Having a no-spend weekend might sound easy, but once you look at the kind of costs you could cut, you’ll be surprised how much you could save by having one every month.
While it’s tempting to say the last weekend in every month is already a no-spend weekend, if you do it the first one after payday you’ll find managing your money much easier through the month. Here’s what you could save if you started your no-spend weekend on a Friday morning through to going to bed on Sunday night.
We’ve chosen Friday to show how you could be saving cash one day every working week, too. These ideas make the assumption you aren’t spending elsewhere in the week to make up for it, such as getting extra groceries in for the weekend – that’s cheating!
Find a free way to get to work
Alright, this one might not suit everyone if they don’t live near to work or near colleagues. Bear with us, we’ve got a small workaround coming up! If you do live close to work, consider dusting off your bicycle (or borrowing one from a friend), walking, or catching a lift from a colleague who lives near to you. This could save you at least £5 in your journey. With that in mind, if you give up two takeaway coffees or one lunchtime meal deal during your week, that’s the equivalent saving (so you can still afford your bus ticket on Friday).
Minimum saved: £5
Take leftovers for lunch
It’s really easy to get into the habit of buying lunch at work, particularly if part of your office culture is to go out for team lunches. However, this is costing you a lot more than you might expect every month! More than that, buying food specifically for work lunches, like extra bread and filling for sandwiches, packets of crisps or healthy options like fruit that travels well in the bottom of your work bag, can add up. Rummage in the freezer on Thursday night and pull out leftovers that you froze and forgot about. Or, look in the fridge to see if you can whip up a quick meal to take with you. This will save you on buying specific lunchbox foods, and buying a lunch out on Friday.
Minimum saved: £5
Take your morning hot drink with you
Almost everyone has a thermal mug these days, or a flask – whether you’ve bought your own, been gifted one, or have branded merch picked up from a recent conference. Make the most of it! Take your hot drink of choice to work in your thermal mug at least once a week – in this case, on Friday. This will save you spending at least £3.50 on a coffee.
Work near a Waitrose? Put that mug to good use: every member of the (free to join) Waitrose club can claim a free hot drink every day of the week. If you like to treat yourself to a triple espresso soy cappuccino extra foam with sprinkles now and then, take your mug. All major café chains like Starbucks, Café Nero, and Costa will save you at least 50p on your drink if you give them your reusable mug instead of using a takeaway.
Minimum saved on Friday: £3.50
(Minimum saved if you’re a Waitrose member: £17.50 a week on daily hot drinks!)
Avoid those Friday drinks
Just one night a month, say no to after-work drinks. This will save you at least a tenner, as Friday drinks will involve at least two, usually – and the price of a pint of beer is at least £5 in most areas. If you have to go out, or want to, sign up to loyalty apps. For example, Circe in London offers customers a free cocktail voucher just for signing up to their newsletter.
Minimum saved: £10
Saturday food: Use those loyalty cards
This one takes a bit of planning, but if you are a regular at cafes or restaurants that offer loyalty stamps, be rigorous about collecting them. Then, have a no-spend weekend by claiming all the freebies earned – it could be free coffee, free meals, or free snacks. For example, the All Bar One loyalty app has deals like a free cocktail.
Try to time it so your loyalty stamps are completed on several cards for the same weekend to enjoy freebies for your no-spend weekend. This will save you on your Saturday night takeaway! Let’s say you earn a free coffee, a free slice of mail meal, and a free dessert in one month on your loyalty stamps. That means instead of a takeaway you’ll save saved a bunch of cash and had delicious food for free!
Minimum saved: £40
Saturday activity: Join a park run
Park Runs are free and are for people of every activity level – you can walk, jog or run 5 kilometres every week. Try to beat your personal best or just enjoy the route with a friend – it’s up to you! This free event could take the place of your usual gym class, shopping date, or other activity that involves money spending on a Saturday! If you don’t want to get involved in large group activities, plan a hike in local countryside if you live nearby, or pick up a walking tour audio guide for your city to learn more about the place you live.
Minimum saved: £8 (a gym class)
Saturday activity: Head to the library
Even if you’re not a big reader, go to the library! This is the best place you can go to if you’re trying to save money. That’s because libraries offer so many more free things than just books. You can borrow board games, games for the kids, computer games, audiobooks and some even have equipment libraries with DIY tools you can borrow!
It’s free to sign up to a library and your membership gives you access to so many free things as well as tons of information and resources – such as finding new clubs in your community to join. Assuming you’ve saved yourself on buying one book and one board game…
Minimum saved: £20
Saturday night: Home cinema
Stay in and enjoy some old favourites by either raiding your DVD cupboard (ask your library if you can borrow a player!) or finding a free trial for a new streaming service. Apple TV, Paramount+ and the BFI Player do a 7-day free trial, while Amazon Prime does one month. There are often flash offers for longer free trial periods or for streamers that don’t offer trials as standard. Settle in with your cosy blankets and turn the lights low to snuggle in for a home cinema experience.
Minimum saved: £12 each
Sunday breakfast: Raid the cupboard
Sunday brunch is a leisurely activity and if you challenge yourself to make something using only the ingredients in your cupboard you could be surprised at the results! If you’re unsure how to make your ingredients go together, look online for recipe suggestions using those items. You could also use an app like SuperCook Recipe Generator, which lists recipes using only your available ingredients.
Minimum saved: £5
Sunday activity: Try a free gym pass
Look at your local gym to find one with free day or week passes to try out their services. You might be able to also join a free taster class if you prefer to participate in group exercise. Alternatively, look for a park gym near you if you fancy working out in the great outdoors. Many communities have fixed gym equipment in green parks to help you work out in nature. Or, research whether there is a green gym in your area that volunteers to improve public spaces – it’s a great way to keep fit and help a good cause.
Minimum saved: £8 (for a class)
Sunday activity: Free local events
Research using your local area’s website, newspaper, and even community hall noticeboards. There is almost always something interesting happening within walking distance, if you know where to look. Or, go to a local museum or art gallery with free entry – and check to see if residents can enter attractions for free with proof of residency like a council tax bill.
One of the best Sunday activities that’s free? Food festivals! Not ones with paid entry (although you can often blag free entry by searching online for ticket draws or offers), just ones like your local farmer’s market. These are great because there are often food tasters available at stalls, so you can fill up without spending a penny by visiting all the stalls and sampling tasters!
Minimum saved: £15 on entry fees
Sunday dinner: Host a pot luck
Finally, invite your friends over to host a pot luck dinner. Ask each to bring a dish and have a ‘fuddle’ – a social gathering around food where it doesn’t really matter if the dishes ‘match’ each other! This is a brilliant way to see friends and catch up, without putting pressure on anyone to spend money by going out for dinner together. Tell people to make things or bring whatever they have in their fridge. You could also host a pot luck ingredient dinner, where you each bring ingredients and have fun cooking a made-up dinner together!
Minimum saved: £10 each
How much have you saved on your no-spend weekend?
So, there you have an extreme but achievable example of all the ways you can save cash and claim freebies to have a no-spend weekend for a minimum saving of £141.50. If you do that just once a month, that’s £1698 saved a year. Do it twice a month and that’s £3396 in your savings, instead. Remember to sign up to newsletters and always shop around for deals and discounts online before you go out for food and drink or pay for a sociable activity when spending time with friends and family.
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