Saving. The word that nobody likes. There's no two ways about it, saving is bloody hard. Especially when it's a house deposit. But that's a blog post for another day. I don't know about you but I love expensive things - unfortunately I can't afford to blow £800 on a handbag from just one months wages. So until I win the lottery, here are my fool proof tips to help you save and not even realise you're doing it. That Mulberry will be yours in no time!
1. Get a £2 jar.
I cannot sing the praises of a £2 jar highly enough. I was kindly given a ceramic urn for Christmas last year and it said on the tag that a full jar of £2 coins equalled over £1000, Say what? Obviously I got very excited at the thought and began to religiously seek out the coins to fill it up. It's been going over a year now and it's around 3/4 full and I'm going to smash it open soon to treat myself to a brand spanking new MacBook Pro. It become almost like a game as you hunt around for the special coins - I've even asked friends to swap with me as I'm so desperate to fill it up.
2. Empty your purse of change daily.
If you're anything like me, your purse will be brimming with change. At the end of each day I empty everything out of my purse £1 and under into a pot. This is such a great way to help let the pennies build up as you hardly notice it. Just last week I managed to get £16 in change from a few months which is obviously being converted into £2 coins at the bank!
3. Set yourself a weekly budget.
At the end of the month when I get paid again I'm going to withdraw £50 from my account every Monday and that will be my money for the week. I'm hoping it will help me take a serious look at my spending habits and stop any frivolous spending - after all it has to cover all luxuries! My left over wages will be put towards a house deposit and into a holiday fund. 2015 will hopefully be the year I become a saving goddess!
4. Write down everything you buy.
It's so easy to spend money willy nilly - it gets to the end of the month and you wonder yet again how on earth you have just £3.56 left in your bank account. The odd bottle of diet coke, copy of Glamour magazine and a Twix soon add up. If you write every single little thing down in a notebook, you'll soon see where all you cash is going and see what you can cut out.
What are your top tips for saving?
Looove the tip of taking out small change daily. I think this is something I need to get on board with! 2015 is also going to be the year that I nail the saving 'thang' once and for all - Mish has big plans for the end of this year!
ReplyDeleteI always withdraw cash and spend that instead of putting anything on a card as it's harder to convince myself to break into big notes. I've got a wedding to pay for and a house to buy this year so it's time my saving went well too.
ReplyDeleteLove these ideas- I literally do none of them which is really bad as I'm a university student. I NEED to set myself a weekly budget but online shopping and theaters are so tempting that I can never restrict myself!
ReplyDeleteDandy Girl
I got a £2 pot as an engagement present and my fiance and I have been filling it up since May it's amazing how many we've saved already and I have another pot where I put all my copper change and 5ps, I might have to try your weekly budget idea as well as I'm constantly over spending.
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I absolutely love that £2 jar idea! I need to start doing that ASAP! <3
ReplyDeleteMy Mum and I do the £2 jar thing and reward ourselves with a shopping spree when it's full- likewise with our loose change. I'm going to save my £1 coins up (well £1 per day) for some Charlotte Olympia flats next!
ReplyDeleteI'm buying a £2 jar! I have a wedding to pay for so I need to save more. I also like the idea of writing everything down!!
ReplyDeleteTara x
I love the change idea, I am always lugging around coppers!
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx
I got a £2 jar for Christmas but yet to have any £2 coin to put in it! x
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the £2 Jar. I've been doing it for many years now and it really works for me. I open mine at the end of each year and use the money on an annual shopping trip with my sister and mum - a great day out of guilt free spending in the sales. I only put in coins that end up in my purse (no swapping, my other half says that's cheating!) and each year I get around £140 or so, which is a very nice amount.
ReplyDeleteI have a second jar for the coppers and 5ps that end up in my purse, they are heavy and I don't like to carry them around. Once I have a full bank bag I put them in my account and it starts over again. I know people who throw them away!!!!
I will definitely be writing down where I spend my money. I always think I haven't spent anything and come to realise my bank is empty due to all my tea/coffee/chocolate spends xx
ReplyDeleteAlana Says…//www.alana-says.blogspot.co.uk//Fashion and lifestyle blog
Love the sound of the jar - such a good idea! x
ReplyDeleteBrilliant blog post. I know exactly what you mean about the £2 jar i have a £1 jar and i'm obsessed with finding pounds now.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start the weekly budget tip, I feel like if you have cash its easier to budget! x
I cannot thank you enough for this post. My spending habit got really, really out of hand last year. I don't even want to say how much cos it's embarrassing and I'm really quite ashamed of it! I really like your £2 box idea. My mom has one and every year she can afford to go on holiday with the money she had saved in it. I also love the idea of limiting spending per week. I'm at University so I don't have a lot of money to begin with. From one shopaholic to another, I thank you for this advice. I'm a new follower of your blog and cant wait to read more posts from you Sophie <3
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Awww thanks for clicking the follow button lovely!
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I love collecting £2 coins! I use them for Christmas presents, but I think I need one of those smashable jars to try and get me to save more! :)
ReplyDeleteI need to get me a jar!
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