Jordon Cox: Money-saving blogger ready to take on the world

Cox is the bargain-hunting blogger who famously undercut the cost of a train journey from Sheffield to his home in Essex by flying there via Berlin instead. The money he saved may have been a modest £8, but his achievement in highlighting the exorbitant cost of rail travel in this country and touched a nerve for a nation which is becoming increasingly canny in its spending habits.

The teenager spent much of Thursday in a round of television and radio interviews, building a profile almost as high as that of Martin Lewis, the founder of the website Mr Cox blogs for, moneysavingexpert.com

“It was a crazy day, a real whirlwind but I loved every minute of it,” said Mr Cox. “It was a great experience, especially meeting the news presenter on BBC London. I watch her every night on TV and there I was in the studio with her, and she even knew my name.”

Fellow commuters in London may not have recognised him on the train earlier today but news of his travel adventure had clearly spread.

“I was sat on the train when a message came over the tannoy apologising for the delay, at which point a man opposite turned to his girlfriend and said ‘We should have gone via Berlin!’” said Mr Cox, who only began work on the popular website last October.

“I did two weeks’ work experience on the site a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. After that I started up my own couponing website, which didn’t really work out. Then the chance to go back to the MSE website came and I grabbed it with both hands.”

Nicknamed the ‘Coupon Kid,’ the slightly nerdy-looking blogger has managed to save visitors to the website thousands of pounds with his advice and tips, and his exploits between Sheffield and Essex were simply an extension of what he has been doing for much of the last five years.

“I was delivering a class on money-saving to a women’s group in Sheffield and had a bit of time to plan the journey, which was good fun,” he said.

“OK, it might have taken 13 hours to get home but that wasn’t the point. I also got to see one of the cities on my bucket list: I think it was worth it.”

Whilst the practice of “extreme couponing” has become more popular in recent years, many people still struggle to find the enthusiasm and, more commonly, the time to hunt down bargains.

However Mr Cox insists saving money need not be a time-consuming process and that, with a little practice, all of us can reduce our expenditure.

“I spend no more than half an hour looking for coupons that can reduce my shopping bill and always save between £10 and £15 without even trying,” he said.

“I’m also a big fan of the sales: always remember that if an item is in the sale, the shop really wants to get rid of it as quickly as possible. That’s not just small shops but the high street chains as well

“I saw a jacket I liked in John Lewis last year that was £80 but thought I’d wait for the sales. Sure enough it was half price at £40 but when I looked there was a small hole in the armpit.

“I pointed it out to the staff, told them I wanted the jacket but didn’t think it was worth £40 because it needed repairing and they knocked me another £15 off.

“Mending the hole took no more than two minutes. I got an £80 jacket for £25: how cool is that?”

Mr Cox admits to having been bitten by the travel bug and is currently planning his next money-saving project, an adventure which puts his trip from South Yorkshire to Essex with a stop-off in Berlin in the shade.

“My two passions are travelling and saving money so I’m combining the two and seeing how far I can get by spending as little as possible,” he said. “I want to go around the world for less than £1,000.

“It’s ambitious, I know, but I’m sure it can be done.”

Here are Jordon Cox’s five top tips for the novice moneysaver:

1 - If you are ever going out to eat in a restaurant, always do a Google search beforehand and find a voucher;

2 - Cashback apps on your phone such as checkoutsmart and Shopitize can save you money on supermarket shopping. Take a photo of your receipts and you get money back!

3 - Always book in advance when it comes to train and plane fares: 90 per cent of the time it’s cheaper and you won’t be stung with last minute charges;

4 - Printable coupons are the way forward! Just do a quick search online and you can print over £100 worth of coupons to save you money in the supermarket;

5 - Try the downshift challenge – Most premium brands are overpriced and don’t taste as good as some value brands. Don’t be afraid to downshift your shopping and see if you like the cheaper brands.

Jordon Cox: Money-saving blogger ready to take on the world - for less than a grand