![\"Cropped](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2203057935.jpg\")
\n\t\tYour small swaps can lead to a large portfolio over a five to ten-year period (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tYour small swaps can lead to a large portfolio over a five to ten-year period (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Starting from scratch with investing<\/a> can be difficult, especially if you don\u2019t know where to get the money from to start buying shares or funds. <\/p>\n However, it is easier than ever to put away just a little in an investment Isa or other account so you can use simple lifestyle changes to make a start on building a portfolio without it being a daunting task<\/a>.<\/p>\n And then, thanks to the effect of compounding over time, your small swaps can lead to a large portfolio over a five or ten-year period.<\/p>\n To get started, one option is to open a DIY<\/a> stocks and shares Isa or pension<\/a> with any online platform. <\/p>\n \t\t Some will allow you to invest from as little as \u00a31 a month into low-cost funds that are suitable for beginners, such as tracker funds with a global remit. <\/p>\n Then, make any of the five changes below and put the money you\u2019ve saved straight into these investments<\/a>.<\/p>\n Five years later you could have anything from \u00a31,360 to \u00a37,500 in your new stocks and shares Isa, depending on which changes you make. Do them all and a few simple habit changes could net you more than \u00a326,000\u2026.<\/p>\n Smart swap one: Netflix Premium to iPlayer and free trials of other platforms<\/p>\n Monthly saving: <\/strong>\u00a318.99<\/p>\n Portfolio after five years:<\/strong> \u00a31,360<\/p>\n According to media regulator Ofcom<\/a>, two-thirds of UK households subscribe to at least one of Netflix<\/a>, Amazon<\/a> Prime Video or Disney+. <\/p>\n \t\t You might not even have noticed the increasing costs of your subscriptions, or the fact that you\u2019ve ended up on the most expensive plan.<\/p>\n Cancelling one of your streaming subscriptions and diverting that saved money into your investment account could be the start of a long-term investment plan. <\/p>\n If you cancel Netflix Premium, for example, and put the \u00a318.99 a month you save into your Isa you\u2019ll have around \u00a31,360 after five years, assuming a seven per cent moderate rate of investment growth.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t bear to lose a service? Downgrade both your premium Disney and Netflix subscriptions to the basic \u2018with ads\u2019 tier and save \u00a322 a month into your investment account. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDon’t miss our Money tips! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/p>\n At Metro Money, we’re here to bring you all the latest news and advice on personal finance, cost of living, saving and investing. As part of our vibrant community of highly engaged readers, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories.<\/p>\n Click the button below and tick\u00a0Metro.co.uk<\/strong>\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n \nAdd us as a Preferred Source<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \t\t Stick with it and you\u2019ll end up with \u00a31,584 after five years if your portfolio grows by seven per cent. Keeping that figure in mind should help you to stomach the ad breaks.<\/p>\n Smart swap two: Three weekly coffees for a flask from home<\/p>\n Monthly saving:<\/strong> \u00a360.45<\/p>\n Portfolio after five years: <\/strong>\u00a34,304<\/p>\n \t\t A medium coffee<\/a> at Starbucks costs around \u00a34.95, so if you\u2019re buying three a week you\u2019ve spent \u00a314.85 on your caffeine hits. <\/p>\n Buy an insulated flask for \u00a320 and you\u2019ll be able to take hot coffee to work for around 30p a cup.<\/p>\n By putting your savings<\/a> intentionally into your investments as soon as you open up your flask, you\u2019ll be consciously rewarding yourself for your sensible decision making and giving that money as long as possible to grow. <\/p>\n After five years, at a seven per cent return, those three coffees a week could lead to a \u00a34,304 portfolio.<\/p>\n Smart swap three: Your premium phone contract for a cheap Lebara or Giffgaff SIM<\/p>\n Monthly saving: <\/strong>\u00a350<\/p>\n Portfolio after five years:<\/strong> \u00a33,580<\/p>\n If you\u2019re bundling the cost of a new handset in with your phone contract, chances are you\u2019re paying too much every month, especially if you\u2019re happy with the handset you have.