Take a moment to think about where 2018’s income went. Of course, there are the obvious things: mortgage or rent, car, household bills and so on, but if we add those up there will be a sizeable chunk of money still unaccounted for. It’s definitely been spent but we don’t seem to have a great deal to show for it.

This is a classic symptom of how we spend cash on incidentals and conveniences that make life simpler, quicker or just more enjoyable. The accumulative cost of the bits and bobs of our lives can be astronomical and to cut down on some of them is a good start to saving money.

Here’s how to save at least £40 a week

1 Are you buying a daily takeaway lunch? Switch to homemade and save between £3 and £5 every day.

2 Buying takeaway coffees? Treat yourself to a thermal mug and make your own. That’s about £2 a day and it’s good for the environment too!

3 Paying for parking? Parking outside the city centre is cheaper or even free, saving up to £5 a day and the walk will help shed those Christmas kilos!

4 Do you hit the chocolate vending machines? Satisfy the mid- morning sugar low with something from a multi-pack and save at least 50p a day.

5 After-work socials. Tricky one, everyone enjoys letting their hair down, but does it have to be every week? Try alternate weeks or even once a month, ‘Dry January’ is the perfect opportunity to cut down, you won’t be the only one and it will save you at least £10 a month.

It’s amazing how these relatively small spends add up. Based on a five-day working week, adopting my financial five every day could save you £2,000 a year.