If life seems expensive right now, that’s because it is. 

Between high energy costs, spenny supermarket bills and extortionate childcare expenses, your bank balance probably looks a little worse for wear by the time payday comes around.

For those looking for ways to accrue a bit of extra cash, a personal finance expert has shared the one hack that’s helped save her thousands of pounds a year – and it’s surprisingly simple.

Gemma Bird, who is known on social media as @MoneyMumOfficial and is also a member of ITV Lorraine’s Saver Squad, told HuffPost UK that she stopped paying for parking when she worked for a bank.

What did she do instead then? Well, she found somewhere to park for free just over a mile away from where she worked.

That might sound like your worst nightmare – especially if you’re prone to running late. But the hack actually helped save her a lot of cash in the long-run.

“I also cancelled the gym because I was getting my steps and could do home workouts instead. I ended up saving on the gym and parking all at once,” Bird revealed. 

In addition to avoiding daily parking charges, Bird rented her driveway during the daytime when she was at work, and claims that in total she saved £250 a month.

That’s £3,000 a year. 

Sites like JustPark enable you to rent out your driveway each month. You can see how much you could earn here.

Recently, Bird also shared a handy hack on her Instagram account for Lidl shoppers.

The money pro said if you spend £250 at Lidl within a calendar month, and you use their Lidl Plus app, you can get 10% off your next food shop.

She also revealed how she bought some brand new games and puzzles for her kids from a charity shop – with four items costing her just £12.