Following on from my blog a couple of weeks ago, here is the second installment of practical tips for saving money post Brexit:

1) If you don’t live too far from work, try cycling to work instead. The exercise is good for you, it keeps the pounds off, there are more cycle lanes being built all the time, and the government runs a bike-to-work scheme which can cut the cost of buying a new bike. When I checked almost 650,000 bikes have been purchased under the scheme to date: https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

2) If you live less than 3 miles from work, why not walk to work a few times each week and save on the bus fare or petrol. It takes an hour to walk 3 miles, if there aren’t too many hills to walk up, or main roads to cross.

3) If you take public transport to work, check if you can save money by getting on the bus/train or underground one stop closer to your office/shop/factory. A friend of mine lives just inside London Zone 3, and she saves hundreds of Pounds a year by walking an extra 15 minutes each way to an underground station on the outer edge of Zone 2.

4) Don’t buy takeaways, or buy them less often. My local takeaway charges two quid for one portion of rice, which would have cost me just 30p if I had spent an extra 15 minutes making it at home instead.

5) If you rent a whole flat - share it. If you rent a room - share it with your girl or boyfriend. However check your rental agreement first to check if there are any limits on how many people can live in the flat or room.

6) Are you getting value for money from your phone contract? Do you really need all those free minutes and texts? If you do change to a cheaper tariff, do check that you will not be penalized for switching contracts.

7) If you go away for the weekend, make sure your central heating is switched off or on low, so that you are not heating an empty house/flat/room. If you own or rent a whole house, don’t turn the heating off completely if you are going away though, otherwise your pipes might freeze.

8) If you have unwanted Christmas or birthday presents, why not sell them on eBay or Etsy rather than sticking them unused at the back of a cupboard.

9) Buy your glasses from Southern Seas: www.southernseasglasses.co.uk (Disclaimer: I am biased as I work for Southern Seas).

10) Don’t waste money on shaving foam, grow a beard. Many years ago I cycled across Asia on a mountain bike. During those 10 months I used cheap soap instead of shaving cream to shave, and my face isn't any the worse for it.


The author is the founder of Southern Seas Glasses. The views expressed above are entirely those of the author and do not in any way constitute legal, medical, professional or financial advice.