Five little things that have saved us money this week {10th July 2026}….

Every week I share five small things we’ve done to save a bit of money, make life easier or help us spend more intentionally.

None of them are usually huge on their own, but that’s kind of the point. Those small choices add up over time and give us more room for the things that really matter — whether that’s days out, holidays, home projects, treats we’ll actually enjoy or just a bit more breathing space in the budget.

1) Right, just one garden one for you today and then we’ll move swiftly on. 😁

Someone knocked on our door this week and asked if we would be OK with them taking a cutting from our St Johns Wort bush and it prompted me to take a few of my own. It’s looking glorious at the moment and I’d love to be able to have more of the same along our fence in the garden. 

Our garden is 62 feet long so there’s a lot of fence and it would be lovely to have more of this bush along some of it as it’s so pretty right now. I took six cuttings and should start to see results in the next 4-8 weeks. 

Fingers crossed. 

2) I always try to use TopCashback whenever I’m buying something online and I’m forever telling friends to check it before they hit the checkout. It takes seconds to have a look and, if the retailer’s on there, you might as well earn a bit of cashback for something you were going to buy anyway.

I logged into my account this week for the first time in a couple of months and was genuinely surprised to find just under £75 ready to withdraw, with another £23 sitting as pending. What a lovely surprise!

Most of it came from a couple of insurance policies that we switched when we moved house. In all the chaos of moving, decorating and trying to remember where we’d packed the kettle, I’d completely forgotten that we’d gone through TopCashback when we took them out.

It genuinely felt like finding money I’d forgotten I had, it was a lovely reminder that all those little bits of cashback really do add up over time. 😁

3) I honestly love having older children. Miss F was at Silverstone last weekend having the time of her life, which meant I got to spend some time with Master F. He’s 21 now and, just like his sister, he’s an absolute pleasure to spend time with.

We’d originally planned to go out for breakfast together, but he knew I really wanted to visit the Festival of Thrift so he suggested we head there instead. While his sister was enjoying a weekend at Silverstone, he happily wandered around looking at vintage treasures, pre-loved bargains and money-saving ideas with me.

One of my favourite finds of the day was this gorgeous pink Laura Ashley clock that was sitting looking a little bit sad on one of the stalls. It was definitely in need of a good clean, but for £5 I couldn’t leave it behind because I knew it would be perfect for my office.

It’s had a good scrub since I brought it home and honestly, it looks like a completely different clock. I was curious to see what it might have cost elsewhere so I had a look online afterwards and found the same one on eBay for £36, which made my £5 bargain feel even better.

I’ve actually wanted a clock for my office ever since we moved in, but I could never find one that felt quite right. We made a conscious decision when we bought the house that we weren’t going to fill empty shelves and walls with ‘do for now’ things just for the sake of making the rooms look finished. Instead, we’ve been waiting until we find things we genuinely love, whether that’s from a charity shop, Facebook Marketplace, a vintage shop or, in this case, the Festival of Thrift.

4) One of the side effects of the medication I’m on is that I need to make sure I drink plenty of water, so I always try to take a drink with me whenever I’m heading out.

I normally carry my trusty Stanley Cup, but it’s a bit on the large side if I’m just nipping out for a couple of hours. This week, work held a sustainability day where they were giving everyone a lovely insulated water bottle engraved with their name completely free of charge, so I was very happy to bring one home.

It’s the perfect size to throw in my bag and has already come in handy a few times this week. I like taking a drink with me because it’s convenient, especially in this heat, but it’s also one of those little habits that saves money without really thinking about it. Buying a bottle of water or a soft drink every time you’re out soon adds up, whereas filling up a reusable bottle before you leave the house costs next to nothing.

An added bonus is that I now have a choice depending on where I’m going. The Stanley is still perfect if I’m going to be out all day, but this smaller bottle is ideal for popping into my handbag when I don’t want to carry quite so much around. 😁

5) I’ve had a week’s holiday from work this week and, because it’s the first proper break I’ve had since I went back, I’ve been really looking forward to it. Not because I had any big plans, but because my to-do list was getting longer by the day and I was looking forward to finally getting on top of a few jobs around the house.

One of the biggest jobs was sorting through our wardrobes. I spent a good chunk of Sunday pulling everything out, deciding what we actually wear and what had just been hanging there taking up space. Anything in good condition was either put aside for the charity shop or listed on Vinted, and I managed to get around 30 items uploaded in one go.

I know I’m never going to make a fortune selling on Vinted, but every little bit adds up. I’d much rather spend half an hour listing things than leave them hanging in the wardrobe unworn, and the money I make can go towards something we’ll actually use. It’s a win all round really – less clutter, a bit of extra cash and hopefully someone else gets a bargain too. 😁

There you go, that’s this week’s update. Same time, next week?

Don’t miss out on future posts like this – receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address here and hitting subscribe. You can also follow me on Twitter and I’d love to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram. If you’re interested, you can find out more about me here and while I’ve got your attention, if you’re wondering why some of my posts lately are a little bit less frugal then have a read of this post. 😉

Do your future self a favour – Pin this post for later.