There’s no harm in tucking into a healthy shop-bought sandwich every lunch, right? Wrong. There’s nothing delicious about a depleted bank balance! Believe it or not, with a little effort you have the power to make small lifestyle changes that could save big bucks. Read on for tiny changes that will save you lots of cash!

• Take a sandwich to work instead of buying one. Even if you only spend £5 a day (and if you add up all the extra snacks and coffees honestly it’s more likely to be double that), that’s £100 a month and a massive £1,200 a year. In six years, that could buy you a new car!

• Cycle to work instead of catching the train. Or get off one stop early and walk. Not only will you save cash, but you’ll also get loads of exercise, completely free.

• One night a week, swap your glass of wine at the pub for a couple at home with friends. Even better, give up one night a week altogether.

• Don’t buy lottery tickets. Just face it – it won’t be you! Instead, put the money you would have spent into an ISA, and build up your own lottery fund.

• If you don’t use all the minutes your mobile contract offers you, consider swapping to a pay as you go phone and maybe using other methods of communication – like emailing – to cut down the bill even further. You could also save huge amounts by shopping around and swapping to a better value landline provider.

• Save electricity by switching off lights and appliances and unplugging mobile phone chargers when you’re not using them. Not only will you minimise your carbon footprint, but you’ll also slash the bill.

• Make a shopping list before you go shopping and only buy what you need. Stick to own-brand products rather than name brands and don’t simply shop at one shop because you have a loyalty card, look around for the best price. Even better, shop around on the internet for the best deal, or visit your local market for fresh, organic food at half the price. Even a saving of as little as £10 a week adds up to around £550 a year.

• Drink tap water. If you can’t stand the taste or are afraid of bacteria, buy a filter. Saving: Around £500 a year.

• Sell your unwanted items on eBay. Everyone has a stash of clothes they never wear and products they have never used, and you could make a killing selling yours. Just make sure you don’t get sidetracked buying yet more unwanted items.

• Believe it or not, it’s not just holidays that are cheaper if you book them in advance. You can get great cut-price deals on theatre tickets and theme parks if you hunt around on websites on travel booking websites. If you are looking for a travel deal TravelConnect.co.uk has a weekly Top 10 Travel Deals section.

• Stop smoking. Besides feeling and looking better, if you usually smoke 20 a day you’ll also save a whopping £2,000 a year.

• Cancel your gym membership if you’re not using it regularly – even if you’ve been promising you will. Instead, walk or cycle to work, or buy your own exercise machine – in three months you’ll have saved enough to afford one anyway.

• Use your library instead of buying books. Besides novels, you’ll save a fortune on guide books, cook books, manuals and even CDs and DVDs. If you do find a book you love enough to read again, then you can always buy it.

• Buy all your clothes and presents during the sales. That way, Christmas and forgotten birthdays will be stress free and a lot cheaper. But make sure you only buy items during sales that you’ve been meaning to get anyway – avoid items you didn’t realise you needed until now!

• If, and only if, you read a magazine every month without fail, subscribing will save you a lot of cash off the cover price. Look around for the best deal – they are usually offered inside the magazine rather than from another source.

• Don’t buy “incentive” clothes you’re sure you’ll fit into as soon as you lose that last 5 pounds. You won’t. You’ll end up with a pile of expensive clothes that are completely useless.

• Park where you don’t have to pay for parking. Even better if it’s further away – more free exercise.

• Wash your own car. It doesn’t seem like much to shell out as much as £20 to get your car washed and waxed every couple of weeks, but having a sparkling car doesn’t have to cost you over £500 a year. And doing it yourself? You guessed it, more free exercise.

• Claim back your bank charges. If you’ve been slapped with a £30 fine for going a couple of quid over your overdraft, your bank could owe you money. While there is a legal wrangle still taking place between the banks and the courts over who is in the right, it can’t hurt to try and claim them back – thousands of others already have. All you have to do to start the process is to write to your bank. It may seem like an effort, but if you add up all the times your bank has overcharged you, the amount they owe you could be well worth it!

For more money saving and personal finance tips, advice, news and videos, visit www.financedaily.co.uk