Cut the work spending and save thousands

Cutting out the coffee and taking your own lunch to work could save you almost £2,500 a year.

That’s according to the money saving gurus at PromotionalCodes.org.uk who looked at the ways we can save cash during our working day.

Cutting out unnecessary spending on food featured heavily with the team estimating most office workers spend £2,340 on lunch and a couple of coffees throughout the day annually.

That figure is before factoring in a bacon roll on the way in if you’re running late or a mid afternoon snack.

Suggestions to cut these costs included packing up your own leftovers for lunch, making the most of office coffee facilities and getting up earlier to avoid that expensive dash into work.

Other money saving tips included car sharing, clothes swapping and employing the ten-second rule if you can’t resist a sneaky stroll to the shops.

Darren Williams from PromotionalCodes.org.uk said: “We’re meant to go to work to earn money but it’s not until you start to add up just how much you spend that you realise how much cash you’re wasting.

“That quick coffee on the way in soon adds up, as does the meal deal every lunch time. These are simple things to fix with a little pre-planning and common sense.

“Organising a car share can be slightly more time consuming, but think of the cash you can save on petrol costs. It’ll also make the journey to work more entertaining if you have your work colleagues to gossip with.

“The best advice we can give is to think before you buy and when you can, think ahead so you go home at the end of the month with extra cash in your bank account.”

Here are PromotionalCodes.org.uk tips for saving cash at work.

1. Coffee
A coffee on your way in to work, one mid morning and already your coffee bill is topping around £5 a day. Over a working week that’s £25 you’ve wasted. Over a year that totals £1,300. Instead, invest in a flask and take your coffee in with you. If your office has tea and coffee making facilities, make the most of them instead.

2. Breakfast
Grabbing your breakfast on the way in to work may seem like a great way to save time in the morning, but spending £3.50 on a bacon roll each day will soon add up, to the tune of £17.50 a week.  It’s worth getting up 20 minutes earlier to save £910 a year.

3. Lunch
Popping out for a sandwich? Expect to shell out around £4 for a basic meal deal, which tots up to £1,040 in a year. Instead, why not make yourself a packed lunch and bring it in. Leftovers from the night before are always a good choice or a nice healthy salad.

4. Snacks
A chocolate bar to get you through that mid-afternoon lull could be costing you – both cash and calories. Buying it from the office vending machine will certainly ramp up the cost. To cut back on that spend, take in fruit, cereal bars or nuts. You’ll have your snack at hand without being tempted by calorific treats.

5. Journey into work
If you drive to work alone, why not see if your colleagues want to car share? If you live within walking distance but normally take the bus, try getting up a little earlier, lace up your trainers and power walk into work. Great exercise and it’s free.

6. Water
That bottle of fancy water will be costing you over a pound a day. Instead invest in a nice water bottle and fill it up from the tap or the office water filter.

7. Your lunch break
If you work close to town it’s far too tempting to pop in for a quick browse over lunchtime and treat yourself to one or two things. Why not use that hour to catch up on a bit of reading, knit yourself a scarf or learn a language.

8. Meeting mates for lunch
If you’re meeting up with friends for lunch, each take something yummy and share it all instead of heading to a bar or restaurant. You could even theme your lunches – maybe Greek one week, Italian the next and French the week after.

9. Book / clothes swaps
Why not set up a swap circle with some work colleagues? You could swap books, accessories, clothes, household items – anything you’re tired of or finished with. By swapping the items, you get something new to take home too.

10. The 10-second rule
If you do get tempted by a bit of lunch time browsing, employ the 10-second rule. When you have an item in your hand, leave it for 10-seconds then ask yourself if you really need it. Nine times out of ten you’ll change your mind and put it back on the shelf.