We save £1.6k a YEAR using nine apps that stop us paying full price for our bills – it’s even paid for our trip to Asia

YOU know the feeling – you’ve barely stepped foot out of the house and you’ve already spent a tenner. But savvy couple Charlie Herlihy and Sophia Woodcock have figured out how to beat the high cost of living. Charlie Herlihy and Sophia Woodcock use nine apps to never pay full price Credit: SWNS The apps help them to take advantage of handy savings features from their bank Credit: Getty They use nine apps to help them avoid paying full price on their groceries, meals out, and even plane tickets to jet away on holiday. Charlie Herlihy, 26, and partner Sophia Woodcock, 24, have been working out how to maximise their savings after moving to London on entry-level salaries. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Their bills are sky-high, as you’d expect living in the capital – they pay £1,200 in rent for their home in Stratford, £160 in bills, up to £140 on transport costs, and £150 going out. “It’s very expensive,” says Sophia. “With food and the rest of it, it all adds up so quickly.” That’s why they’ve devised a strategy to avoid paying full price for as much as they can. Sophia, a specialist therapy technician, and graphic designer Charlie have downloaded nine apps to help them save cash, and take advantage of handy savings features offered by their bank and energy company. They eat out using apps that give huge discounts, choose their energy providers wisely to get the best rewards and use Gold Amex cards to earn points “anywhere” they spend to exchange for luxury perks like plane tickets. Here’s the full list of apps they use – get downloading now. Most read in Money Fantastic apps for meals out The couple are able to travel and still enjoy their life in London Credit: SWNS Charlie says the first thing the couple do in the morning is to plan out which apps they will use that day to slash their spending. “We have a back catalogue of apps on our phones that do deals and discounts and websites we research on first,” he says. “It takes 15 minutes in the morning but to plan it out is the most cost effective way of doing it.” Sophia and Charlie like to eat out and buy takeout coffees, and use three apps to slash the bill when they come to pay. They use the Paace app, which rewards you with coffees for getting your steps in. You earn points for steps you take, although the app doesn’t tell you how many steps equal one point. Once you’ve earned a certain number of points, you can get a reward from the 400 retailers that the app partners with – such as the food chains Pure and Coco Di Mama. It’s free to download from the App store or Google Play. They also use Eat Club, which gives you discounts at restaurants that don’t have their tables filled. You download the app, which is free, and you will receive a digital card that you can add to your Apple or Google wallet. Then you can use it to tap and pay your bill at a participating restaurant. Using it will mean you get up to 50% off your bill. They also use First Table. All you need to do is download the app, sign up for a free account, and book a table (usually during an off-peak time) at one of the restaurants listed. The app often gives you a 50% discount on your food bill. You have to pay a small booking fee which isn’t set and varies depending on which restaurant you dine at and how many people are dining. Apps to slash your supermarket and energy bills The savvy shoppers know all the tips and tricks to slash their supermarket spend Credit: SWNS To slash their supermarket bill, the pair try to shop at Sainsbury’s where they earn more Nectar points using their Amex card. That’s because Sainsbury’s has a deal with Amex where shoppers can earn two Nectar points per £1 spent. Normal Nectar card customers earn one point per £1 spent. They plan on using their gold Amex card to book flights to Singapore for their next holiday to earn Avios points. Sophia explains: “You get air miles and air points which are called Avios – if you complete any flight basically it adds a certain amount of points, Avios points or token which you can exchange for money off flights. Lidl Plus is also their go-to app. They will check it before hitting the store to see what’s on offer, as well as making use of Ocado’s 25% off offers for customers. They also take advantage of rewards which are offered by their energy supplier, Octopus. The Octoplus rewards programme helps you earn Octopoints by using less power during peak times, and 800 points equals £1. You can build up points to get money off your bills. There are also perks like two Vue cinema tickets for £8. They also hire e-bikes through Octopus which now gives you 30 minutes free e-bike session instead of the normal fee of £10.90 for a 30- minute session. They have also signed up to London On The Inside – a £2 per month online magazine subscription offering 50% off at new restaurant openings, including drinks. Sophia is also a “big advocate” for checking promotions that come through from restaurants on emails – having recently “paid nothing” after bagging a £15 voucher and cashing in on half price ramen at a restaurant. Charlie said: “We want to have enough money for freedom in life as we’d love to go to Australia and go travelling again. He says using handy apps is a no-brainer. “Why not spend five minutes of admin and then be walking away from an experience thinking ‘I’ve saved so much money’. “Your money can go further when you save on things”. Last month, the duo saved £137 from using these apps – over the year, that racks up to around £1,644. But the duo say that they can save £400 each some months, depending on how much they spend – so the total is usually higher. They’ve been using money saving apps for years – and saved a colossal £12k during 2022, which they used to pay for their travelling trip to south east Asia. “Why not spend five minutes of admin so you can walk away from an experience thinking ‘I’ve saved so much money’?” says Charlie. You can follow Charlie and Sophia on TikTok @lifeofphiandcharlie. How much Sophia and Charlie saved last month Utilities: Octopus energy – £11.96 saved in cinema tickets, £10.90 saved on e-bikes Food and drink: Paace app – £16.60 saved Eat Club – £11.21 saved First Table – £23.69 saved London On The Inside – £38.90 saved To Good To Go – normally pick up a £3.99 Gail’s bag worth £15, a £11.01 saving Banking: Total saving: £137.02 The Amex gold card – saved up to £12.75 of points Comment now