{"id":827998,"date":"2026-03-15T19:07:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T19:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/827998\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T19:07:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T19:07:18","slug":"canadian-expat-in-uk-shares-nine-british-cash-saving-tricks-that-changed-my-life-personal-finance-finance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/827998\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian expat in UK shares nine British cash-saving tricks that &#8216;changed my life&#8217; | Personal Finance | Finance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6801903.jpg\" alt=\"Woman putting savings in a white piggy bank.\" title=\"Woman putting savings in a white piggy bank.\" width=\"590\" height=\"393\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A Canadian has outlined nine money-saving tips that she says &#8220;changed&#8221; her life (stock) (Image: Guido Mieth via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>A Canadian has revealed nine money-saving strategies that she says &#8220;changed&#8221; her life after moving to the UK more than a decade ago. Alanna left her life in <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/canada\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ontario<\/a> for a transatlantic <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/travel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">adventure<\/a> in 2015, settling in Kent, and now runs a YouTube channel where she documents her life in the UK.<\/p>\n<p data-mce-linkchecker-status=\"valid\">Her channel, called <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AdventuresAndNaps\" target=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Adventures and Naps<\/a>, has amassed 186,000 subscribers and features everything from <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/life-style\/food\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">food<\/a> to local attractions, from UK television commercials to <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/christmas\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas<\/a> customs, and now she&#8217;s focused her attention on finances. In one of her latest videos, entitled &#8220;These British money-saving habits changed my life,&#8221; Alanna discussed some of the methods she&#8217;s observed Brits employ to save money.<\/p>\n<p><strong> READ MORE:<\/strong> <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/finance\/personalfinance\/2182396\/martin-lewis-urges-brits-make-changes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Martin Lewis says &#8216;make changes&#8217; to save on energy bills <\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong> READ MORE:<\/strong> <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/life-style\/garden\/2181952\/how-to-make-daffodils-last-longer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Daffodils will last longer and save you money with change when buying <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6801908.jpg\" alt=\"Image depicting gift wrapping, giving, generosity, and the festive Christmas period and tradition of giving presents at Christma\" title=\"Image depicting gift wrapping, giving, generosity, and the festive Christmas period and tradition of giving presents at Christma\" width=\"590\" height=\"393\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Alanna mentioned the habit of saving and reusing wrapping paper (stock) (Image: Getty Images)1. Heating<\/p>\n<p>Alanna began by pointing out a common <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/finance\/personalfinance\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cost-cutting<\/a> tradition amongst Brits during the run-up to Christmas\u2014competing to see who can postpone turning on the <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/energy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">heating<\/a> the longest.<\/p>\n<p>She characterised it as a &#8220;bragging right&#8221; and noted how some people use draught excluders or hot water bottles to ward off the cold; she&#8217;s also now the owner of an electric blanket.<\/p>\n<p>2. Wrapping paper<\/p>\n<p>In recognition of both frugality and sustainability, Alanna referenced the practice of preserving and reusing wrapping paper and gift bags from occasions like Christmas and birthdays.<\/p>\n<p>3. Rail travel<\/p>\n<p>Drawing attention to potentially costly <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/trains\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rail<\/a> fares and asserting that they can fluctuate dramatically for the same journey, Alanna said, to combat this, we should search for alternative tickets.<\/p>\n<p>Among the examples she highlighted were split tickets (purchasing multiple tickets for your journey), off-peak travel, railcards and advance single tickets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6801906.jpg\" alt=\"A glamorous older woman happily shops at a clothing stall in an indoor market on a sunny day.\" title=\"A glamorous older woman happily shops at a clothing stall in an indoor market on a sunny day.\" width=\"590\" height=\"397\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Alanna pointed to our love of a second-hand bargain (stock) (Image: Getty Images)4. DIY<\/p>\n<p>Alanna generously described us Brits as &#8220;resourceful&#8221; and observed that we&#8217;ll sometimes attempt to fix a damaged item instead of immediately buying a replacement.<\/p>\n<p>5. Second-hand &#8220;culture&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-mce-linkchecker-status=\"valid\">Along similar lines, Alanna referenced our enthusiasm for pre-owned bargains, suggesting that Britons are particularly fond of charity shops and services such as <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook Marketplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Alanna acknowledged that this practice exists in other countries, but for the UK, it&#8217;s &#8220;ingrained&#8221;. She also remarked that perhaps the hunt for the item proves &#8220;more exciting&#8221; than whatever is ultimately discovered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"withoutCaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6801907.jpg\" alt=\"A woman is shopping in a supermarket.\" title=\"A woman is shopping in a supermarket.\" width=\"590\" height=\"393\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Alanna also included reduced food items in her list (stock) (Image: Getty Images)6. Meal deals<\/p>\n<p>Cherished by countless people, the midday meal deal (typically consisting of a sandwich, a snack and a drink for a fixed price) represents another British institution that Alanna identified, describing them as &#8220;super convenient&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>7. Museums<\/p>\n<p>As many readers will know, multiple British museums and galleries are free to enter, including the world-famous British Museum (home of the Rosetta Stone), and this is one aspect of British culture that Alanna particularly likes.<\/p>\n<p>8. Reduced food<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting a familiar sight in UK <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/shopping\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">stores<\/a>, Alanna drew attention to the yellow-stickered discounted food products regularly found in supermarkets.<\/p>\n<p>She noted that there&#8217;s a skill in identifying the &#8220;hidden gems&#8221; among the discounted items and highlighted that these bargains are particularly beneficial for individuals seeking to save money.<\/p>\n<p>9. Loyalty cards<\/p>\n<p>A familiar sight to supermarket patrons, the loyalty card is somewhat of a necessity in contemporary Britain, with seemingly every shop offering its own version.<\/p>\n<p>Alanna noted that it was &#8220;incredible&#8221; that so many places offer such a scheme and mentioned that we can keep digital versions of them on our phones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Canadian has outlined nine money-saving tips that she says &#8220;changed&#8221; her life (stock) (Image: Guido Mieth via&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":827999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3093],"tags":[237763,237764,237762,51,237761,20291,474,89878,940,2499,16,237765,15],"class_list":["post-827998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-adventures-and-naps","tag-alannas-youtube-channel","tag-british-money-saving-habits","tag-business","tag-canadian-expat","tag-expats","tag-finance","tag-frugality","tag-money-saving","tag-personal-finance","tag-uk","tag-uk-frugality-strategies","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116234764185806236","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=827998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/827999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}