HOW TO ACTUALLY, LIKE ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY

OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND 

So the thing that really has worked for me was having the money I wanted to save completely out of the way. That way I couldn’t dip into it over and over again. So I was actually saving it! My Grandad looked after my main saving account until I was 18 so if I ever wanted anything I had to go through him to ask and I was bound to get plenty of questions which deterred me from taking money out of the account, allowing me to actually save money. If you trust someone you could ask them to kind of ‘look after your’ account so you have to go through them before withdrawing from your savings. It will stop you dipping in there too consistently, so the money can actually mount up. If not you could always get one of those money boxes that you literally have to hammer open, if you withdrew your notes and put it in there, it would definitely pile up without you being able to chip away at it. My old boss told me she’d saved thousands doing that. Just obviously keep it somewhere VERY discreet.

BE CONSISTENT 

Another way to actually save your money is to be consistent. What I do is on pay day, straight away I put a fraction of my wage into my savings. It will obviously be different for everyone. If you can manage 1/4 then believe me you will save SO MUCH. If that sounds like way too much, I get it some of us have bills to pay, then even twenty quid or even a tenner is still something. You could even set this up as a direct debit maybe for the day after payday so an arranged amount automatically goes straight into the saving account. 

TRY AVOID UNECESSARY SPENDING 

This is a lot easier said than done but sometimes you have to make some sacrifices. If you’re someone who spends £100’s of pounds on each night out or on monthly PLT orders, just ask yourself: Do I really need to spend this much? How can I cut down on my spending habits? Ultimately it comes to your priorities, if you’re saving money for a holiday or deposit on a house, that is a greater priority them 10 new outfits you’ll probably never wear so get your prioritise right and I guarantee you will start saving money without even realising. 

DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH ON YOUR CAR

If you own a car like myself you will know how frigging expensive it is. Honestly I wish someone had told me this before I passed my test, but no. I naively went out and bought a Mini Hatch and expected it to drive on air alone. Basically car’s are expensive. Simple as that. But if you are paying to finance your own car like I am. Firstly use comparison sites before you get your car insurance so you are getting the cheapest deal. Don’t just settle for the first one you find or the same one as your parents, shop around to make sure you get the best deal. If you’re paying for petrol I would also recommend shopping around for the best rate don’t just settle for your local petrol station. Honestly doing this has saved me £50 some months so doing this has saved me around £600 a year. Depending on how much you use your car obviously this will vary but buying petrol at the cheapest price will no doubt ave you money. 

USE DISCOUNTS AND FIND BARGAINS 

I am and always have been a proud bargain queen. I LOVE a bargain! Just knowing that I’m paying less for than full price for something that is faultless just excites me. I’ll tell you a little story... a couple of years ago I bought a £46 Topshop skirt and about 2 weeks later I saw THE SAME SKIRT in the sale at £28!!! I don’t think I’ve ever really let it go. So a huge tip to actually save money is to pay less for things you’re gonna buy anyway. If you want a new TV take full advantage of seasonal sales, Black Friday deals or price drops. Also if you’re entitled to additional discounts e.g student discount, NHS blue light discount (Or you could be cheeky and ask tomorrow someone’s code if you’re shopping online) don’t forget to check if they might cut the costs down too.