A couple living in London who "never pay full price for anything" save £1,600 per year by using discount apps and reward offers. Charlie Herlihy, 26, and Sophia Woodcock, 24, have lived frugally since their teens and, after moving to the capital on entry-level salaries in 2025, have focused on maximising their savings.
They eat out using apps that offer large discounts, choose their energy provider based on rewards, and use Gold Amex cards to earn points "anywhere" they spend, exchanging them for perks such as plane tickets. In July, the pair saved £137.02 from their swaps.
How the couple cut costs
After saving £12,000 in three months in 2022 to travel to South-East Asia for six months, their next goal is return tickets to Singapore. Charlie, a graphic designer from London, said: "Kind of our brand became we never pay full price for anything."
He added: "I think mainly the reason it became a habit is anywhere you go you tap your card without thinking about it. We have a back catalogue of apps on our phones that do deals and discounts and websites we research on first."
"Say we're planning a weekend we'll check certain websites for offers and places that are doing different discounts. It takes 15 minutes in the morning but to plan it out is the most cost-effective way of doing it. I was used to doing it myself and a lot of people don't factor it in and go with the flow but you end up spending loads of money without planning. It really does add up."
Apps and rewards in use
Sophia and Charlie use a "portfolio" of methods to live frugally, especially on food and drink. Sophia said: "Eating out and coffee is something me and Phi love to do and one of the things we spend on and apps are the best way to save money on a big expense."
"The Paace app rewards you with coffees for getting your steps in. Eat Club gives you discounts at restaurants that don't have their tables filled." They also use First Table, an app that often gives a 50% discount on food bills when dining early. The pair try to shop at Sainsbury's where possible, as Charlie says they have an affiliate with Amex that earns four points per £1 spent, compared with £1 at other supermarkets.
Lidl Plus is another go-to, and they check the app before shopping to see offers, as well as using Ocado's 25% off deals. Charlie said: "We use Octopus energy as it gives you stuff like two for £8 cinema tickets, e-bike rides around London and free coffees for literally paying your bills as you would with every other provider."
"We use the gold Amex card which gives you points on everything you spend anywhere really. You can build those up and buy flights, stuff like that. Our project we're working towards is return tickets to Singapore. We've made it our default card even when tapping on the tube and stuff like that."
July savings breakdown
Sophia is also a "big advocate" for checking restaurant promotions sent by email, having recently "paid nothing" after using a £15 voucher and half-price ramen. Charlie said: "We're not really saving for anything but just to have enough money for freedom in life as we'd love to go to Australia and go travelling again."
Their July savings included £11.96 on cinema trips and a free 30-minute bike hire (usually £10.90) via Octopus Energy; £16.60 saved on four coffees through Paace; £11.21 saved on one dinner bill through Eat Club; £23.69 saved from a £65.38 bill via First Table; and £38.90 saved on a £88.90 London on the Inside booking. They also normally pick up a £3.99 Gail's bag worth £15 via Too Good To Go, an £11.01 saving, though they did not use it in July.
Through the Amex Gold card, they estimate making back between 0.05% and 1% on every tap with Avios redemptions. In July, they spent £850 through Amex, equating to £4.25–£12.75 depending on where they redeem Avios. They also use the Avios portal for online purchases, similar to TopCashback, to earn Avios for free. Their total July savings came to £137.02.
