5 money saving tips for teenagers and young adults

Here are some easy money saving tips for teenagers and young adults.

Cut down on takeaway coffee

Stop purchasing or reduce the number of takeaway coffees you buy. Instead, why not make your own at home and take it with you in a reusable cup? On average a takeaway coffee costs between £2-3. Even if you take along your own cup it will only earn you a very small discount. 

Let’s assume a person buys two takeaway coffees a week at a price of £2.50. That amounts to £5 per week and £260 per year. You can purchase jars of instant coffee for on average £5-7 for which you could potentially get 100 cups of coffee depending on how much you use. 

Therefore there is a huge saving to be made by cutting down on takeaway coffee.

Share a Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney + etc account 

Everyone knows how amazing Netflix or Disney + are but sadly they do come at a price. A basic Netflix account is £5.99 per month and Disney + is £6.99 per month. 

Why not team up with family members or friends to share an account and split the fees between you? You could have one account that your entire household uses and have everyone chip in. 

Make your own pizza instead of ordering a takeaway

Here is a recipe for an easy homemade pizza that you can cook in less than 20 minutes. Courtesy of Lyndsay Howat (my sister). 

You will need: 

• 1 Tortilla Wrap
• Tomato puree or BBQ sauce 
• Grated cheese 
• Any other toppings you would like 

Spread the tomato puree or BBQ sauce on a tortilla wrap. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and add whatever toppings you like. 

Cook in the oven on a medium heat for 10 minutes. 

Sign up for loyalty schemes 

Almost all retailers and supermarkets will have a loyalty scheme. Usually, this works by rewarding you with points every time you shop there. Points can either be exchanged for gifts or used as payment for a future purchase. 

Some loyalty schemes also send discount codes to members via email or post so keep an eye out for these. 

Being a member of a loyalty scheme also comes with other benefits such as early access to sales (meaning you get the first chance to grab any bargains) or a free gift or discount code on your birthday. 

Use your Student Discount 

If you are a university/college student you can take advantage of student discounts if the shop offers this. You can usually save between 10-20% on your purchase as long as you show them your Student ID. 

School pupils who have a Young Scot card may sometimes be able to use this however this depends on the retailer.