‘Giving up takeaway coffees saves me £400 a month’

A woman has managed to save £400 each month by cutting out takeaway coffees, clothes shopping and regular nail appointments. Lauren Napper, 30, has always been mindful about her spending habits, a lesson instilled in her from a young age.

After becoming a homeowner in September 2021, she found herself living from pay cheque to pay cheque, with little left for savings. By December 2023, Lauren realised that her lifestyle needed an overhaul and implemented changes to save money, such as shopping at charity shops, avoiding dining out and doing bulk grocery shopping.

Since making these changes, Lauren, who earns £39k annually, has managed to save between £300 to £400 each month. She plans to use these savings to fund her travels around Asia and Australia in 2025.

Lauren, a marketing professional from Luton, Bedfordshire, shared: “It was always drilled into me at a younger age that I should not be frivolous with money.

“If I look back at those points in my life, I get annoyed with myself for spending so much money on clothes or makeup. As I got older, I realised you don’t need to spend so much money on clothes, makeup and home stuff. The excitement of buying it fades quickly.”

Lauren has also cut back on “girly things” like getting her hair cut and nails done, opting for appointments every few months instead of every few weeks. She added: “It is a lot of money to spend every month.

“I will get my nails done occasionally if I go on holiday, it’s my birthday or Christmas. Every couple of weeks it would set me back £40. I have also started going to low-maintenance hair appointments, I don’t get highlights in my hair or stuff like that.

“A trim is like £50 but it can be more expensive if you want highlights or infills. I will get my hair trimmed every eight weeks and it will cost me £30.”

Lauren also saves money by shopping second-hand at places like charity shops, Vinted and eBay. She now spends between £50 to £100 a month on clothes, a significant reduction from her previous expenditure of £300 to £350.

She confessed: “I was a bit of a shopaholic. It has been a conscious decision for me to cut back and think ‘actually I don’t need that’ or ‘I have other clothes I can make work’.

“I have started shopping second-hand – I shop a lot on Vinted, it is amazing. You can find things that are brand new on there and it is a great way to shop.

“I heard a tip that if you find something you really like and you’re thinking about it a few days later and it will work with other looks in your wardrobe then it is worth investing in. But if it is a trend piece it is not worth the money.”

While Lauren isn’t a big drinker, she enjoys dining out with friends. Working in London, she used to buy coffee on her way to work but now makes her own at home to take with her.

She revealed: “Every weekend I would go out for dinner or breakfast with a friend – once or twice a week. I used to spend £200 a month on eating out but now I have really been thinking about cutting back and using the food in my freezer.

“We would rather go to our friend’s for dinner or a barbecue. Now I will spend £70 on eating out each month. Stopping spending money on food was a big thing for me. I have started making a lot of meals myself or if I see a brownie in the cafe I will just make it at home.”

On the topic of grocery shopping, Lauren prefers to bulk buy her food every few weeks instead of weekly. She explained: “Food shopping is a thing where a lot of people spend money that they don’t need to spend a lot of money on.

“I will spend around £120 to £140 a month on my food and opt for cheaper brands and alternatives.”