If you’ve ever looked at your bank balance wondering where all your money went, you wouldn’t be alone. As inflation outpaces pay rises once again, it’s getting harder to make your hard-earned cash stretch. But help is at hand…

1) Round up your daily purchases

Most of us have loose change rolling around the bottom of our bags or pulled out of pockets and left in a jar, but what if we could invest or save all that extra cash and put it back in the bank? Apps such as Moneybox round up your daily purchases to the nearest pound and let you invest the change in companies. For the more risk-averse, banks like Lloyds have a ‘Save the Change’ feature, which automatically rounds up all your debit card purchases and saves the change in a nominated savings account.

 2) Rent things you don’t use often

The sharing economy is booming making it easier to save and make money. There are options for all kinds of items and services whether you’re looking for something you’d use every day or something special.

Renting objects that you only need occasionally will often save you cash – don’t fork out hundreds for a wedding outfit when you can rent one on platforms like Rent The Runway.

3) Cover the cost of your journeys

Likewise, you can save money on journeys you make every day. For example, carpooling to the shops, to work or on longer trips through services like easyCar Pool will help you cover up to 100% of the cost of petrol.

4) Switch to a smart meter

Smart energy meters help you accurately track your energy consumption, meaning you can more easily understand where you are spending your money. Compared to estimated bills, smart meters can therefore help you assess where you could easily cut back on your consumption and save on bills.

5) Make it easier to remember your loyalty cards

We all know that loyalty cards can help save money on everyday shopping, but how often have you left it in the wrong wallet, or simply can’t be bothered to dig through your cards to find the right one? Try apps like BINK that sync your loyalty cards to an app, meaning you’ll never miss out on points again.

6) Save pounds on your pooch

If you pay for a regular dog walker or for kennels when you go on holiday, consider trying a platform which connects you to dog-lovers who are happy to look after your pet for free. Borrow My Doggy connects pet lovers without a pooch with dog owners looking for free sitters. Trusted Housesitters connects owners going away or on holiday with people keen to house- and pet-sit for free.

7) Sell your cooking

If you’re cooking dinner for yourself, why not multiply the portions and invite paying guests? Supper clubs like EatWith and GrubClub are rapidly gaining favour among people looking to meet new people and make money on their home cooking.

8) Let someone use your home as an office

Unless you’re a freelancer, you probably leave your home unoccupied for hours every day while you’re at work. Vrumi lets you make money from your home by renting it out as an office to people in need of a working space.

 9) Turn your skills and hobbies into a side-job

If you have a valuable skill, sites like Upwork let you showcase your skills online and get paid for one-off or ongoing projects which you can do outside of the usual 9 to 5. You can even turn your hobbies into side-jobs with sites like MyShowcase where you can sign up as a stylist and organise events to showcase and sell both well-known and burgeoning beauty brands.

10) Pay monthly for yearly travel cards

It’s well known that you can save on your commute by buying a yearly travelcard, but for many that’s a huge upfront cost. Brands like CommuterClub let you sign up to a yearly travelcard but pay monthly, meaning smaller outgoings, locking in fares and you also get the last month free.

Richard Laughton is chair of Sharing Economy UK and CEO of easyCar