Seven easy 5 minute weekend money hacks that could save you £1,981

AT a loose end this weekend? Try these five minute weekend money hacks and pocket a whopping £1,981. If you’re keen to make some extra cash, there are some tips you can follow to sort out your finances in just minutes and pocket a tidy sum. You could pocket a whopping £1,981 with these five-minute weekend hacks Putting money away doesn’t have to be a pain, and with some of these tricks, you won’t even notice the cash coming out your account. People are continuing to feel the pinch, so keeping an eye on your finances is more important than ever. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Household budgets have been squeezed since the pandemic disrupted global supply chains, pushing up the cost of everyday goods. Energy and food bills then soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while higher interest rates have increased mortgage and borrowing costs. And although inflation has fallen from its peak, that does not mean prices have dropped — they are just rising more slowly. Saving even a small amount can mean you have cash to fall back on in an emergency, instead of having to borrow money, something that can end up costing you more because of interest. Whether it’s haggling on your bills or checking out cashback sites – there are some simple tricks you can follow. We’ve rounded up the easiest ways you can save cash and how much you could add to your piggy bank this weekend. Most read in Money Fix your energy deal – save £265 a year Energy bills are expected to soar to around £1,849 a year in October Credit: PA Energy bills are expected to soar to around £1,849 a year in October, according to analyst Cornwall Insight. Meanwhile, the forecaster also warned that the ongoing war between the US and Iran could push up prices due to disruption in global oil and gas markets. As a result, now could be a good time to lock into a fixed-rate deal. Home Energy’s Fair Variable Dual tariff is currently the cheapest on offer, at £1,398 a year. This is £265 cheaper than the current energy price cap of £1,663 per year. The cap is set by energy regulator Ofgem and controls the amount that energy suppliers charge for every unit of energy and gas you use. Meanwhile, Outfox Energy’s Outfox the Price Cap – Fix’d DUAL July 2026 – 15M V8 costs £,1424 a year. Use a price comparison website such as the Energy Shop to shop around and make sure you’re getting the best deal. Get a SIM only contract – save £304 a year If you took out a phone on contract, then you could be overpaying without realising Credit: Getty If you took out a phone on contract then you could be overpaying without realising. You may have already paid off the cost of the phone but are still being billed for it without realising. Switching from a 24-month handset contract to a SIM-only contract could save you £304 a year, or £25.38 per month, according to Uswitch. A comparison website such as Compare the Market or Go.Compare can help you find the cheapest deal. Haggle and switch – save £237 a year Do an MOT of your finances and shave off the pounds and add them to your fund Credit: d3sign The haggle and switch method is an easy way to slash your bills. The first step is to look at your bills like your phone contract and broadband and see if you can haggle them down. Before calling your provider, check what competitors are offering. Make a note of cheaper equivalent deals, then ask your current provider whether they can match or beat them. If they cannot, then move onto stage two: switch providers. The savings could be huge. The consumer website Which? surveyed more than 5,000 customers last year and found that of those who haggled or switched, they saved up to £237 a year on their broadband and TV bill. Get rid of ‘ghost’ subscriptions – save £61 a year It’s easy to forget how many subscriptions we have, and it could be costing a fortune Credit: Getty Have you ever signed up to a new service and totally forgotten all about it? You could have a ‘ghost’ subscription. The average person is wasting £61 annually on services they don’t use, because they forgot to cancel their direct debit, according to HSBC. Do not just check the obvious streaming services. Look for: app subscriptions cloud storage payments old insurance add-ons free trials that became monthly charges gym or fitness app memberships magazine or newspaper subscriptions children’s gaming or entertainment subscriptions Try cashback sites – £300 Brits who use TopCashback earn over £300 a year on average Credit: Alamy If you’ve gone through all your bills and can’t find any way to cut back, focus your efforts on making money. One of the easiest ways to earn extra cash is by using cashback apps. Cashback sites will strike commission deals with retailers so that whenever you shop through their site, they earn a bit of money. Cashback sites don’t keep it all – they share a slice of the commission with you. So make sure you’re using them for your shopping. On average, Brits who use TopCashback earn over £300 a year. Other popular cashback apps include Airtime Rewards and Quidco. Try round-up apps – save £594 a year Automating your savings is an easy way to top up your savings without realising Credit: Alamy Want to save without the hard work? See if your bank has a “round-up” savings feature. So if you bought a £3.40 coffee, your bank would round this up to £4 – and the 60p would be automatically funnelled into your savings account. How much you could save depends on which bank you’re with – but Moneybox says its customers save £12.37 on average each week. That’s nearly £50 a month – or £594 over the year. The following banks have round-up features, and here’s how you set them up: Chase UK – Chase’s round-up account pays 5% AER variable on your spare change. After 12 months, the cash is moved back to your main current account and round-ups start again. Set it up: open the Chase app > Save & Invest > Add+ > Round-up > follow the steps. Monzo – Monzo lets you round up card spending and send the spare change into a Pot, Instant Access Savings Pot or Investment account. Set it up: pick or create a Pot > tap the cog icon > switch on Roundup payments. Starling Bank – Starling puts your spare change into a Space, and you can boost savings by multiplying round-ups by 2x, 5x or 10x. Set it up: go to Spaces > create or choose a Space > Manage Space > Round Ups > switch on. Revolut – Revolut’s Spare Change feature rounds up spending and moves the difference into a Pocket. You can also use an accelerator to save more. Set it up: go to Pockets > select or create one > scroll down > toggle on Spare change. NatWest, RBS and Ulster Bank – These banks offer Round Ups, but you’ll need an eligible current account and instant access savings account. You can also multiply your round-ups by 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. Set it up: open the app > select your current account > tap the three dots > Round Ups > link your savings account. Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland and Halifax – Their Save the Change feature rounds up debit card spending and moves the total spare change to your chosen savings account the next working day. Set it up: log in to the app or online banking > search Save the Change > select Set up Save the Change > pick your accounts. TSB – TSB’s Save the Pennies rounds up debit card buys to the nearest pound and moves the change into an eligible TSB savings account. Set it up: log in to the app or internet banking > select your current account > find Save the Pennies in manage account > follow the prompts. Switch it up – save £220 a year Bank switching bonuses can help you pocket a nice lump sum with basically no work Credit: PA Bank switching bonuses can help you pocket a nice lump sum ahead with basically no work. These are cash rewards that providers will give you for simply opening a new current account. HSBC is now offering £220 to those opening an HSBC bank account through its app. Expect to get the bonus within 60 days. You must deposit at least £2,000 in the account and spend at least £500 in the first 60 days on your debit card to get the bonus. If you don’t want to move to HSBC, then there are other bank switch offers available. Barclays is also offering £200, and Santander is offering £180 and a free £45 Amazon voucher for its Santander Edge account – but the account charges £3 a month in fees, so beware. It’s really easy to make the move; just pick your new bank and apply. The rest, including direct debits switches, will all be handled for you. You’ll need to make sure you meet the T&Cs of the new account; for example, you may have to pay in a certain amount each month. Also, take some time to consider your everyday banking needs and whether the new account will meet those. Comment now