New Year's resolutions: Smokers can save €6.7k in 2026, takeaway coffees getting pricier

Eva Osborne

It's that time of the year again. New Year's resolutions and notions of reinvention are circulating again, and some serious savings await those who can make one stick.

People who smoke a packet of cigarettes a day could save themselves at least €6,700 per year.

Meanwhile, coffee lovers can also make a difference to their savings, as the cost of a single daily takeaway coffee has risen by seven per cent in the 12 months to November.

For those who love dining out but want to cut down, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) found that the cost of a meal in a restaurant went up almost 25 per cent in the last five years.

Speaking on Newstalk, psychotherapist Enda Murphy said he recommends starting with small and simple changes first when it comes to New Year's resolutions.

"In order to achieve something completely different, I might decide: 'Do you know what? What I'm going to do now is, instead of sitting here, I'm going to put on my trainers. I'm going to go for a walk around the park or bring the dog for a walk'," he said.

"And then change something else. The more you change, the easier it gets.

"The survival is not determined by strength or character, it's determined by your ability to adapt."

Murphy said it is important that those looking to implement lifestyle changes in 2026 do not compare themselves to others on social media.

"A little bit of a goad, there's nothing like a good goad to kind of get somebody moving, but it can be healthy or it can be unhealthy," he said.

"But an interesting thing about social media. So, social media doesn't connect people, it just tells you what everyone else is doing.

"And you have a choice: you can actually look, because does anybody actually go on Facebook and put up that they had a crap day?"