A woman is saving £400-a-month by giving up takeaway coffees, clothes shopping and getting her nails done.
Lauren Napper, 30, says she’s always been conscious about saving money after it was drilled into her from a young age not to be frivolous with her spending.
After buying a house in September, 2021, Lauren realised she wasn’t saving and often found herself living pay check to pay check.
In December 2023, Lauren realised her lifestyle needed to change and she implemented changes to save money – including shopping at charity shops, not going out for food and doing bulk shopping.
Since then Lauren who earns £39k a year, has saved between £300 to £400-a-month and plans to use the funds to go travelling around Asia and Australia in 2025.
Lauren, who works in marketing, from Luton, Bedfordshire, said: “It was always drilled into me at a younger age that I should not be frivolous with money.
“If I go through those points in my life I get annoyed with myself for spending so much money on clothes or make-up.
“As I got older, I realised you don’t need to spend so much money on clothes, make-up and home stuff.
“You realise the hype you get buying it dwindles.”
Lauren says she has cut out “girly things” like getting her hair cut and nails done and will go to appointments every few months instead of every few weeks.
She said: “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.”
Another way Lauren saves money is by shopping second-hand through places like charity shops, Vinted and eBay.
Lauren will now spend between £50 to £100-a-month on clothes – but previously would spend £300 to £350.
She said: “I was a bit of a shopaholic.
You can find things that are brand new on there [Vinted] and it is a great way to shop.
Lauren Napper
“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.”
Lauren is not a massive drinker but said she loved to go out for meals with friends.
Working in London, she would often buy a coffee on the way to work and will now make her own at home to take with her.
She said: “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 BBQ.
“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.”
When it comes to filling her freezer, Lauren will bulk buy her food shop every few weeks rather than once a week.
Lauren said: “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.”
