The UK’s Favourite Feel-Good Freebies
24/03/2025
Going on exciting holidays and trying new restaurants is all well and good, but sometimes, you get just as much joy from life’s little pleasures.
Whether it is waking up before your alarm goes off and discovering you have more time to sleep than expected, nabbing the last space in the car park, or finding a five pound note in your coat pocket, it's important to appreciate the everyday wins that bring us happiness, as well as the big milestone moments.
Britain's Favourite Little Wins: Ranked
To discover what everyday moments bring Brits the most joy, we surveyed 2,000 UK adults on what their favourite “little wins” are, how often they experience these day-to-day, and how these wins make them feel.
Our study found that nearly half (41%) of the UK say ‘social plans being cancelled’ is their favourite little win. This ranks higher than finding forgotten money in your coat pocket (37%).
Brits still love a bargain it seems, as ‘securing a deal in the reduced section’ ranked third (37%) and more than a quarter (26%) experience this at least once a week or more.
Brits can’t deny that securing the last parking space in the carpark is a top feel-good moment too, with over a quarter (27%) saying this brings them joy.
In the cold, winter months, it’s safe to say getting out of bed can be difficult, and over a third of Brits (26%) say that waking up to realise there’s more time to sleep, is their favourite little win. The study revealed this was the little win Brits experience most too, with more than two in five Brits (41%) experiencing this at least ‘once a week’.
JOMO: Brits Want to Cancel Plans and Stay In
A new trend seems to be emerging across the UK, as FOMO is a thing of the past. JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) is quickly becoming the UK’s favourite feel-good freebie. This may be due to the fact that spending time in your own space doesn’t require a social battery, a full bank account or even an uncomfortable outfit.
Searches for info on 'JOMO’ on Google clocked in at more than 15,000 over the last month in the UK as it trended on platforms like TikTok. Because of this, maybe not so surprisingly, Gen Z are taking pride in JOMO more than millennials, as four in 10 (40%) voted having plans cancelled as a favourite little win, compared to just over a third (37%) of 35–44-year-olds.
Shockingly Brits would even rather stay home (42%) instead of going on holiday (10%) or just being outside in nature (29%). This comes as 25% of Brits say “having absolutely no plans” brings them joy. Are we a nation of home bodies? We think we might be.
UK’s Daily Feel-Good Freebies
Small wins can really make a difference to your day, week and even year. Practicing gratitude for anything from starting a new TV series, the first sip of coffee, to a home cooked meal will start to affect how joyful you feel in general.
When asked what day to day moments bring them the most joy, Brits rank ‘getting into bed with fresh bedding’ at the top of the list (54%), followed by a clean and tidy house (50%). Two thirds (65%) of 55–65-year-olds believe the day-to-day moment that brings them the most joy is getting into bed with fresh bedding, the highest percentage of any age category for an answer in the study.
Interestingly, 25% of Brits say “having absolutely no plans” brings them joy – which makes sense as to why so many feel like they’re winning when plans are cancelled last minute.
And Regionally...
It seems that the UK are split in their search for life's feel-good freebies. We analysed our data to discover which cities love cancelling plans, getting a cheeky discount, and finding surprise cash in their coat pocket.
Liverpudlians could be the least sociable in the UK, as more than half (51%) believe that ‘having plans cancelled when you didn’t want to go anyway’ is their favourite little win in life, the highest proportion in the UK. On the flip side, Mancunians are the opposite, with just three in 10 (31%) voting for this as their favourite little win – suggesting they are the most sociable within the UK.
Residents of Norwich could be the biggest binge-watchers in Britain, with almost half (47%) voting for ‘realising your favourite TV series has returned’ as their favourite little win, a sharp increase from the 14% national average. They are also the biggest “home birds” with over half (53%) saying they feel happiest at home, closely followed by Cardiff (52%).
Glaswegians love finding forgotten money in coat pockets though - more than anywhere else in the UK - with almost half (45%) voting for this as their favourite little win. It actually seems that Glaswegians could be the most money motivated residents of the UK, with one in six (17%) believing that setting a financial goal and hitting it early was one of their favourite little wins, more than anywhere in the UK.
Are Bristolians the most romantic in the country? Well, a quarter (24%) claimed they receive unexpected gifts from their partners ‘most days’, which contributes to more than a third (36%) of them feeling ‘positive and optimistic for the future’. For exactly half the population in Bristol (50%), achieving a little win can turn a bad day into a good one, whilst for one in eight (12%), achieving one makes them feel better than they would achieving a promotion at work!
Experts Say Lifes ‘Small Wins’ Are What Matter the Most...
We’ve teamed up with Empowerment Coach and Joy Queen, Cat Googe to discuss why life's little wins are so important:
“When life is feeling challenging, and happiness feels out of reach it can be a real stretch to choose to do the things that you know make you feel good. If you’re feeling stuck, your ability to make choices that support you are compromised so you’re at risk of staying exactly where you are.
I always advise people to start small. Choose one or two simple things that you know put a smile on your face, do them daily, and notice how you feel. Even if it lifts you up by just a fraction, you are taking action. That is what is key, as 50% of our happiness is genetics, 10% circumstances and 40% is our intentional activity.”
“So, by taking intentional action every day, you get to increase your happiness and experience small daily wins which help improve your emotional wellbeing. Focusing on things you are grateful for is a great route to expanding your happiness and welcoming in more "feel good" moments in life. I like to encourage my clients to look for pockets of joy in every day and to seek them in the simplest things.”
“When you develop a gratitude practice you deepen your relationship with joy and this energy radiates out to those around you. Maybe it's a shared smile with a stranger, a compliment to a friend, or helping a loved one release some sadness or stress with a gentle hug. As a passionate laughter yogi I love to help people use laughter and deep belly breathing to shift how they're feeling. Laughter hugs always go down a treat in my sessions as they help people reconnect with themselves and those around them. Whether practising in a group or alone, by intentionally laughing you change the way you're feeling, and people can feel that energy, it's palpable and it ripples out to everyone around you.”
Samantha Wilcox, Organic Manager at tombola said:
“Our recent study has really highlighted how much joy can come from life’s tiniest triumphs. Whether it’s finding a forgotten fiver in your coat pocket, landing a perfect round number at the petrol pump, or that sweet relief when plans you never wanted to attend get cancelled — these moments deserve their own fanfare.
“They remind us that happiness isn’t just in the big milestones, but in the small, silly victories we often overlook."
“Celebrating these wins helps us appreciate the everyday, and frankly, who doesn’t love a guilt-free night in!”
To Conclude
Our recent study has really highlighted how much joy can come from life’s tiniest triumphs. Whether it’s finding a forgotten fiver in your coat pocket, landing a perfect round number at the petrol pump, or that sweet relief when plans you never wanted to attend get cancelled — these moments deserve their own fanfare.
They remind us that happiness isn’t just in the big milestones, but in the small, silly victories we often overlook.
Celebrating these wins helps us appreciate the everyday, and frankly, who doesn’t love a guilt-free night in!