Extreme Money Savers: 5 Extreme Inspiring Money Savers to Inspire You (2024)

What gives you a thrill? Base jumping off a tall building? Dizzying rollercoasters? Well, what gets us going here is taking control of our finances through budgeting, saving and growing our net-worth.

You may not think budgeting and saving are the most exciting pursuits, but to us it’s the equivalent of flying over an active volcano while strapped to a jet pack.

So, to ignite your own budget-lust we have scoured the net and found some like-minded addicts who take saving money to a whole new level….

Check Out these 5 Extreme Money Savers

1. The Couponer

Mum-of-two Holly Smith bagged herself £1,164 worth of shopping – without spending a penny.

How? She only used coupons to pay for her groceries, smashing the UK couponing record in the process. She also managed to save an incredible £7,000 in one year through her coupon-spending quest.

As well as collecting coupons when she sees them, Holly also writes to manufacturers thanking them for their products and they send her coupons and money off vouchers as thanks.

The lovely Holly even donated the entire £1,164-worth of food bought with her coupons to homeless charity the Benjamin Foundation.

You can find out more about Holly as well as loads of couponing advice at her website.

2. The Camper

Brainy Evan Eames saved thousands when he gave up student digs to sleep in a tent for a whole year.

The hardy student realised he couldn’t afford rent while studying for a Master’s degree in astrophysics.

So he offered tutoring services and odd jobs in exchange for pitching his two-man tent in the back gardens of Stockport’s residents.

He battled through a freezing winter of ‘discount tent’ (get it?) to finish his studies without paying for accommodation.

Sounds extreme, but with the average student rent being nearly £4,500 per year, his stamina certainly paid off.

3. The Gardener

Green-fingered Kate Haigh halved her weekly food bill by growing all her own fruit and vegetables and ordering meat in bulk online.

The Yorkshire mum-of-two managed to save £3,000 after ditching expensive supermarkets and getting her hands dirty in the veg patch.

She also shopped at online fresh produce supermarket Musclefood. Her savings drive also means her family eat healthily into the bargain.

4. The £1-a-dayers

Frugal food blogger, Jack Monroe, who took up the Live Below the Line Challenge to live on £1 per day to raise money for Oxfam, has inspired many others to cut back.

One such money extreme saver is Bristol teacher Kath Kelly. Kath ditched all of life’s luxuries, including expensive £20 face creams and £5 lunches to live on just £1-a-day for an entire year.

Her rent and utility bills were already paid for the year, but her budget had to cover transport, food, clothes and social events.

And she managed it, saving thousands of pounds into the process. Kath’s challenge, although extreme, shows that by giving something up, your savings can grow very quickly.

5. The Eco Saver

A thrifty mum saved over £11,000 by changing her spending habits and giving up household items like toilet paper for a year.

Zoe Morris bought clothes from charity shops, grew her own food and used water instead of soap and reusable cloths instead of loo roll in her year-long challenge to save as much as possible.

Her eco-thrifty lifestyle meant Zoe saved enough money to quit her job and become a full-time mum.

She was rewarded for her efforts by being named Inspirational Saver of the Year by PromotionalCodes.org.uk website. You can find out more about Zoe at on her website.

Budget, Save and Change your life

Ok, we’ll admit these savers engaged in some hardcore saving and budgeting, which many of us would find a challenge. But they all harnessed the power of budgeting and saving to change their lives for the better.

You don’t have to compare yourself with these extreme money savers or get discouraged just because you can’t match their savings.

Comparing yourself with others is the most harmful thing you can do. The best way to save money is to create a plan and stick to your plan.

Even if we don’t follow in their frugal footsteps, we can still take inspiration from them.

You might not fancy giving up toilet roll or your warm comfy bed, but even if you only save a fiver a week, it’s a step towards being debt-free and financially independent.

Saving and budgeting is empowering. It doesn’t have to be extreme but the feeling you will get when you are sitting on top of a pile of your own money is priceless.

Check out some of our savings and budgeting posts below and get started today!

• How to Create a Spending Plan That’s in Alignment with Your Values
• How to Save Money on a Tight Budget
• 8 Smart Ways to Make Your Money Go Further

Over to you

Are you an extreme saver? Or do you know anyone who is so good at saving that they have changed their life for the better? Share with us here.

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