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This article is for general guidance only and is not financial or professional advice. Any links are for your own information, and do not constitute any form of recommendation by Saga. You should not solely rely on this information to make any decisions, and consider seeking independent professional advice. All figures and information in this article are correct at the time of publishing, but laws, entitlements, tax treatments and allowances may change in the future.
Whether you're saving up for something, trying to make your pension go further, or just want to be smarter with your money, there are more ways to save than you might think. So with the help of some financial experts, we’ve come up with 52 ways for you to save money and boost your bank balance in 2025.
“Pay with a credit card for anything over £100 to make sure you get your legal consumer rights – if something goes wrong the bank has to refund you.” Paul Lewis, financial expert and Saga Magazine columnist
“This involves committing to not spending any money on anything that isn’t essential for a set period of time. After this period, you can then decide to save this amount in a savings pot, use it as additional income or pay off any debts.” Liz Hunter, Director at Money Expert
“Most banks offer a round-up service where every time you pay by debit card, it rounds the amount up to the nearest pound and automatically saves the difference for you. It’s amazing how quickly those pennies become pounds (or maybe I just use my debit card too much!)” Alex Edmans, Product Director, Saga Money
“There are automated saving apps that use AI to monitor your spending and move money into a savings account on your behalf – most of these can also round up your spending to the nearest pound and save the excess. Over the last three months my app has snuck more than £300 into a savings account without me lifting a finger.” Rachel Lacey, personal finance journalist and writer for Saga Money
“When was the last time you checked your kitchen cupboards? Mine are chocka and in urgent need of a stock take. Check what food you have left, see what you need to use first and plan meals to use up what you already have.” Jane Hawkes, consumer expert at ladyjaney.co.uk
I’ve started to get into the habit of placing items into my online shopping basket and leaving them there for 24 hours to see whether the retailer will send me a discount code. This might be free delivery or 10% off my purchase – either way, I save money, and it gives me time to weigh up whether the purchase is strictly necessary.
“Checking your personal tax account for any gaps in your National Insurance record quickly identifies whether you have enough qualifying years to receive a full state pension – a valuable source of income considering the full rate new payout is set to rise by 4.1% to more than £12,000 a year from April.” It’s normally possible to buy voluntary contributions to plug gaps in your record for the last six years. Alice Haine, Personal Finance Analyst at online investment service Bestinvest
“Book in advance to get the lowest fares, or use one of the train booking apps which offer split ticketing [such as TrainPal, Split My Fare or Traintickets.com] to save even further.” Alison Ortiz, Head of Product, Saga Money
“If you’re aged 60 or over, a senior railcard can save you a third on ticket prices, whereas for younger people travelling with someone else, it’s worth considering a ‘two together’ card. [The second person can be anyone you travel with, and it can sometimes pay for itself on just one long trip].” Sarah Coles, Head of Personal Finance at Hargreaves Lansdown
“If you travel by coach, you can get a Senior Coachcard from National Express. This costs £15 (plus £3 postage and packaging) and will save a third on all UK fares regardless of day and time. You can also get a £15 day return Tuesdays to Thursdays (excluding airports) if booked three days in advance and 15% off the ‘Fully Flexible’ fare on travel to certain large-scale events.” Helen Dewdney, consumer expert for The Complaining Cow
Throughout the year, I make the most of seasonal sales to stock up on birthday and Christmas presents for the months ahead. Just remember to jot down what you bought, who for, and how much you spent – particularly if you have lots of grandchildren!
“Rotate nights to go to each other’s houses for a meal.” [As well as saving money, it gives you a chance to socialise.] Fanny Snaith, certified money coach
“Used coffee grounds are a brilliant way to save a trip to the garden centre. Rather than spending £5 in fuel and £20 in the coffee shop at the garden centre, make a regular home brew and use the old coffee grounds to boost the nitrogen, calcium and magnesium in your garden.” [You can add coffee grounds to your compost heap or directly (in moderation) to the surface of the soil, although it might be safest to avoid adding the grounds straight onto tomato plants and newly planted seeds as caffeine may affect these.] Simon Bridgland, Director at mortgage and protection adviser, Release Freedom
“Nearly a million pensioners are missing out on Pension Credit worth up to £10,000…. Other benefits that Pension Credit claimants could get are council tax reductions, cold weather payments, free NHS dental health treatment, a free TV licence, housing benefit support and the Winter Fuel Payment.” Liz Hunter
Millions of tax codes are wrong every year and it is your responsibility, not your employer’s or HMRC’s, to check it. You may be overpaying, or underpaying, something that can happen if you change jobs, earn money from more than one source, such as a part-time job or a property portfolio, or have recently retired. Checking your code could see you receive a generous rebate.” Alice Haine
“Each year I tend to have a ‘New Year declutter’ and anything that’s no longer needed can be sold either online on sites like eBay and Vinted, or locally on sites like Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace to boost savings and income.” Liz Hunter
You can also use Vinted and eBay to buy clothes, footwear, accessories and homeware for less. I do this on a regular basis, making sure I check the description and postage fees and read seller reviews carefully.
