Ingenius money saving tips by W&H's finance expert that will save you money every day

Faith Archer’s top tips on how to spend smarter - and save money - every day!

Want to know how to save money? How to stretch your funds further and live the good life for less? We share ingenious money saving ideas that will help you cut costs every month

Ingenius money saving tips

Buy holidays for less

Banish winter blues by booking a luxury break for less. Scourflash sales from websites such as secretescapes.com and voyage-prive.co.uk. Secret Escapes offers up to 60% off handpicked hotels and trips including travel. Think packages to see the Northern Lights, a trip to New York or an overseas spa break. While Voyage Privé offers up to 70% off luxury travel to dream destinations.

Save by switching services

Get paid to pay your bills. Switch to a NatWest or RBS Reward current account, and you’ll earn 2% on direct debits for your council tax, water, gas, electricity, mobile phone, landline, broadband and TV package. NatWest reckons the average customer earns £83 a year, so you’d be £59 up even after account fees of £2 a month. Just make sure you pay in £1,500 a month and log into online or mobile banking at least once a quarter. Lower income? Check out the Santander 123 Lite current account instead.

Spend wisely with the help of apps

Make a New Year’s resolution to detox your finances. Citizens Advice reckons loyal customers pay an average penalty of £877 a year if they stick with the same suppliers for mobile, broadband, home insurance, savings and mortgages. Seize the chance to save time as well as money by using the app Bean to track direct debits and subscriptions across all your accounts. You can then cancel unwanted ones with a few clicks and compare deals to cut the cost of your remaining bills. Next, try apps such as Yolt or Money Dashboard to see all your accounts and credit card balances in one place, so you can budget better. Check savingschampion.co.uk to find the highest interest rates. Regular savings accounts from Nationwide, First Direct and M&S Bank pay 5% interest on deposits up to £250 or £300 a month for the first year.

average penalty of £877 a year if YOU stick with the same energy suppliers

Get discounts on meal boxes

Buying recipe box meal kits from the likes of Gousto and Hello Fresh doesn't mean paying full price. Slash the cost by searching for discount codes for up to half price off your first box or two. With 40% off, newcomer MyCookBox costs just £14.99 for three meals for two people.