RE-USING teabags, cutting their own hair and only flushing the loo once a day are some of Brits’ quirkier money saving hacks.
A study of 2,000 adults revealed the inventive ways they try to save money, including giving up the gym to work out at home, eating random concoctions from the freezer to avoid shopping and turning off all the plugs before leaving the house.
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Just under a third also still swear by saving pennies in a jar and counting them up when it gets full.
Other obscure money saving hacks include trying to eat at other people’s homes as often as possible, bulk buying items and sewing or knitting their own clothes.
And savvy Brits believe their money saving tricks save them £423 per person every year.
But when it comes to their utility bills, a third (31%) admit they would rather pay more than spend time hunting around for the best value option.
A spokesperson for Utility Warehouse, which commissioned the research, said: “Time is money, and we all know how making small tweaks to your daily routine can make a difference.
“As a nation, we’re masters of saving the pennies but could do with some help when it comes to saving the pounds.
“With essential home utilities making up between 5-10% of our household spend, switching suppliers may not be the most creative way to save money, but it’s among the most impactful, and the quickest.
“In light of the research we want to help people explore the simple things they can do to save money quickly and easily – so we’ve launched a Time is Money guide with hints and tips from our experts.”
The research also found as many as one in four adults have literally cut back on their outgoings – by cutting their own hair.
And 12% even re-use teabags to get as much use out of their groceries as possible, while the same amount admit to only flushing the loo once a day.
Four in 10 adults suspect they could have lower energy bills, if they could only be bothered to make the switch, with 71% “surprised” at the size of their bills.
But more than a third of respondents feel they simply don’t get paid enough to save any money, and 27% bemoan something in the house always seeming to need replacing.
A third (36%) have even hidden purchases from their partner because they didn’t want them to know they’d spent money, according to the OnePoll figures.
Utility Warehouse’s spokesperson added: “Being more prudent with money is a vital life skill, and it’s interesting to see how few people look to make the impactful and relatively hassle-free changes – like buying bulk items in advance – in favour of more time-consuming hacks like constantly entering competitions.
“We like to think it’s possible for people to save money without it causing a time-consuming headache every day.”
Download the Time is Money guide.
BRITS’ TOP 35 MONEY SAVING HACKS
- Make sure lights are always turned off
- Wear a jumper instead of turning on the heating
- Use discount vouchers
- Use comparison websites
- Walk or cycle more
- Make packed lunches
- Shop around for the cheapest utilities provider
- Switch utility providers
- Turn off all the plugs before leaving the house
- Check for two-for-one deals
- Buy second-hand or refurbished items
- Exercise at home
- Save pennies in a jar
- Use cashback websites
- Bulk buy items in advance
- Grow your own fruit and veg
- Cut your own hair
- Order groceries online
- Eat random concoctions from the freezer until food runs out
- Sell anything you possibly can on an online marketplace
- Wash hair every other day
- Check ISA rates
- Collect coupons from newspapers
- Continuously enter competitions
- Squeeze old soap bars together
- Rent books from a library
- Get quarterly haircuts
- Transfer credit card balances
- Sign-up for free cinema tickets websites
- Flush the toilet once a day
- Re-use teabags
- Sew/knit your own clothes
- Drive through countries to avoid costs of flying
- Car share
- Invite yourself round friend’s and family’s houses for dinner regularly friend’s and family’s houses for dinner regularly
In some cases where they’ve tried to save a few pennies, Brits would rather carry out DIY than splash out on a professional – but it’s costly when it goes wrong, and often it does.
Plus, from charity shops to designer dupes, we reveal how to shop smart and save a ton of cash.
We’ve got tips on how to save up to £100 on energy bills before prices rise for millions of Brits in just weeks, too.
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