Our monthly budgets consist of rent, electricity bills, phone, internet, and multimedia subscriptions. Discover our tips to optimize your budget and save hundreds, or even thousands, of euros.
💸 The main expense categories
The average of our monthly expenses is higher than 1 000 €. Over thirty years, the share of fixed costs has risen from 12% to around 30% of the budget, reflecting a real loss of purchasing power.
- Housing: It’s the first expense (rent or mortgage), approaching 650 €. With rising prices, it’s the heaviest expense.
- Transportation: Around 223 € for fuel, maintenance, or public transport.
- Healthcare: A little over 100 € , including your health insurance.
- Digital services: between €60 and €120 for all internet, phone (Free, Orange, SFR…) and streaming services (Netflix, Spotify…).
The study by CSA Research – LesFurets, published on November 23, 2020, also indicates that it’s young professionals aged 25 to 34 who have the highest expenses relative to their monthly budget, because settling into working life is expensive, and their incomes are lower. For them, reducing or optimizing these costs is essential to maintain a good quality of life.
💰 Where should I start to cut my expenses?
Among the expense categories we’ve listed, the most impactful is rent, but it’s paradoxically the most incompressible. It’s indeed difficult to find a lower rent than your current apartment, and moving is very tedious. Transportation costs are also hard to reduce, even if a few tips can help limit them. So, we’ll focus first on digital expenses.
Reducing your digital subscription costs
📞 Wi-Fi and phone
To save on these expenses, you can start by looking for good deals, for example on Veepee (formerly Vente Privée), which offers several times a year deals on Free with almost a free year for new subscribers. If you already have a subscription, know that it’s now easy to switch plans without fees and with number portability. By checking out a site like Forfait pas cher for mobile plans, you can find better deals.
Potential savings: €10 to €30 per month, or about €240 per year.
📺 Netflix, Spotify, newspapers, and games…
Audio and video streaming has become essential, and sometimes you need to combine Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Netflix… to keep up with the movies and series your friends recommend.
The alternative? Switch to family or multi-screen subscriptions, like Amazon subscription sharing with family and friends. By getting automatically reimbursed with a site like Sharesub, you only pay for one spot out of 4 or 6. The cost of subscriptions disappears, and you can even get more services for the same price!
Potential savings: €18 to €40 per month, or up to €480 per year. And even more if you’re a heavy consumer, with no downsides!
⚡ Cancel your unused subscriptions
Is your gym still charging you every month even though, like me, you know you’ll never set foot there again? But to cancel this subscription, you have to go through the dreaded step: sending a registered letter.
Ideel lets you manage your subscriptions in just a few clicks and, for the price of a registered letter, handles all your cancellation procedures. For example, you want to cancel your KeepCool subscription ? All you need to do is create an account on Ideel, enter your KeepCool subscription details, and click the “cancel” button. Ideel takes care of the rest and keeps you updated on the different steps of your subscription cancellation.
And if the problem goes beyond a simple cancellation (direct debit continues despite your request, refund refused, deposit not returned)? A service like Plimo sends a formal demand letter by registered mail on your behalf, with proof of delivery and tracking of legal deadlines, starting at €15 and with no commission on what you recover.
Reducing your transportation costs
🚗 Car and fuel
For cars and fuel, there are few solutions if they’re essential. Insurance comparators like Les Furets might help you save a little annually, but the savings will be modest.
Daily carpooling can save you money, just like subscription sharing. Apps like BlaBlaCar Daily and Karos , dedicated to daily commutes, are very practical.
Good news: these trips are often subsidized by regions, making the trip free for the passenger and profitable for the driver.
Potential savings: €50 to €150 per month. Potentially €1,000/year, with a little effort.
🚴♂️ Change your mode of transportation?
If you don’t live too far from work, cycling is a low-cost alternative, which replaces the car or public transport at a lower cost. Considering it also counts as a workout, which is great for your summer body 💪, it’s a win-win. The biggest hurdle is psychological, because even in winter or rain, it’s totally doable with the right gear: a good bike, a bag with rain gear, including a raincoat and rain pants. With the increase in bike lanes, and in good weather, it’s an absolute dream. It can also save you a lot of time every day.
- Our advice: regular bike for distances up to 5/6 km from work, and electric bike (e-bike) for up to 10/12 km. Take the time to choose the best route.
- Bonus: if your employer offers it, you can benefit from bike commuting allowances. And with that, your budget could even drop to zero.
Potential savings: €40 to €250 per month. With a little effort but also a lot of fun if your commute allows it. !
Claim your lesser-known financial aid 👛
Budget optimization isn’t just about reducing your expenses—it’s also about maximizing your income. Every year, billions of euros in public aid go unclaimed simply due to lack of information. This is what’s known as “non-take-up” of rights.
Before making sacrifices to your comfort, take 2 minutes to check your eligibility. There arefree solutionsthat centralize hundreds of national and local schemes (housing benefits, scholarships, energy vouchers, mobility aid). Running a simulation to get yourfinancial aidis an essential reflex in 2026: it can unlock an immediate additional income to sustainably balance your budget.
And what about my housing? 🏠
Here’s the last expense category, the most incompressible. If you don’t have housing yet and are preparing to move in, co-living can save you 5% to 20% depending on the city. But this requires meeting a lot of conditions and making compromises in your lifestyle. However, if it suits you, it’s also an opportunity to share Wi-Fi, Netflix subscriptions…
If not, you can try comparing energy offers for electricity and gas. The savings will be around 10%, but beware of attractive first-year offers that may increase in subsequent years. Everyday gestures, like turning down the heating when you leave, or installing a timer, are the best ways to slightly reduce the bill.
A micro-loan for end-of-month emergencies 💰
With all these expenses, it’s not impossible to find yourself short on cash at the end of the month. To finance unexpected or urgent expenses and if you don’t have enough budget, you can take out a24-hour fast loanon specialized online platforms. These small loans are often available for small amounts, ranging from €50 to €1,000, and repayment is quick, in just a few months. In case of a tough spot at the end of the month, thesemicro-loansare a real lifeline—they help you out and don’t affect your long-term budget!
That’s it! We hope you’ve found some ideas to reduce your monthly budget. We’re sure you’ll know what to do with the savings you make!
