With a cost of living crisis striking the United Kingdom each day and inflation at record highs, we're all looking for cheap and cheerful ways to make our cash stretch that little bit further.
Energy bills, food shopping and petrol prices have all seen vast increases across the board in 2022 - but one man has explained how he managed to cut back and shave £3,722 off his outgoings while costs around him soar.
Consumer rights expert Scott Dixon, who runs the The Complaints Resolver blog says that frugal choices have helped him save money in the long run without making drastic sacrifices.
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The Mirror reports that for example, he has a day and night energy tariff with Bulb, which means he is charged cheaper rates at unsociable hours. He also estimates that by showering early each morning and putting his washing on a strict timer, he is able to save an extra £85 annually.
Other ways that he keeps his wallet free of moths and dust is by only heating one room at a time, which saves him a gargantuan £683.
“Keeping my bills and outgoings to a minimum and still enjoying life on my terms with no sacrifices is easy to do when you put your mind to it,” said Scott. “Whilst we can't control the price of energy, we can control how we use it.”
Here's a round up of all the ways that Scott saves money, and how much he saves a year in doing so.
1. Yellow sticker foods - £1,000 saved
Scott estimates that he is able to save 'at least' £1,000 each year by hunting out yellow sticker deals in supermarkets. These deals are usually cast on items which have been discounted due to faulty packaging, or they are nearing their sell-by date.
"My last Aldi food shop came in at less than £8.40 for nearly £35 of groceries," said Scott.
"All 75% off - marinated salmon fillets and all sorts - super healthy and easy to cook or freeze too."
2. Take packed lunch to work - £720 saved
If you work out of an office, buying takeaway coffees and supermarket meal deals can soon tally up, so another financial decision Scott has made over the years is to take a packed lunch into work. He visits his office three days per week, and saves roughly £5 a day by taking in his own food.
"Taking a packed lunch and my own coffee, tea bags and snacks to work saves me £15 a week," Scott continued.
"This works out at £720 a year, if you add up £5 a day over three days a week, 48 weeks of the year."
3. Only heat one room - £683 saved
Energy experts say that Britons should consider only heating one room at a time to save cash, and it's a method that Scott lives by. He says that this saves him about £683 a year based on his current rates, and hopes to carry the savings on well into the winter.
"I would say that I use the heating for eight months tops. I save £20.09 a week by heating just one room," said Scott.
4. Walk wherever possible - £520 saved
Not only are petrol prices still high at the pump compared to usual, but public transport fares can also mount up for those who don't drive and need a quick route from a to b. Scott says that he tries to walk 'everywhere possible' to save him spending on the bus.
This saves him £10.80 per week based on his three day office rota, and it works out to around £520 a year.
5. No streaming services - £240 saved
Over 1.5million people cancelled their streaming services in the first couple of months of 2022, according to market research firm Kantar. And Scott revealed that he saved around £240 annually by not subscribing to any TV streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, Prime or Sky.
"I have never paid for a TV streaming subscription and gave up Sky many years ago," said Scott, adding: "I just have an old Sky Freeview box."
6. Get free food - £200 saved
Scott says that the O2 Priority app on his phone costs him £8.74 per month for 10GB of web, unlimited calls and texts on a SIM-only basis. Through this app, he says that he gets about £200 of free food each year.
"I get a free bacon roll worth £2 each Friday morning from Greggs and can get a free hot drink from Greggs worth about £2 each week too. That's £100 of bacon rolls over 50 weeks, and potentially £100 of free hot drinks."
7. Dry clothes outside - £117 saved
Tumble dryers are infamous for chugging back energy, so Scott avoids them completely to save £117. USwitch say that a tumble dryer uses about 4,5kWh of energy per cycle, which can quickly add up.
Scott claimed: "I dry my clothes outside on the washing line and indoors in the winter on an airer."
8. Wash clothes and shower at different times - £85 saved
By putting his washing on a strict and stringent timer, as well as showering early each morning - Scott says he saves in the region of £85 a year. He has opted for a day and night energy tariff with Bulb, where he pays 19.3170 p/kWh during the night for electricity.
During the day, he pays 29.1550 p/kWh.
9. Broadband and insurance - £51 saved
Scott has saved £51 in a matter of 15 minutes on his multi-home and car insurance policy - and he also froze his broadband with Sky at £25 per month for 18 months by haggling.
"Be polite, play on the loyalty factor and say how happy you have been over the years and don't want to leave," he said.
"Have a range of comparisons to hand to get the best deal!"
10. Holiday discounts - £40.50 saved
Scott has urged Britons to make the most of various discount codes and cashback opportunities when booking a holiday - with the Edinburgh native visiting Spain every Christmas.
"I have just booked a holiday with Jet2 to Benidorm for Christmas that came in at £778 for 11 nights, bed and breakfast including flights. I reduced this to £737.50 by finding a £30 voucher code online and booking it via TopCashBack- which gave me a £10.50 (1.4 per cent) discount - that's a £40.50 saving."
11. Use a slow cooker - £38
Scott says he saves cash by using a slow cooker instead of a conventional oven, which saves him money in the long run due to energy consumption being higher for the latter.
"A slow cooker used 40 times a year costs £8.40 a year compared to £46.80 for a conventional oven, saving me about £38 a year," said Scott.
12. Use a halogen oven - £28
In addition, Scott says using a halogen oven saves him about £28 a year compared to a conventional oven.
Read next:
- Martin Lewis reveals you'll be paying hundreds for energy this winter - even if you use none
- Martin Lewis explains the cheapest way to pay your energy bill - as Ofgem price cap set to soar to £3,549
- Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert reveals how to get free food from McDonald's and Tesco
- Martin Lewis warns Brits not to cancel direct debits as Ofgem's energy price cap soars
- 'People are frightened': North East foodbanks react to energy price cap hike
