7 Everyday Habits That Could Save You Time and Money

Most money and time leaks are small and recurring: a subscription you forgot, a shortcut you never set up, a streaming service you pay for while your library offers something similar free. The habits below each take minutes, and the first two tend to pay off fastest.

1. Audit your subscriptions

On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions; Apple explains how to view and cancel them. On Android, open the Play Store, tap your profile, then Payments & subscriptions. Then search your bank and card statements for 'monthly', 'annual' and 'renew' to catch anything billed directly. Cancel anything you haven't used in the last month, and put renewal dates for the ones you keep in your calendar.

2. Use your library card for streaming

Many public libraries offer free ebooks and audiobooks through Libby, and films and TV through services like Kanopy or Hoopla. Availability, monthly limits and waitlists depend on your library, so check its website before cancelling a paid service. Library cards are usually free for local residents.

3. Set up a hidden shortcut on your phone

iPhones have Back Tap (Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Back Tap): double- or triple-tap the back of the phone to take a screenshot, turn on the flashlight or run a shortcut. Many Pixel phones have a similar feature called Quick Tap, under Settings › System › Gestures. Assign it to whatever you do most often.

4. Tag your email address when you sign up

Gmail ignores anything between a plus sign and the @, so yourname+shopname@gmail.com still reaches your inbox. Use a different tag for each sign-up and you can filter mail by tag, and see which company shared your address if spam arrives on a tagged one. The limitation: anyone can delete the tag, so it identifies leaks rather than preventing them. iCloud+ subscribers can use Hide My Email for separate random addresses instead.

5. Tighten your public Wi-Fi habits

The FTC's current guidance is that most websites now use encryption, which makes public Wi-Fi safer than it used to be. The remaining risks are fake networks and fake sites. Three habits help:

• Turn off auto-join for public networks, so your phone doesn't reconnect to anything with a familiar name.
• Check for https and the lock icon on any site where you sign in, and 'forget' networks you used once.
• For banking on the go, use your phone's mobile data or hotspot, or a VPN, which encrypts your traffic between your device and the VPN server.

6. Make a 'launch pad' by the door

Pick one bowl, hook or tray by the door for keys, wallet, headphones and anything else you leave the house with. The habit only works if everything goes there every time, but once it sticks, the morning search disappears. Charging your phone outside the bedroom has a similar effect on the start of the day.

7. Schedule 20 minutes of learning

Choose one skill that would make work easier, such as spreadsheets, writing or project management, and put 20 minutes in your calendar a few days a week. Free options are better than they've ever been: library cards often include online learning platforms, and Coursera offers financial aid on many of its paid courses (applications typically take around two weeks to review).

The bottom line

Start with the subscription audit and the library check: they're the most likely to save money this month. The rest save time and hassle every day. If you're putting the savings toward something bigger, read how to test a business idea before spending money on it, or whether your travel points are actually saving you money.