30 ways to save cash: Brits battle cost of living crisis with these top hacks
With the rising costs of rent, bills, mortgages, food, energy, and just about everything else, Brits are being left with no choice but to come up with savvy ways to save on cash.
These include cutting their own hair, shopping at specific times to make use of supermarket yellow sticker bargains, haggling and growing their own veg.
Turning the heating down is the most popular method of saving, followed by making sure the lights are always turned off, and buying own brand products at the supermarket, a survey of 2,000 adults reveals.
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Completing the top 10 is taking lunch into work, turning all electrics when not using them/out of the home, wearing a jumper instead of turning on the heating, saving leftovers for another meal, using discount vouchers, and using a clothesline instead of a tumble dryer.
As many as 89% of respondents claim they will 'go out of their way' to scrimp on their spending, while 56% will 'use their old smartphone long past their contract' to save money with sim-only plans.
Due to six in 10 admitting to spending too much on Christmas presents, and a quarter going over the top early on in January sales, the first month of the year is when Brits feel they need to make their money stretch further.
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A spokesperson for SMARTY, which commissioned the research, said: "Over time lots of small changes add up to a big difference when it comes to spending habits. It is no surprise this time of year is when many are tightening the purse strings."
Next on the list of ways Brits are saving cash is buying second class stamps instead of first, buying eco-friendly/energy saving bulbs, cutting down on going out, shopping in budget supermarkets and waiting for the sales when making purchases.
They're also buying food and toiletries in bulk, turning off all the plugs before leaving the house, haggling over home/car insurance, price-comparing at different grocery stores and borrowing books from the library, completing the top 20.
More than a third will have a financial 'spring clean' at least once a year to make sure their finances are in order and unused subscriptions are no longer active, the survey found.
This seems to be needed as 41% also admit they forget to cancel a membership or subscription, with one in five of these respondents leaving it running for up to three months without using the service, the research conducted via OnePoll found.
Read more: How to save a fortune on household energy bills
Other ways Brits are scrimping and saving include shopping at second hand or charity shops, using public transport instead of taxis, cutting their own hair, spending the weekend taking part in free activities and going to supermarkets in the evening for yellow sticker deals when shops reduce the prices, often on food due to expire.
Completing the top 30 hacks are growing their own vegetables and herbs, drinking only water in restaurants, using an older or hand-me-down phone, reducing their television/internet packages to the bare minimum and selling anything they possibly can on an online marketplace.
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Meanwhile, Brits ranked the latest smartphones as the number one item that is too expensive these days, despite relying on mobile phone plans, while one in 10 also claimed they would struggle to give up their gym membership.
Household repairs and replacements ranked as the most common barrier people face when trying to save more of their coins, while one in five struggle to put cash away after welcoming a new addition to the family.
However, overall, 51%, feel it is now more acceptable to shop around be smart with spending, rather than to splash out on luxury items.
"This research really highlights the importance we now put on shopping around for the best deal," SMARTY's spokesperson added.
Watch: 5 easy ways to save money at the grocery store