“If it’s not on your meal planning shopping list, back it goes. The most tempting items are usually at checkout, so ignore those too. Save money by removing any impulse items such as sweet treats, drinks or snacks from your basket.” Jane Hawkes
If you pay for NHS prescriptions and need two prescriptions a month, a 12-month PPC costs £114.50 and will save you £123 a year. This rises to a saving of more than £241 a year if you need three prescriptions a month, and more than £360 a year if you need four prescriptions a month.
“Many local theatres offer a discount but often don’t advertise it well. The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon includes discounts for over 65s and The National Theatre in London offers discounts to the over 60s on midweek matinees.” Helen Dewdney
“Go through your bank statements and list all the services you’ve subscribed to, from newspapers and gym memberships to paid-for apps on your phone and TV streaming services. Then cancel all those you don’t use. If you use TV streaming services, think about subscribing to one at a time, watching everything you’re interested in and then switching.” Rachel Lacey
“There’s nothing wrong with checking when you go to restaurants, shops or cafes to see if they can offer any money off for pensioners or have a pensioner-specific menu.” Liz Hunter
“If you still have a mortgage, see if you can pay a bit extra on your mortgage each month. I try to overpay every month, although some months are higher than others. Usually, you can pay off 10% of the outstanding balance without incurring any charges – so overpaying can knock off serious interest and years to pay in the long term.” Rhiain Curtis, Head of Product, Saga Personal Finance
Many police forces sell on stolen goods that they’ve seized, and you might be able to grab a bargain on bikes, watches and other items that cannot be reunited with their original owners. Some police forces do this through auction houses, while others have set up eBay shops online, such as this one from Sussex Police and this one from Leicester Police.
“The over 60s can access Odeon Silver Cinema, where standard seats are £3.50 when you book as a myODEON member online and £4.50 in-cinema. Cineworld’s offering is CineSeniors, providing a range of films on Wednesday mornings for £4.50. Both include tea, coffee and biscuits!” Helen Dewdney
“When I'm shopping, I can’t help trying to work out the difference in price for particular products, to see how much extra I’m paying for a premium brand, or for size of packaging or apparent convenience/preference. Why are mini-Magnums 50% more expensive per weight than normal Magnums? Does the £4 tube of toothpaste really make my teeth whiter than the one at £1.25?” Jerry Toher, CEO, Saga Personal Finance
“You may be paying for policies [such as life insurance] that you no longer need now that your children are financially independent. Or, you may have stopped smoking since you took out the policy and be able to replace it with a lower monthly premium.” Joshua Gerstler, Chartered Financial Planner and Wealth Manager at The Orchard Practice
“If you’ve got extra time on your hands, look into becoming a mystery shopper and get paid to shop. It can also be a nice way to enjoy top up shop groceries, nice meals out, spa and gym access or just a little extra spending money.” Jane Hawkes
“If you have more bedrooms than people in the house – or the same number – then a typical person will save money with a water meter. It also gives you the chance to cut your usage and save even more.” [This is particularly important given that water bills have risen by an average of £86 in April 2025.] Sarah Coles
Make sure you’re claiming all the benefits you’re entitled to, whether that’s Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance or Carer’s Allowance. These can provide a vital financial lifeline, so head to the Independent Age website to find out more or try the Turn2Us benefits calculator.
“If you’re embarking on a project and need a wallpaper stripper or a hedge trimmer, ask neighbours, friends and family if they have one you can borrow first. If you can’t borrow what you need, check out sites and apps like Gumtree, Freecycle and Olio to find what you need – often for free. If you live in London, you can borrow all kinds of tools for a small fee from the Library of Things.” Rachel Lacey
“You work hard for your money, so make sure it works hard for you, by keeping an eye on savings rates and getting the best rates that you can. I was a bit lazy with my savings for years, but now I make sure they work harder – I realised I’d been loyal to my high street bank for years but was not being rewarded for it. Now I vote with my feet to improve the interest rate I get.” Rhiain Curtis
“One of the simplest things you can do to save more money is to make sure less of what you’ve already got built up goes to the taxman. You can do this by wrapping investments in an ISA where they are free from income and capital gains tax, which is extra-important now tax bands have been frozen, and the amount of dividends and capital gains you can make each year without paying tax have been dramatically scaled back.” Laith Khalaf, Head of Investment Analysis at AJ Bell
“If you’re single, don’t assume you can’t take advantage of couples’ discounts. When I was living on my own, a friend and I joined the gym as a couple and saved significantly. Check whether the business allows couples to live at different addresses though.” [Or if you live with someone who isn’t your partner, like a parent or grown-up child, you can usually make savings with joint memberships] Sarah Coles
“If you have a credit card, pay it off in full each month to avoid interest charges. If you cannot do that, then make sure you have paid off the cost of something you bought before you have to buy it again.” Paul Lewis
“Scan all the products on display for deals, and not just those at eye-level – as better savings can often be found on the lowest or highest shelves. Don’t be ashamed to fill your basket with reduced items close to their sell-by date.” Alice Haine.
