Save money with these simple lifestyle changes
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If you want to save even more money, but you’ve already switched energy suppliers, bought energy-efficient bulbs and cancelled the expensive phone contract, it might be time to look at your lifestyle instead. Read this blog post to discover how to save money by making simple lifestyle changes that can better your health as well as save money.
Kick the bad habit
Most of us have at least one habit that’s not particularly great for us, and for many of us, our bad habits are an additional expense that we can ill afford. That’s why, if you want to save money, you should look at eliminating costly bad habits like smoking or eating lots of junk food.
Of course, going cold turkey can be hard, but you don’t necessarily need to do that to start saving money. For example, if you’re throwing your money down the drain by smoking cigarettes regularly, you could check out vaping instead. Sure, buying an e-cig costs money, but once you have it, replacing the vape juice will be much cheaper than smoking normal cigarettes. And, although it would be better to quit smoking altogether, vaping contains far less chemicals than regular cigarettes so you’ll do your health a favour too.
Another example would be switching your regular takeout pizza for a supermarket version, or even better, a much healthier homemade version. If you eat a lot of processed foods and takeaways then these cost a lot more than making homemade meals yourself. Start committing to making healthy homemade foods and packed lunches and you’ll soon start seeing how much more you can get for your money and filling your body with better nutrition too.
If you regularly drink alcohol then the costs really do stack up! It’s expensive and it’s bad for your health. If you drink every night then start having one or two alcohol free nights each week. Then build it up to more. Your health and wallet will thank you.
Whatever your vice, you can tackle it!
Check out these related blog posts:
- Smokers - stop making my children smoke!
- Smoking is no longer cool: the benefits of quitting cigarettes
- Will vaping be the end of smoking?
- 7 ways I’ve got healthier in 7 years
- Your ultimate inspirational guide to being truly healthy
Say goodbye to satellite
If you’re trying to save your money but you have Sky TV or another expensive subscription TV service, perhaps you can cut back? These services may be extensive, but how much do you actually watch? And, if you are watching a lot then you could be sitting down far too long and leading too much of a sedentary lifestyle which is bad for your health.
You could save a third or more of what you’re paying by switching to a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime. There are lots of ways to reduce these bills by sharing accounts with other people too!
Here are some more ways to reduce your TV costs:
- The cheapest ways to get Netflix UK
- How we saved £315 per year on our TV and broadband in 5 minutes
- How to haggle and save money on your Virgin Media bill
Buy a bicycle
If you live in a city with good transport links, you might want to consider investing in a second-hand bicycle. You can often pick them up for a few pounds and using them to get to work, hit the shops, and making other easily commutable journeys is a great way to save money on fuel.
If you can give up the car altogether then you’ll save on car payments, tax, insurance, fuel, and maintenance costs too - that could be hundreds, even thousands of pounds saved - all while getting healthier.
Alternatively you can choose to walk more or even buy a scooter to reduce transport costs!
Check out these articles for more tips to save money on travel and commutes:
- 10 reasons to choose a scooter instead of a car
- 5 ways you can save money with a Brompton folding bike
- Be savvy and save money as a car owner with these tips
Become a window shopper
Love to spend your spare time shopping? How many of the impulses buys you make actually bring you joy long-term?
Often it is the act of finding something new and buying it that makes us happy. Once we have the object of our desires we no longer desire them, so why not save money and just window shop instead?
You still get the thrill of finding new stuff, without the price tag. If you find it hard to resist temptation, take a picture of the object and keep it for 30 days - if you still want it you can buy it then, but you’ll probably find the initial excitement has worn off and you no longer care about it enough to part with your cash.
It’s also really bad for the environment to constantly buy new clothes and things that we only use a few times. It’s much more eco-friendly to choose sustainable fashion and goods which are more cost-effective and can even save us money.
Read how here: why shopping sustainably for fashion will save money
Final word
There are so many lifestyle changes that we can make to save money and in the process we can improve our health and even help the environment. Simple changes can add up to big change!