The UK’s weirdest and most wonderful money saving tips revealed

The dawn of a new year brings with it a clean slate. For many, it’s a chance for self-improvement or to tackle those long-neglected goals. However, this year, finding ways to get finances in order are sure to be a big priority.

In the midst of a rising cost of living crisis, saving a little can help a lot. We’ve all picked up little tricks over the years that help us get by when times are tough. How often have you reached for a blanket rather than popping the heating on to keep bills down or chosen to walk rather than filling up the car? Perhaps one of the reasons you started vaping was to save money, with vaping being shown to be cheaper over a long period of time when compared to smoking?

With tightening our belts on the forefront of so many minds, we got thinking about which tips are most popular up and down the nation, and how we can help you save in other ways.

To find this out, we posed some questions to over 2,000 (2,009 to be precise!) UK residents over the age of 25, digging deeper into their money saving tips and spending habits. Read on to find out more – you may just pick up some penny-pinching inspiration for yourself.

The weirdest things Brits do to save money

Our survey shone a light on the weirdest tips Brits have for saving a bit of extra cash. To the surprise of absolutely nobody who’s ever worked at a restaurant, taking extra condiment packets was picked by 24.79%. Making savings on items such as this apparently goes a long way towards making the food shopping bill a bit more palatable.

While freebies are bound to be tempting, would you trust a trainee to do your dental work or give you a trim? According to our study, 10.95% of shrewd Brits use student hairdressers, while 4.18% get free treatments from a student dentist. Between savvy spending and free perks, there’s a wealth of ways to make money go further.

Meanwhile, some savvy savers simply make the most of forgotten things they already own, with 24.14% of those surveryed using loose change found down the side of the sofa as a way to make their money go further.

Weirdest purchases Brits have ever made

We’ve all been there. Caught up in the moment late at night, and suddenly you’re throwing your hard-earned cash at the most useless tat the internet has to offer. In the cold light of day, the realisation hits that your money would’ve been better kept in your wallet. Sound familiar?

It certainly did for our survey sample, who shared some truly weird and wonderful buys. From the X-rated to the downright bizarre, it’s fair to say that weird items draw us Brits in like moths to a flame. Here’s just a handful of our favourites (that were suitable to post!):

• A 4ft shoe-shaped chair

• A living pregnant goat

• Cardboard cut-out of Rod Stewart

• A life-size papier-mâché camel

• Trainers for my dog

  
  

  Is there a generational difference in money saving?

Where you are in your life can have a profound impact on how you perceive money. For instance, students living on a beans on toast diet will be keeping a closer eye on the pennies than someone working at the top of their industry’s food chain.

Similarly, different generations, and the economic landscapes therein, can dictate financial attitudes.

Our research found a correlation between age and likelihood to try out weird tips for saving money. While 74.66% of people between the ages of 25 and 34 gravitated towards trying weird money saving tips, whilst only 51.21% of people 55 and over stated that they’ve never done anything weird to save money.

A North South divide?

It’s fair to say British culture isn’t a uniform concept. From accents and colloquialisms to general attitudes toward life’s big issues, you’ll come across a number of differences depending on where you are in the country. Our survey highlighted that these divides also ring true when it comes to saving money.

The areas which were the least likely to try out money saving tips typically came from the south of the UK. In Greater London, for instance, 37.41% of respondents stated they wouldn’t try out weird money saving tips in comparison with areas such as Wales and the North West, where only 23.76% and 24.12% said they wouldn’t consider quirkier ideas to pinch the pennies. In, Liverpool only 20.73% of people said they wouldn’t consider weird money saving tips.

What are the top ways Brits waste money?

As well as the best money saving tips, we also wanted to understand the most common ways that we waste money. Really, they’re two pieces of the same puzzle. It’s all well and good counting the pennies, but what you then spend them on is just as important. With that in mind, which spending habits do we most need to keep an eye on?

39.12% responded that they waste money needlessly on clothes, while a further 33% cited impulse buying in general as their biggest problem. Rumbling stomachs also eat away at our budgets, with 30.06% making bad decisions when doing the food shop while hungry and 28.07% dining out in restaurants too frequently.

The likes of lottery tickets and unused gym memberships are also commonly picked out as the biggest wastes of money for Brits.

What are the most popular side hustles?

Everyone seems to have a side hustle these days. The digital world we live in has made money-making more accessible, with many earning supplementary income from their sofas. From online surveys and matched betting to drop shipping and reselling, plenty of Brits are turning to the internet to pad out their bank balance.

27.38% of Brits sell clothes for extra money. The ease offered by clothes selling apps and other reselling platforms means any fashionista can flog their wares. While it’s the side hustle of choice for both males and females, it’s much more commonly used by women, with 35.56% doing it in comparison to 17.32% of British men. If you’re strapped for cash, why not have a root around your wardrobe for anything you’re not using anymore?

Outside of the reselling world, Brits are also using the internet to make money in a number of innovative ways. 8.93% have their own YouTube channel (including some vaping accounts!), which has some lucrative ad revenue opportunities if you nail the video making formula. 8.54% take advantage of delivery driving apps while 6.60% offer the commodity of knowledge through online tutoring.

Saving money with subscriptions

Subscription services are a contentious topic when it comes to money saving, however when used for regular deliveries of amenities or food, they often come with enticing discounts and that all-important carrot of efficiency. This was illuminated by a handful of our respondents stating that subscription services were their top tip to help save money.

Looking to save on both money and time? Why not try a blu vape subscription, where you can save over 30% per blu 2.0 liquidpod pack when ordering 8 packs of pods per month.

What are your money saving tips?

So, you’ve heard other people’s strange money saving ideas, but what are yours? Let us know on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.