Don't lose money when you lose an hour

This weekend the clocks go forward an hour, giving us a little more daylight in the evenings. But it does means Sunday will only have 23 hours.

Let’s be honest, if you’ve an hour less in the day money saving won’t be high on your list of priorities. So I’ve given you ten really easy ways to save and get on top of your finances. Even better, they won’t take more than a minute each.

1. Check your bank balance

Knowing what money you've got is the best way to know if you can afford to spend any. If your balance is low then you'll save by not spending the money in the first place and avoiding getting charged for going into your overdraft. If you do this on an app or when you're getting a mini statement when you next take out cash, it'll take you less than 60 seconds.

2. Turn down the heating

The weather is starting to pick up so there’s less need to keep the heating on. But if you do use it, turn your thermostat down by one degree. Just doing that will save you 10% of your annual energy bills.

3. Freeze your leftovers

Cooked too much? The average household throws away £470 worth of food each year.  It’ll take you under a minute to put the leftovers into a bag and whack it in the freezer. And don’t forget to check the dates of fresh food too so you can use food before it goes off.

 

 

4. Trade down at the supermarket

Try buying a cheaper brand, or one that's on offer, when you're shopping for groceries. If you don't like it you can always go back to your normal product. If you do like it, that's a saving that took seconds.

5. Leave your cards at home

Off on a night out? If you know you can only afford a certain amount, leave your debit and credit cards at home and just take the cash you have budgeted for. Don't forget to keep some back for the taxi or bus home.

 

6. Say no to a cup of coffee

You’ll need some willpower, but not buying a hot drink on the way to work or when you’re out shopping saves both time and money. Cutting out a £3 per coffee every day would save you £1,095 in a year. Ok, maybe it’s easier to cut out one every other day – but that’s still a great saving.

7. Don't fall for offers that aren't really offers

Buy two get one free. Bargain! Except if you don't even want one let alone two or three. Save money by not buying any.

8. Open the post

It's easy to put that bill or bank statement aside for "later". But does later ever come? Open it up when you get it and take a minute to check it's correct. Getting errors fixed might take some more time, but if you don't look for them it's easy to lose some of your hard earned cash.

9. Only buy things you actually need

You're standing there in the shop looking at something you don't really need. But it's in the sale! Just look at how cheap it is. How can you say no? Well if you don't need it ask yourself if you're really going to use it. If the answer is probably not, you've just saved yourself even more money by not buying it.

10. Don’t get hungry

If you’re at the supermarket when you're hungry you’ll be more likely to buy stuff you don't actually want or need. So grab a snack before leaving home!