The surprising money-saving habits of your favourite A-listers — including cutting coupons

There’s no greater feeling than a cool, slightly older friend of the family arriving with their cast offs. It seems fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker remembers the feeling well.

SJP’s kids are often clothed in hand-me-downs and second hand outfits. She told InStyle, that she decided only to buy clothes she’d “want to have 10 or 15 years from now. Almost 100 percent of my son’s T-shirts are used. And he buys a lot of his items at thrift shops. My daughters all wear hand-me-downs. We’ve been passing down clothes in my family for almost three generations.”

‘Shape of You’ singer Ed Sheeran has come a long way from his days as a busker but he’s still keeping careful control of his finances.

According to an interview with the Irish Examiner, the singer still uses his “Barclays student account”. He explained, “I’ve not upgraded because I don’t spend much money…I spend most of it on taxis!”

Kristen Bell starred in 2021 comedy Queenpins, based on the 2012 coupon counterfeiting scheme in Arizona. But off screen, she takes a more standard approach to coupon counting. 

While guesting on Conan, she explained, “The best coupon you can get, possibly in the world, is the Bed Bath & Beyond coupon. You know it’s the best one, ‘cuz they’ve got 20% off, and if you go and buy, like, a duvet or an air conditioner or whatever, you could be saving upwards of $80!”

Diversifying your portfolio is a standard stock market phrase but Jay Leno took his own approach to ensuring a steady income. He explained to CNBC Make It, “When I was younger, I would always save the money I made working at the car dealership, and I would spend the money I made as a comedian.”

He continued: “When I started to get a bit famous, the money I was making as a comedian was way more than the money I was making at the car dealership, so I would bank that and spend the car dealership money.”

Plenty of couples fixate on the perfect ring for the perfect wedding but Mila Kunis went for a more simple band at her 2015 wedding to Ashton Kutcher.

Mila spent under $200 on their rings from Etsy, purchasing her own for just $90. She told Conan, “I went and looked at, like, how much Tiffany [charges], and I was like, ‘They’re how much? Like, this is astronomical.'”

The ‘Before He Cheats’ singer has a precious but simple domestic routine when she’s not touring across the country.

Carrie Underwood makes sure to collect her quarters and head to the laundromat. She also takes herself down for a big shop at the grocery store. Carrie told Oprah’s Next Chapter, “It makes tour life a little difficult because those are the things that I really don’t have time to do”.