This year many are choosing to forego an expensive gym membership in favour of a financial fitness regime that can save a typical household almost £1.5k – all from the comfort of your sofa.
From poor-value savings accounts to rip-off mobile phone contracts, most households in the UK can save significant sums on their bills and services, especially with the help of the latest AI technology.
Greg Marsh, household finance expert and CEO of AI money-saving tool Nous.co . says: “Almost all of us could save significant sums by getting on top of our finances.
“All too often, our savings don’t work hard enough and we overpay on bills. It’s not because we’re careless, but because big suppliers make it so difficult to avoid.
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“January is often a natural wake-up call to get things back in order, but staying on top of bills isn’t something most people have the time or headspace to do month in, month out.
“Big suppliers rely on that. They make pricing deliberately confusing, time-consuming to check, and unclear to compare, so people stay put and end up paying more than they should.
“The good news is that new AI tools are starting to level the playing field.
“At Nous, we regularly save customers many hundreds of pounds a year by spotting where they’re overpaying and switching them to better deals, because most people never had the time or mental bandwidth to deal with it themselves.”
How a typical household could save £1,486 for 2026
Switch your current account – £200
“Be honest, when was the last time you switched your current account?” says Greg. “If you can’t remember, you’re leaving free money on the table. Banks offer generous cash bonuses if you swap to them. Thanks to the Current Account Switch Service, the process – including moving direct debits – will be handled for you.”
Save on your energy – £264
“The large majority of UK households are on variable energy deals set by the Ofgem Price Cap,” says Greg. “Based on typical usage, switching to a good-value fix could save more than £250 a year.”
Ditch expensive broadband – £276
“Households who are out of contract pay an average of £48 a month and could save nearly £300 – without having to sacrifice a high-quality connection,” Greg explains. “Superfast deals are available for £25 a month, which is plenty for most families.”
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Downgrade to cheaper Netflix – £156
“Many of us pay for higher-tier versions of Netflix without even using the premium features,” Greg explains. “Swapping from the most expensive tier to the ad-supported version saves an impressive £156 a year – and most people would barely notice the difference.”
Go for a cheap SIM-only mobile deal – £240
“The average bill for someone who’s out of contract on their mobile is £27, and switching to a cheap SIM-only deal with 20GB of data – plenty for almost everyone – saves £20 a month,” he says.
“If you took out a contract that included a handset and stuck with the same provider after your contract ended, you’re probably still paying for a phone you already own.”
Get more from your savings – £350
“Millions of UK adults have savings languishing in low-interest accounts,” says Greg.
“High street banks are offering rates as low as 1% right now – considerably below inflation. If you’ve got £10,000 saved for the future, moving it to an account with a 4.5% return will net you an extra £350 a year.”
