7 Places Your Money Is Hiding (And How to Find It in Under an Hour)

Rachel Minns
21 minutes ago
5 min read

You're earning decent money. You're not reckless with spending. Yet somehow, every month, you're left wondering where it all went.

The truth? Your money isn't disappearing. It's hiding in plain sight.

I've worked with hundreds of women who've discovered £100, £175, even £380 a month they didn't know they were wasting. Not on big, obvious purchases, on the small, sneaky expenses that slip past unnoticed.

Here are the seven most common hiding places, and how to find your money in each one.

1. Forgotten Subscriptions (Average Hidden Money: £40-80/month)

This is the big one. The subscription you signed up for during a free trial and forgot to cancel. The streaming service you upgraded for one show and never downgraded. The app you used twice in January.

How to find it:

Open your banking app right now
Look at the last three months of transactions
Search for any regular payments under £15 (they're easy to miss)
Ask yourself: "Am I actively using this?"

Real example: Gemma found £380 a month in subscriptions she'd completely forgotten about. That's over £4,500 a year.

Quick win: Cancel one subscription you're not using. Do it now, before you finish reading this post.

2. Convenience Coffee & Snacks (Average Hidden Money: £30-60/month)

The coffee you grab because you're running late. The meal deal at lunchtime. The chocolate bar at the checkout.

None of it feels significant. But a £3.40 Costa coffee every workday is £68 a month. That's over £800 a year on coffee you probably don't even enjoy that much.

How to find it:

Count how many times you bought coffee or snacks last week
Multiply by the average cost
Multiply by 4 to get your monthly spend
Honestly ask: "Is this bringing me joy, or just convenience?"

Quick win: Pack your coffee and snacks for one week and see what it feels like to keep that money in your account.

3. "Just a Few Bits" Shopping Trips (Average Hidden Money: £40-100/month)

You pop to the shop for milk and bread. You leave with a basket full of things you didn't plan to buy.

The problem isn't the shopping itself, it's the frequency. Those unplanned trips add up faster than you think.

How to find it:

Look at your last month's bank statement
Count how many times you shopped at the supermarket
If it's more than once a week, you're probably doing "just a few bits" shops
Add up what those small trips cost you

Real example: One client was doing three "quick shops" a week at £25 each. That's £300 a month that could have been one planned £200 shop with £100 saved.

Quick win: Plan one big weekly shop and see if you can avoid the corner shop for seven days.

4. Premium Versions You Don't Actually Use (Average Hidden Money: £15-40/month)

You upgraded to Spotify Premium but mostly listen to playlists (which work on free with ads). You've got Amazon Prime but rarely use next-day delivery. You're paying for iCloud storage you're not even close to filling.

How to find it:

List every subscription or service you pay extra for
Honestly assess: "Am I using the premium features?"
Downgrade anything where the answer is "not really"

Quick win: Downgrade one premium service to the basic version and see if you even notice the difference.

5. Unused Gym Memberships & Classes (Average Hidden Money: £25-50/month)

January you was very optimistic. March you has been twice.

Gym memberships, yoga passes, fitness apps, they all auto-renew whether you're using them or not.

How to find it:

Check your last three months of bank statements for fitness-related payments
Count how many times you actually went
Calculate the cost per visit (it's probably eye-watering)

Real example: One woman was paying £35 a month for a gym she hadn't visited since February. That's £420 a year for guilt.

Quick win: If you haven't been in 30 days, cancel it. You can always rejoin when you're actually ready.

6. Auto-Renewing Contracts You Don't Need (Average Hidden Money: £20-60/month)

Phone insurance when your phone's three years old and barely worth claiming for. Breakdown cover you've never used. Extended warranties on appliances that are still under manufacturer guarantee.

How to find it:

Look for any insurance or contract that renews automatically
Ask: "What am I actually covered for?"
Check if you're double-covered (home insurance often includes personal belongings)
Compare renewal prices with new customer deals

Quick win: Call one provider and ask them to justify why you should stay. You'll either get a better deal or realise you don't need it.

7. Impulse Online Shopping (Especially Late at Night) (Average Hidden Money: £40-80/month)

The Amazon basket at 11:47pm when you're too tired to think clearly. The targeted ad that catches you at a weak moment. The "treat yourself" purchase after a hard day.

Online shopping makes it dangerously easy to spend without feeling it. There's no cash leaving your hand, no physical transaction, just a few taps and it's done.

How to find it:

Filter your bank statement by "Amazon" or other online retailers
Add up what you spent last month
Look at what you actually use and love versus what's still in the packaging

Real example: One client had £65 worth of Amazon purchases she couldn't even remember ordering. They were sitting unopened by her door.

Quick win: Add items to your basket, then wait 48 hours before buying. If you still want it, buy it. If you've forgotten about it, you didn't need it.

What This Actually Means for You

Let's say you found just £20 in each of these seven areas. That's £140 a month. Nearly £1,700 a year.

But most women find significantly more. Michelle found £175. Gemma found £380.

That's not "cut back and feel deprived" money. That's "this was leaving my account and I didn't even notice" money.

And once you find it, you get to decide what to do with it:

Pay off debt faster
Build your emergency fund
Save for that family holiday
Finally afford the thing you've been putting off

The money's already there. You're already earning it. You just need to see where it's going.

Your Next Step

If you've read this and thought, "I probably have hidden money too," you're right. Most people do.

I've created a free checklist called The Hidden Money Finder that walks you through finding your hidden money step by step. It's the exact process I use with clients, the same one that helped Michelle find £175 and Gemma find £380.

It takes under an hour and includes: