We all need to get a better handle on our finances. Even those of us who consider ourselves to be savvy could do better. With the idea that a new year offers a new start, here are the 10 best money saving hacks for 2025.
Set Yourself A Challenge
One of the best money saving hacks out there is setting yourself a challenge. What goals do you want to reach this year? This could be saving a certain amount of money for a specific reason, maybe a holiday or towards a house deposit. It could also be less reliance on the credit card. Perhaps for you, it is lowering the amount of debt you are in. It could even be simply creating and sticking to a budget. Your challenge should be personal to you so these are only ideas. Make it achievable, otherwise it will have a negative impact when you don’t reach an unattainable goal. You should also make it fun and not put too much stress or pressure on it.
Automate Your Savings
A great way to build up your savings is by using technology. Automation tech helps take the time out of shifting your money around. Once you have set up the rules of where the money is going from/to, it can happen automatically for the rest of the year. Be that shifting your cash daily, weekly or monthly. Automation is easy to set up and removes the issue of having to log in to move your money around. It;’s still a good idea to keep an eye on what is happening with your personal finances, but you can be safe in the knowledge that what you want to happen, is actually happening behind the scenes. Thus, building you a pot of money you can be happy with.
Cancel Subscriptions
Next on our list of the best money saving hacks for 2025 is cancelling your subscriptions. How much do you spend every month on subscriptions? Maybe you are a member or each and every TV streaming service, but have you thought that you can only watch one at a time? It might be a gym membership that you signed up to but have moved house and the gym is too far of a commute to make it worthwhile. Maybe it’s a charity donation you set up once and were intending to cancel after a few months. Whatever you have subscribed to that is costing you money, now is the time to check your direct debits and start making some cuts.
Earn Cashback
We all have to spend money to live. We have shopping to do and bills to pay. However, did you know that you can claw back some of the cash that you spend? By clicking through to the retailer via a cashback company like Quidco, you can earn a percentage back of what you spend. This works with a whole host of brands. You could earn £100 when you swap to a new broadband company. Perhaps 5% when you do your online supermarket shopping. Even 1% when you shop at eBay quickly adds up. The offers change daily so be sure to check what is available before you spend. That money is better in your pocket than in the ether somewhere not being earned. Sign up with a cashback company like Quidco today and start keeping more of your cash.
Meal Plan
How often do you get home from work and realise you haven’t figured out what you’re going to have for your evening meal? Whether you call it dinner or tea, it’s always the same and it’s all too easy to ring up for a takeaway. By making a meal plan you can be sure that the whole family knows what is being prepared for food each and every day of the week. This also helps you regulate what you are buying at the supermarket. Rather than impulse buying, stick to the shopping list of the items you need for the meals you are going to prepare. You can also utilise your fridge and freezer by cooking multiple meals at once to save on gas and electricity. This meal organisation is one of the best money saving hacks of 2025.
Bulk Buy
Bulk buying ingredients can also save you money. For example, if you know you’ll need three portions of minced beef for three different meals over the next two weeks, buy a larger package and dvivde it up. You’ll save money when you buy a larger amount and still have what you need for cooking. The same can be said for other things you buy from the supermarket. A 500g bag of pasta can be as much as £1, but a 3kg bag is £3. Bulk buying ingredients is a great way to save cash, just ensure that they don’t go off and are not wasted, otherwise, you’re essentially throwing money in the bin.
Declutter & Sell
Spring cleaning is a well-known concept, but lots of us simply throw stuff away when we declutter. The things you have in your home that you no longer want have value. Let me say that again, they have value. Decluttering with the intention of selling is a great way to boost your personal finances this year. Even broken items have value as there are people who will buy them cheap, fix them and then sell them onwards. Go through your clothes, go through your shoes, go through your film collection. You don’t even have to pay fees to sell either. eBay has changed some terms so selling is free, and there are also other platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and Vinted. Get rid of the clutter in your home and build a pot of money from selling.
Shop Secondhand
With this is mind, consider shopping secondhand as another of the best money saving hacks for 2025. Other people will be getting rid of their clutter and you can buy great items for low prices. Many of us simply go to the shop and buy new when we need things. However second hand items can be found in numerous places for a fraction of the price. You’ll also be keeping things out of landfill and giving them a second lease of life. Money saving and eco rolled into one!
Claim Your Entitlement
What benefits are you entitled to? Many of us assume that because we have a specific job with a certain salary, we aren’t entitled to anything from the government. However, lots of those people are shocked to find out that they can claim some money from the system. We all pay into this pot so if you are entitled to something, be sure you claim it. Even if you don’t need it now, you might need it further down the line. There are benefits calculators online that you can use to find out if you are likely to be entitled to any help.
Be Prepared
Do you have an emergency fund? What would happen if you got ill, or lost your job? The old saying of being prepared is important and having a pot of money put away somewhere can be hugely beneficial if there was a life-altering event. A lot of advice says that we should have money pot away as an emergency fund that would cover 6-12 months of bills.
This also means checking where your savings are. Many of us simply stick our cash in a savings account and leave it. The interest rate on that account is probably not the best rate on the market. Be prepared to shift your savings so your money works for you.
Final Thoughts
The new year is the perfect time to make changes, however, don’t wait for the turning of the calendar if you are reading this half way through the year. We can make financial changes at any point and start the process of being better with our money. What are your best money saving hacks? Let me know over on Instagram.
