some libraries even let you borrow one)  Many libraries also offer free access to the Internet and access to subscription websites, including Ancestry, Find My Past, and Which? Often, there are free talks and social groups for adults and children, including lego clubs, knit and natter, story times, meet the author, reading groups and board games sessions. If you've not been in a library for a while you might be surprised at what's on offer. Your local council's website will list the opening times and what identification you need to join. I've used a library all my life and you might not be surprised to know I also work in one! 

Saving money is difficult. We have just moved into our first home so have spent a lot of money - like all of us, trying to get it perfect and it’s still not done! Budgeting by saving and scrimping where we can, buying things we need and not just things we want. Saving money regularly into savings accounts and supporting each other where we can. 

Making simple small changes that your whole family can do is easiest way to save money long term. For instance. We remove all plugs from sockets when not being used. This saves us approximately £40 over a year. 
I contacted my water authority as most of my children have now flown the nest and saved over £250 on my yearly bill as a low user. a water meter wasn’t possible so I got a sizeable reduction. 
turn your cooker off at the wall too when not in use. (Electric) I also have an indoor washing line at the top of my stairs so washing uses the heat from the home to dry overnight. Not expensive tumble drying. 
don’t be lulled into buying two for less bargains in the shops unless you know you will definitely use it. It’s a false economy. I used to do it a lot only to have the food go to waste. Buy only what you actually need. 


 

For me I would say heating at this time of year is very important. Turn your heating thermostat down a degree, if you are still warm enough turn it down another degree, keep going until you are not warm enough and then turn it back up one degree. Keep all room doors closed. Turn down thermostatic radiator valves in rooms that are not used. If you have a condensing boiler keep the flow temperature down as low as possible 50-60 degrees centigrade. When buying shopping check the prices of items online for your local supermarkets. There can be a considerable difference in price between them. If you drive to do your shopping make a list and if possible do a weekly supermarket shop, to save on fuel, better still if you have a bus pass use it, as it saves on fuel and ware and tare. 

Do a monthly budget, shop around, look for discounts, plan your money. Think about long term and short term

If you have radiators in your house put aluminium foil behind rads so you get more heat reflecting into your rooms either but them or make them yourself with cardboard and foil from Temu

Instead of going out fior coffee make your own at home for a fraction of the cost. The savings will soon mount up.

Don’t rush to buy anything. Wait a day or two to consider if you really need it or if it will be left in a cupboard after a couple of days and if you still need it check out the price comparison sites so you know you are getting the best deal.

Don’t leave the taps running, which in turn keeps your bill down.
Only boil enough water for the amount of cups you intend using.
Get a better mobile phone provider, like ID Mobile.
Write a shopping list and stick to it.

Happy Saving!
Mike

More related to saving by not spending. Looking to break any bad habits of spending on items that are not a priority or required from new [or couldn’t be loaned from a friend/family member]. Writing down the benefits of having the new item, how attractive is it? 

Increase friction with the action of wanting to buy that ‘thing’, a stepped approach to buying new items, if that’s an agreement, for example, that you wait 3 days or you consider alternatives etc. You’ll be surprised how many ‘could be’ impulse purchases fizzle out to become a nice to have as opposed to a need 

Budgeting is super important, going through finances and removing subscriptions that’s eating up money is valuable. 

I saved £29 per month by switching to ID, I would also saved by fixing my gas electric tariffs.

a hive unit would help me further. 

One of the best tips for saving money is to automate your savings. Set up a system where a portion of your income is automatically transferred to a separate savings account or investment account as soon as you receive it. This ensures that you save consistently without the temptation to spend the money first. Over time, this habit can help you build a substantial financial cushion.

as tedious as it may sound my best tip to save money is to TRACK, REVIEW & BUDGET

 track every single penny spent, keep all receipts, log ideally on excel and mark each one as essential or none essential.

be honest / realistic with yourself as to what is essential, there should only be a handful on that list, essentials on my list are roof, electricity, gas, water, tax and food, then review your choices for each of these, can you do it cheaper,? everything else falls to none essential.

Electricity and Gas, aside from making sure i have the cheapest provider I am strict with when and how much I use, i live by 1 light at a time rule with everything switched off and unplugged to stop drawing energy, I brought a smart indoor meter, to review how much everything cost like boiling a kettle, washing machine etc, and then cut back on washing, wash only at night, i apply the same approach to water (if you are metered), take a 1 min super quick shower etc etc.

Food is the big one to make savings on but it takes a lot of effort, I plan meals on a weekly basis, the budget has to cover everything, cleaning stuff, food, lunches etc, one rule - no top up shops, no buying on the go,  I use a list for shopping and I stick to it, I make my own meals not pre brought … the key is its a fixed amount a week and that's it, the menu is set on the fridge and we stick to it.

after that review weekly all the none essentials and cap an allowance to yourself then make choices what is a priority or ideally stop spending on nearly all of them. 

the budget should be simple, X coming in, Y going out on essentials, leaves Z for disposable, that Z is where you then start looking at how much you want to save v spend on none essentials. I cut my cloth accordingly and I don't put any stress or pressure on myself to keep up with anyone. I put £ away each week in a pot for Christmas and stick to that budget too. 

Look out for January restaurant deals.  Many do a half price offer