Sometimes we think with our hearts and not with our heads. Making New Year’s resolutions can
often be disastrous, with 80% of people failing by February and regretting it instantly. Like all resolutions the key to success is planning and checking in with yourself to see how you’re doing.
We’re now in March – still can’t believe how quickly the year is going – and with the arrival of spring it’s the perfect time to see where we can make savings in the two of the biggest areas that we both spend money and have the ability to save.
Travelling
Start off with something small, but something that will make huge changes when it comes to
your bank account. Using a megarider ticket, you will be able to travel as much as you want and
can tailor your own needs to the ticket type. Whether you’re in need of a weekly bus pass for
your travels, or a monthly one — you will find yourself making a huge saving in comparison to
buying a ticket every day.
If you’re a driver, did you know that the average motorist in the UK will spend an astonishing
£168,880 over their lifetime? When it comes to payments across the year, petrol costs a driver £1,052.04. Servicing a vehicle
costs can add up to £441 over a twelve-month period — which can change depending on the
individual’s situation. MOTs can cost up to £168.46 annually. Cost of parking is on the rise, a motorist can find themselves paying £145.80 on parking. When it comes to insurance, the average policy costs an experienced driver £436 every year. Tax can equate to £116.35 on
a yearly basis. Car supplies can cost a driver £29.61. The list can go on and on – commuters
find themselves paying considerably less for a significant service.
With efficiency growing in public transport, there is no better time to swap the car for public transport at least some of the time – why not set yourself a target of choosing to use public service for every fifth journey you make; you’ll be surprised at just how quickly the savings add up.
Coffee
According to research carried out by MyVoucherCode, people in the UK visit coffee shops at
least three times per week — although it has recently become unavoidable, as currently there
are over 21,000 outlets around the country! I’m hands down the worst at being able to resit the urge of a decaf, sugar free caramel, dairy free macchiato – yes I know it’s just a coffee but it’s more than that, you’re buying a lifestyle and the coffee shops not only know that but capitalise not that. With the average brit visiting coffee shops around 156 times per year with and average spend of over £8 that a minimum of £1200 per year – that’s an extra holiday for me and Boo – which when you look at it in black at white is precisiltey what I should be spending my money on and not coffees that I don’t really need.
Thinking smarter for 2018 is a must, especially when you see just how much money you can save with only small tweaks to your everyday life and how they can have a big impact. How will you be changing your ways to save money?
Disclosure: A fee was received for this post.
