How we long to be one of those people in the office that come payday declare, ‘oh, do we get paid today, I totally forgot’. Eugh. Well until then, take note of our top 9 money-saving tips to see you through the final leg. Some might say, it’s the survival of the skintest…
Waitrose do free coffee!
Skint or not, we all need our coffee fix, but those tasty Starbucks mount up if you treat yourself on the daily. The answer? Get a Waitrose card. With every purchase you get a free tea or coffee, so pick up a single banana for 20p, then grab your free caffeine hit on the way out. No Waitrose near your office? OK, there must be Pret, so why not flirt your way to a free hot drink (they’re allowed to give away free tea and coffee if they see fit!). However, if your flirting skills are as bad as ours, they do filter coffee for £1. Treat yourself.
Make your own lunches
Be organised because when you’re on a budget, preparation is key. Sunday nights should be spent meal prepping, so get your Monday to Thursday meals on lockdown.
Yellow labels are the answer
If food prep isn’t for you then we have a few other tricks up our sleeves: M&S love a yellow label. Time it right and you can get your lunch (and dinner) for a fraction of the price. Just keep your eyes peeled for a member of staff and their sacred reduction gun.
Top tip – catch Itsu half hour before they shut to bag their delicious sushi meals for 50% off. That’s dinner sorted then!
Walk it
Check your route to work, can you walk any of it? If not all of it? If you can save the pennies AND workout at the same time then that’s a win-win, right?
Work out for free
On the subject of exercise, did you know that there are SO many ways to work out for free in London. Take Our Parks, a new initiative bringing group exercises to your local parks, there really is no excuse!
Be cultural, it’s free!
London might be an expensive city to live, work and play in but there are endless options to get out and explore for free (reason 3527485635 why this city is one of the best places in the world). London is home to some of the most iconic museums and, they’re free to get in! So from The V&A and Natural History Museum to The Tate Modern and National Gallery you can get your art and culture fix for nothing.
Top tip – If contemporary art isn’t quite your bag but gorgeous views are, then enjoy the London skyline at the Tate Modern viewing platform, again ALL for free.
Turn your phone off and lock your door
Sounds dramatic but if there’s ever a time to say, ‘I can’t come out’, it’s the week before payday. Turn it into a positive! Spend your evenings – once you have walked the 25 miles home from the office – snuggled in bed. It’s a chance to catch up on those TV dramas your mum has told you about, or how about that Netflix series they were discussing at work, or getting lost in a good book? Don’t worry, it will be a few more days until you can pop that prosecco, but until then, Netflix and chill is a great alternative.
Did we mention prosecco?
Thirsty Thursdays can still be a ‘thing’, just make them an ‘indoor thing’. Get your skint butt down to Lidl ladies, because their prosecco is £5.79 and it’s bloody lovely (trust us, we’ve tried it). Let the normal hungover Fridays resume.
Get your salesperson’s hat on
Enter, eBay. Without knowing it, you’re probably sitting on a small fortune. It’s either a case of finding pieces you forgot you had (which basically feels like shopping) or, making some hard cash on clothes/shoes/bags that you (let’s be honest) probably won’t end up wearing again. You know what they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure…
Enjoy the tips! If you can live by these ALL month, the possibilities are endless. Just imagine, that plane ticket to paradise might be closer than you think…
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