Nine top money experts reveal the best buys that REALLY are worth your money… and one could save you £800 a year

HAVE you bought the latest fad after seeing one of a gazillion adverts for it on social media or the telly and… regretted it instantly? With so many apps, products and services promising to make our lives easier, save us cash or make us look fabulous, it’s hard to know what is actually worth the hype. We ask top money pros for their top buys so YOU don’t have to waste your money. Our experts explain the money gadgets that save them hundreds of pounds Credit: Getty Some gadgets cost as little as £30 Credit: Shutterstock All this confusion has fuelled a new TikTok trend called “Things Worth The Money” – where influencers share the items they have bought that were definitely worth it. Molly-Mae Hague says she couldn’t do without her Stanley cup, but what do other money influencers and experts say is their best buy? We ask nine money pros for their must-buys. Michael Taylor, @shiftingshares Michael Taylor cut his coffee bill by buying a Delonghi coffee machine Credit: Supplied Michael has more than 300,000 followers and talks about personal finance and investing Top buy: Delonghi La Specialista Arte Evo barista coffee machine, £550 “I still enjoy drinking at and supporting independent coffee shops where I’ll typically pay £4, but after I’ve factored in the cost of buying the coffee beans (£20 for 1kg) I’m now in profit after my 142nd coffee. “I mostly bought one every day before I got it – which used to cost me around £1,400 a year. But now it’s two to three times a week, which works out to about £600. “I could save even more if I stopped completely, but life is for living and I’m still saving around £800 a year. “As it’s Black Friday coming up, you can potentially bag a great deal on one machine you’ve researched and like. Don’t go in unprepared as that’s how they get you.” If £550 is too steep for you, you could get the similar model – HOMCOM Espresso Machine with Integrated Grinder – from Amazon for around £200. HOW MUCH SAVED: £800 a year Nicole Zalys, @thelondonaccountant, thelondonaccountant.uk Nicole Zalys saves thousands of pounds a year after buying a home manicure set Credit: Supplied Nicole has 134k followers on Instagram and talks about money, finances, tax and lifestyle Home manicure set-up: £107 Nicole ordered a gel nail polish starter kit from uk.manicurist.com for £93 which includes the LED lamp as well as base coat, top coat and colours, £6.99 for 200 full-cover nails from hwsbeauty.co.uk. She also ordered a £6.99 pedicure and manicure kit from Amazon, with nail clippers, a cuticle nipper, cuticle scraper and various other scrapers. “I’ve started doing my own manicures and pedicures at home instead of going to the salon. “It’s quicker, more convenient. I can do them myself and don’t need any help – though I am much better at painting with my right hand.” “The UV lamp, press-ons, and all the tools were a one-off purchase that have more than paid for themselves in time and money saved.” “I was going to the salon once every two weeks and spending £80. “I have the materials for at least 10 manicures, saving me around £700 on 10 trips to the salon. HOW MUCH SAVED? Around £700 on 10 trips to the salon Luke Turner, @lockt_in_finance, torowp.com Luke Turner recommends his Monzo Max packaged bank accountCredit: Refer to source Luke has 9k followers on social media and discusses personal finance, investing, saving and tax tips. Top buy: Packaged bank account Monzo Max, £19 per month (£23 per month for a family) “As soon as I signed up I instantly had phone, travel and breakdown cover, and I really appreciated not having to do individual applications and direct debits for them separately. It saved me time, effort and money. “I get benefits including a free railcard, phone insurance, worldwide travel insurance, RAC breakdown cover and a weekly treat from Greggs. “I travel by train a lot so the savings from the Railcard have also been great. “I love the free Greggs treat – there have been so many times where I’ve been in a rush and got a quick sausage roll. “I think all the individual perks would cost between £500 and £650 a year, but I get them for £228.” HOW MUCH SAVED? Roughly £272 to £430 a year Edmund Greaves, @mouthymoney, mouthymoney.substack.com Edmund Greeves bought a £45 Barbour jacket on Vinted, saving him £243Credit: Refer to source Edmund has 14,000 followers across Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube and talks about pensions, investing, mortgages and protection. Top buy: Barbour jacket from Vinted, £45 “I just had to re-wax it, which cost me £12 for some Barbour Wax from John Lewis and some elbow grease as well. “It’s not difficult to do – I just rub the wax in with a cloth, then heat it with a hairdryer and spread it evenly over the material. “It actually looks better with some age on it compared to a new one. “Instead of paying £300 on a new one, I