Shabby Chic Boho It’s probably more important than ever to be conscious about how you spend your money, but also about how you claim it back when it’s important to do so.
As British people, we often have a fear of complaining, but we must be mindful of when we’re being ripped off or having spent money that hasn’t resulted in the desired service.
With that in mind, it’s helpful to know everything about smart spending with your money and how to claim with a savvy attitude in 2026.
Cutting costs without sacrificing life
It’s useful for many of us to think about spending in a smart way. While it’s important to enjoy life, you also want to make sure you’re not depriving yourself of a good life by cutting too much in the way of finances.
So to help cut your costs without sacrificing your enjoyment of life, here are a few helpful ways to start.
Audit your subscriptions
First and foremost, go through all of your available subscriptions, as chances are, there will be one or two you didn’t realise you were paying for. Cancel any unused streaming services, gym memberships, or apps that aren’t serving you anymore.
Supermarket switching
Switching to a different supermarket is definitely something worth trying this year, especially as there are so many other supermarkets that offer great discounts, like Aldi or Lidl, for example.
You might want to mix up your supermarket shopping to try to save money across a few stores. For example, shops like Home Bargains or B&M are great for cheap cleaning and toiletry supplies.
Have a 30-day rule
For the non-essential items, you should wait around 30 days before buying to avoid any impulse purchases. This can avoid overspending on things you don’t really need or want that much.
Use cashback credit cards
Using credit cards for purchases is a good way of getting rewards, but you should pay them off quickly and in full to avoid interest accruing.
How to claim money you’re entitled to
As well as saving money on your spending habits, you should also be finding ways in which to claim money you might be entitled to.
Check your tax code
It’s your responsibility to check your tax code and to make sure it’s correct. Millions of tax codes are wrong, so it’s good to check the HMRC tax code checker to see if you’re owed a rebate at all.
Look at prior car financing payment agreements
If you’ve had prior car financing payment agreements in the past, you may be entitled to a pcp claim. It’s worth exploring this as an option because there are still many people who haven’t claimed and may be entitled to thousands.
Check for pension credit
If you’re a pensioner, then up to one million pensioners are currently missing out on Pension Credit, which is worth up to £10,000. This helps unlock further help with council tax and rental payments.
Support for families
The two-child limit on Universal Credit is being scrapped from April 2026, which means all families will receive support for all children.
Prescription savings
If you’re paying for more than one prescription every two months, then it’s worth buying a 12-month prescription repayment certificate to cap your costs.
Maximise your savings and investments
You must be doing everything possible to maximise your savings and investments. That could be automating your savings by using banking round-up services to taking out high-interest savings accounts. It’s much better to switch banks and gain more from higher interest accounts than just leaving your money in low-interest accounts instead.
Be sure to maximise employer matching contributions, as this is effectively free money for you in the future to benefit from.
Do more with your money this year when it comes to smart spending and savvy claiming.