<\/p>\n Contracts that include pricey handsets come in at around \u00a355 a month according to comparison sites such as Uswitch.<\/p>\n However, you can get a cheap SIM-only deal for \u00a35 a month from budget providers such as Lebara and Giffgaff. <\/p>\n \t\t These providers usually include European roaming in your contract and use the same networks as the bigger providers so you won\u2019t be losing out on coverage.<\/p>\n Use your existing handset and put the \u00a350 you\u2019re saving each month into investments and you\u2019ll have \u00a33,580 at the end of five years. <\/p>\n Need a new handset every few years? Buy one on refurbished site Backmarket at \u00a3250 in year two and year four and you\u2019ll still have more than \u00a33,000 saved compared with keeping your old deal.<\/p>\n Smart swap four: Weekly takeaway for a weekly fakeaway<\/p>\n Monthly saving:<\/strong> \u00a3130<\/p>\n Portfolio: after five years: <\/strong>\u00a39,352<\/p>\n Spending \u00a345-50 on a weekly takeaway plus delivery is a reasonable treat for a family of four, but you could save money by swapping it for a supermarket<\/a> meal box of Chinese or Indian favourites.<\/p>\n \t\t You could save \u00a3130 every month by swapping the \u00a345 for a \u00a315 meal kit from Aldi. <\/p>\n Put the \u00a330 into your investments every week on \u2018Fakeaway Friday\u2019 and you\u2019ll soon see your balance climb. In three years at seven per cent you\u2019d have \u00a39,352 in your investment pot.<\/p>\n Smart swap five: Cycle in Zone 1-4 London commute for three times a week<\/p>\n Monthly saving:<\/strong> \u00a3108<\/p>\n Portfolio after five years: <\/strong>\u00a37,500<\/p>\n Get in the saddle and cycle to work three times a week instead of taking the Tube or train to power up your portfolio as well as your fitness levels. <\/p>\n Put the price of two Zone 1-4 peak fares (\u00a34.80) each day into your investment account, and take away the cost of maintaining your bike as you don\u2019t want your brake pads to fail or be left with a flat tyre and no spare inner-tube.<\/p>\n Even with a \u00a3200 budget on wear and tear and an early investment into waterproof cycle kit, a D-lock and high visibility lights, you\u2019d still end up with \u00a37,488 at the end of five years.<\/p>\n Stacking your habits<\/p>\n \t\t If you\u2019re willing to make all five life changes, you could amass a significant sum in just five years.<\/p>\n Swap Netflix, your coffee, your phone contract, your commute AND your takeaways and you could end up with more than \u00a326,000.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a figure many of us would find motivating every time we reached for the Deliveroo app or passed a Starbucks. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSavings at a glance\t\t\t<\/p>\n Netflix Premium to free iPlayer and trials \u2014 \u00a318.99 a month, \u00a31,360 in five years<\/p>\n Three weekly coffees for a flask from home \u2014 \u00a360.45 a month, \u00a34,304 in five years<\/p>\n Premium phone contract to cheap SIM-only deal \u2014 \u00a350 a month, \u00a33,580 in five years<\/p>\n Weekly restaurant takeaway to grocery fakeaway \u2014 \u00a3130 a month, \u00a39,352 in five years<\/p>\n Zone 1-4 TfL commute to 3x\/week bicycle trip \u2014 \u00a3108 a month, \u00a37,500 in five years<\/p>\n TOTAL \u00a3367.44 a month, \u00a326,096\u2028in five years<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2185550475.jpg\")
\n\t\tConsistency is key (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2165025633.jpg\")
\n\t\tCan\u2019t stomach ad breaks? Perhaps \u00a31,360 will help soften the pain (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI280784796-2946.png\")
\n\t\tOur Money experts are here to give you the latest tips and insider guides<\/p>\n![\"Mature](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-1419491999.jpg\")
\n\t\tCoffee is an expense many forget about (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2203057909.jpg\")
\n\t\tMeny spent on your SIM coud be invested instead (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Happy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2077444381.jpg\")
\n\t\tFakeaways are a great way to save (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2178335816.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe money will stack up (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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