“If you are an Octopus Energy customer you can earn money on their no energy sessions.” [This pays you to use less energy at certain times of the day. Many other providers, including Ovo and EDF Energy, offer similar schemes where you can earn money or get money off your bills for using less energy at peak times.] Fanny Snaith
As well as saving you money, you’ll benefit from fresh air and exercise. Think about what’s easy to grow and what will be the most cost-effective, as well as how much space you have. Salad leaf seeds can be bought cheaply and can grow in abundance, while blueberries and gooseberries can easily be grown in containers.
You may have money lying in a savings account or pension you’ve completely forgotten about, so make 2025 the year to track these down.
My Lost Account is a free service that brings together three tracing schemes, UK Finance, the Building Societies Association and National Savings and Investments, making it easy to hunt out accounts you didn’t remember having. You’ll need to set up a profile and fill in some personal details online to get started.
You can also try the government’s free pension tracing service – according to the Pensions Policy Institute, there are approximately 3.3m lost pensions worth an average of £9,470.
“If you are remortgaging or moving home, use a whole of market mortgage broker to shop around and find the best deals available. With higher interest rates, it’s never been more important to secure a competitive rate, which may not be available from your current lender.” Alison Ortiz, Head of Product, Saga Money
“With the biggest discounts typically awarded to those with loyalty cards – or shoppers that choose to online shop or smart shop in store with a scanner or their mobile phone – signing up for a loyalty scheme is a no-brainer.” Alice Haine
“You are entitled to free eye tests when you reach 60 and should get your eyes tested every two years and then every year after 70.” [Specsavers and Optical Express also offer 20% off glasses for the over 60s.] Helen Dewdney
“This year I’m investing in something that sounds spectacularly boring, but which I’m quite excited about – smart radiator valves. Essentially means I can decide exactly how warm I want each room, and exactly when.” [Installing a programmer, thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves could save £110 a year on your energy bills – although the initial outlay will be significantly more than this.] Sarah Coles
“Have milestones that are achievable. For example, if you view clearing your mortgage as the goal it would feel unachievable, and the temptation would be to give up. A smaller, more achievable milestone helps you feel good about meeting the milestone and heading on to the next one. I focus on reaching the next £5,000 milestone of my mortgage. That helps keep me focused on my overpayment mission, and then I hit the next block of £5,000 I start again.” Rhiain Curtis
“This is a brilliant way to enjoy luxury living in someone else’s home without the hefty bill. There are plenty of websites where you can list your property and swap it for a villa in Italy or a townhouse in Paris.” [Homelink, Homeexchange.com and People Like Us are among the options – there’s a fee to join but you can usually have a free trial first.] Karen Cunliffe, Managing Director at Red Star Wealth
“If you have a New Year’s resolution to learn new skills or a new language, you could look into taking a new course or even a university degree in your spare time… There are free short courses from the Open University, or for longer courses, check if you could get some support with costs.” Liz Hunter
“I recently moved to a hybrid car and am enjoying seeing the reduction in our petrol bills. It pays to get into the habit of always plugging it in. We can charge overnight at home and then get 30+ miles electric range, which covers most of what we need. We sorted a long extension, so the charger is near the front door and easy to connect. And if you swap to a supplier like Octopus Energy, their smart meter gives you a cheaper overnight rate for charging your car.” Jerry Toher
“A cash savings platform gives you the ability to spread your savings across multiple savings accounts while maintaining visibility and control over all of them in one single place. Savers who have multiple short, medium and longer-term savings accounts with portions of their cash maturing on a regular basis stand to benefit the most.” Claire Jones, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Flagstone
“Are you paying fees for benefits you are not taking advantage of? You could save hundreds of pounds a year if you no longer need the account.” [Packaged bank accounts typically cost £10-20 per month. They can be good value if you’ll use all the perks, but if you’re not using them that’s money down the drain. Switch to a free account offering a cash incentive and make money instead.] Joshua Gerstler
Looking for a cheap day out? National Trust offers 25% off memberships for over-60s, as long as you’ve been a member for the last three consecutive years. If you’re over 65, you can pick up an English Heritage membership for £69 a year, compared to the standard £82 a year. It's also worth looking to see if you can find a discount code online that will let you save even more.
“Before you buy anything that isn’t really essential, think about why you are buying it (are you stressed or bored?), how much you’ll use it and what it will add to your life. If you’ve got a savings target in mind, making more conscious spending decisions will make it easier to reach your goal.” Rachel Lacey
“I have wasted lots of money in the past by buying things in the sale, just because they were discounted – clothes especially, but then they’ve just gathered dust in the wardrobe. Now I am no longer fooled by buying things just because they are reduced. I always make sure that it’s something that I will really use or need.” Alex Edmans
“I don’t get time in the week to do much home cooking and it’s always tempting to reach for those less healthy and more pricey convenience foods. So I try to batch cook at the weekend and freeze portions of my favourites, ready to be defrosted as and when I need them. That way I save money and time, and also get to enjoy healthy and tasty family dinners.” Alison Ortiz
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