prefer buying good used versions at a reduced price, then banking the extra cash in my pension and ISA.” HOW MUCH SAVED? £243 Tara Evans, personal finance expert at Confused.com Tara Evans saves up to £100 a year thanks to her air fryerCredit: Refer to source Top buy: Air fryer ” My air fryer was a gift from my dad, so it didn’t cost me anything, but a similar model would typically cost around £80 to £150. “I use it to cook dinner for me and my three-year-old twins pretty much every weeknight, unless I’m using the slow cooker. “As a busy single mum, I can make a quick dinner for the three of us without waiting for the oven to preheat “It heats up almost instantly and cooks smaller meals much faster than my full-sized oven, so I estimate it saves me roughly 20p to 40p each time.“It has definitely earned its place on the kitchen counter. HOW MUCH SAVED? £60 to £100 a year, based on using it four to five times a week Martyn James, @martyncjames, martynjamesexpert.co.uk Martyn James said his top purchase was a travel debit card Credit: Stewart Williams Top buy: Currensea travel debit card: free, but Martyn pays optional £39.95 a year fee for Currensea Pro to unlock best exchange rates and perks “I use the Currensea travel debit card when I’m travelling and it’s saved me around £400 in fees and currency exchange losses over the last year. “The Currensea travel debit card ‘links’ to two of your bank accounts, so you don’t need to upload money on to it. “The card is free, but I pay £39.95 a year so I get the very best exchange rates available and unlimited fee-free spending. “Usually, debit and credit cards charge excessive fees (a percentage of a transaction in many cases) and offer really poor exchange rates too. “But the Currensea debit card means you won’t pay fees when you spend abroad and you will be given the best exchange rate on the day in the vast majority of cases. “You also get a handy update for each transaction – and a daily rundown – of your spending so you can see what each transaction has cost you in pounds. “It’s transformed my holiday spending.” HOW MUCH SAVED? £400 in a year Andrew Hagger, personal finance expert at moneycomms.co.uk Personal finance expert Andrew Hagger said his top buy was a Senior Railcard Top buy: Senior Railcard, £35 “My Senior Railcard has worked amazingly well for me financially as I travel a lot for work. “It cost me £35 but has probably saved me more than ten times that amount in 12 months. “It’s great to find something that genuinely is a big money saver – it doesn’t happen much these days.” National Rail offers nine different types of Railcards, that typically save you a third on train fares. They include the 16-25 version, 26-30, Family and Friends and Two Together. One-year railcards normally cost £35, while three -year options are available for £85. HOW MUCH SAVED? Around £350 a year Sir Steve Webb, former MP and Minister of State for Pensions, and now partner at the financial consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock Former pensions minister Steve Webb said £800 solar panels save him £93 during a hot month Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk Top buy: solar panels, £8,000 “I would say my ‘prize purchase’ has been putting solar panels on our roof a couple of years ago. “It was a big initial outlay – around £8,000 for 12 panels – but it starts to pay back immediately in two ways. First, you use ‘your own’ home-generated electricity before drawing from the National Grid. “So if you put your washing machine on in the middle of a hot sunny day, it feels like you are getting the electricity for free. “And any power you generate that you are not using you can sell back to the Grid. “I will have made my money back in seven years though it could be shorter if energy prices continue to rise or if we continue to have sunny weather.” HOW MUCH SAVED? £93 a month during a hot month by selling energy back to the Grid, with a further £25 saved on bills Rebecca Routledge, head of content at Money Wellness Rebecca Routledge saves £45 a year with a £30 hot water tank jacket Credit: Supplied Top buy: Hot water tank jacket: £30 “It might not be the most exciting thing I’ve ever bought, but my hot water tank jacket has been great value. “It helps keep the water in the tank hot for longer, so less energy is wasted keeping it warm. “I like these sorts of purchases because you pay for them once and then they can quietly save you money in the background. “The Energy Saving Trust estimates that improving the insulation on a hot water cylinder to around 80mm could save around £45 a year. So it could pay for itself in less than a year.” “It’s a really simple thing, but when bills are high, it makes sense to look at where you might be wasting energy and money without even realising it. “It’s not going to transform your finances overnight, but small changes like this can really add up.” HOW MUCH SAVED? £45 a year, according to Energy Saving Trust