
MoneySavers have been sharing their cost-cutting successes in 2017 on social media – including everything from huge energy and mortgage switching successes to reclaims after the airline Monarch collapsed and a super-cheap vacuum cleaner deal.
Scores of you have got in touch via Facebook and Twitter over the past few days after we asked how you cut your costs in 2017.
And many have shared their MoneySaving resolutions for the New Year – with one of the most quirky being a pledge to log on to online banking every day and transfer the pence part of the balance to a savings account.
Here are some of the biggest successes and boldest resolutions we've seen – let us know yours on Facebook, Twitter or in the forum.
'I listen to MSE first'
Here are some of the success stories we've seen:
We have saved approx £360 on gas and electricity by switching and have juts saved about £700 on our mortgage by switching often listen to MSE first
— Joanne webster (@Joannewebster18) January 1, 2018
I bought a vax vacuum cleaner after you posted about a sale. The lowest price anywhere else, apparently, was £190 and I paid £45...so saved £145 and got a cordless vac, which I’d wanted doe ages, so thanks! Happy New Year to all at MSE xx
— Jen S (@niamaya) December 31, 2017
One MoneySaver reclaimed £759 in packaged bank account fees:
I received £759 from a packaged bank account for only 3 years about 8 years ago. Used your website. Received funds within 6 weeks. Result!
— Victoria Olisa (@vicky_olisa) December 31, 2017
And many posted about their MoneySaving wins on Facebook:
As well as the ones you told us about on social media, we also heard several other incredible successes throughout 2017, including:
- PPI claimants winning four-figure payouts under new 'Plevin' rule
- 'We got £153,000 back for mis-sold PPI using MSE's free reclaim tool'
- Student loan overpayments: 'I got £1,100 back in just five minutes'
- Monarch refunds: 'I got £175 back in just three days'
'My resolution is not to buy any NEW clothes in 2018'
Here are a few of your 2018 resolutions:
Saving up for my first home so my resolution will probably need to be to visit your site a little more often! 😃
— Stevie Beeby (@HVBeeby) January 1, 2018
My resolution is not to buy any NEW clothes in 2018. The money saved will go to my bucket list year in 2019 (my 60th) which includes, visit friends in New Zealand and go to a flyaway Grand Prix - Yes I am extravagant 🤦🏼♀️
— Hazel Taylor (@Pretzels_Ma) January 1, 2018
Log on to online banking everyday and transfer the pence part of my balance to my savings account to see how much I can save from something so simple over the course of the year 🤑
— Liz (@LizDonaldson16) January 1, 2018
We have pledged to become a zero food waste family. Sprout recipe ideas welcome!!
— Hazel Eastlake (@hazel_eastlake) January 1, 2018
I’m going to try to keep a diary, open a savings account and my aim for 2018 is to be debt-free (excluding my mortgage and student loan) by the end of the year.
— Lauren Hewitt MSci (Hons) (@EitherWalnut) January 1, 2018
The 'penny a day' challenge
One popular MoneySaving tip among our forumites is the 'penny a day' challenge. This involves saving a number of pennies corresponding to the number of days that have passed in the year.
So you save:
1p on 1 January
2p on 2 January... and keep going towards
£3.65 on 31 December
If you complete this, your end-of-year total will be £667.95.
You can follow how others are doing and share your progress in the Save a penny a day 2018 forum thread.