Day-to-day ways to save money

Prior to moving out, I lived like a queen. A hot beverage from the coffee shop round the corner from my office became an everyday staple. Dining out multiple times a week and splashing ridiculous amounts on beauty treatments: You would think my debit card was a business card if you saw how often I handed it to other people.

I had absolutely no self control with money. And yet, I still managed to save and have some left over at the end of the month.

Then I moved out and everything changed.

After rent, my car payments, insurance, electricity, gas etc. etc. I am left with what I call my "negotiable spend". This money goes on food, maintaining a social life and general day-to-day spending. However I shortly realised after moving into my own place, my spending habits were going to have to seriously change if I wanted to maintain the quality of life (and cuisine) I was used to.

Almost 4 months later and I've got it down I'm starting to get to grips with my new "lifestyle" so thought I'd share my tips on what has helped the most.

1. Packed lunches and travel mugs are your best friend.
If, like me, you work 9-5, you will know how costly it can be buying your lunch at local cafe's. I'm trying to get into the routine of making a big pot of soup on a Sunday night. Depending on how much time I have, I'll sometimes buy the pre-cut veg for soup from Asda which is only about 75p and a total time saver.

2. DIY Beauty treatments
This is a big one if, like me, you enjoy treating yourself to a pamper every now and again. Since moving out, I now do my own eyebrow and eye lash tinting (not as scary as it sounds), nails and hair removal. Cutting these out of my monthly spend made a big difference. Sure you will make some mistakes, freak out that you've blinded yourself or sucked your skin into the epilator but think about all that money you're saving.

3. Take advantage of public transport. Skip taxi's and take the bus instead.
It's so easy to just flag a taxi down especially at this time of year when it's cold, 3am and you're wearing 6 inch heels. And sometimes there truly is no other options. But when possible, take advantage of public transport or even better, your legs. I live in the centre of town and have been guilty of flagging down a taxi rather than taking an extra 15 minutes to walk home. But doing this often can save so much buck.

4. Swap your usual shop for Aldi or Lidl. And stick to a shopping list (!!)
This is my biggest money saver. I've found myself making a huge saving just swapping my Asda shop for Aldi. Firstly, Aldi has fewer plush brands. Thus you're not so tempted by the huge array of finer choices. Also, writing and sticking to a shopping list allows you to only buy what you really need and reduce waste.

5. Bake in bulk.
I don't quite mean baking cakes, but instead, if you're making a lasagna, chilli, bolognaise etc. make that little bit extra and freeze. This makes for a perfect substitute for a dominos order on days you can't be bothered to cook.

6. Shop around for your gas & electricity providers.
This is one I preach but don't exactly practice myself (purely because I rent). But you can save hundreds per year just by swapping to a different provider. Even just swapping tariff's can make a difference (albeit small on a month by month basis).