The SMARTY savings guide: Back to the commute

Going back to the office can mean your weekly expenses start to go up again – with travel, lunches, coffees and even just commuting boredom – you may find yourself spending more than you mean to.

Here are some of our top tips and handy tricks to help you save money every day…

Travel tips

Walking to and from the train station in the morning is a great way to save money. But if you want to get places a little quicker, ask your employer if you can take part in the Cycle to Work scheme. Get up to £1000 for bikes and accessories, then pay a monthly salary sacrifice over a 12 or 18 month period. At the end you can buy the bike outright, continue hiring or give it back.

If you’re wondering whether your season ticket is worth the money, check out MoneySavingExpert’s Train Season Ticket Calculator. Compare flexi and daily tickets and find your perfect fit.

Coffee subscriptions

If a morning coffee is your weakness, why not set up a Pret Coffee Subscription – pay just £20 a month and enjoy up to 5 drinks a day. Choose from organic coffees, teas, frappes, hot chocolates and more. Plus, it’s free for the first month.

Pret not to your fancy? Try a Leon Coffee Subscription for just £15 a month. There’s no limit to the amount of drinks you can enjoy in a day, but you get a maximum of 75 coffees over the month.

Low-key lunches

Want to save money on your lunch? Look out for meal deals where you can. Shops like Tesco, Boots and M&S offer lunch time meal deals that let you pick a sandwich or salad, side and drink. You’ll be surprised how much you can save.

The other way to save money is to prep your meals at home. Sweet Peas and Saffron have a great list of healthy lunch prep ideas to inspire you. At least this way you get to eat exactly what you want.

Commuting boredom

Like to stay up to date with the latest news? Pick up a subscription to The Guardian and you could save up to 37% a year rather than buying it every day.

For music we’d recommend Spotify. Pick up your first month of Spotify Premium for free (normally £9/99). You’ll enjoy ad-free listening, unlimited skips and the option to download too.

Or for podcasts that’ll make you laugh, cry and everything in between, you can peruse GQ’s list of ‘The best podcasts to listen to in 2021’. There’s something for everyone and nearly all are free.

If you’re looking for a distraction to take your mind off the commute, mobile games are a must. Whether it’s a relaxing puzzle, an exciting story, or a mind-bending strategy, our blog on the ‘Top games for your commute’ should help you banish the boredom.

Super SIM deals

If all this commuting entertainment has been draining your data, there’s one deal you definitely need… a SMARTY SIM plan. Pick from a huge range of data plans to suit any lifestyle and enjoy unlimited calls and texts as standard. Plus, there’s no contract to tie you down.

Give commuting that fist bump feeling…