109 Proven Budgeting Tips from People Just Like You

What I like about nonfiction books, is the authentic and heartfelt experiences shared by the authors. Similarly to these are the 109 budgeting tips shared by real people that I unearthed from Which?’s comment section on Facebook. Please note that I have done a little editing to keep things real for you.

Let’s dive in…

Essential Budgeting Tips for Beginners:

1. Try to avoid impulse buying – if you force yourself to wait a week, you’ll often find you don’t really need it after all.
2. Pay with cash, not cards. It’s easier to control spending and helps you realize the true cost and value of items, curbing frivolous purchases.
3. Take a packed lunch and your own teabags/coffee to work.
4. When I get paid, I put money aside for my bills, then money into savings and then I spend what’s left over.
5. If I spend and then save what’s left over then I save nothing.
6. Have a water meter fitted, our water bill came through £1800 per year and our monthly bill on a meter £61 per month. It’s certainly made us think about water usage.
7. Meal planning & a shopping list to match.
8. Have a separate account for your household bills/rent/mortgage etc. On pay day, transfer the amount to cover the bills and then what’s left in your original account is yours. Easier to manage and save. X.
9. Make sure you know the difference between WANT and NEED.
10. If you have dogs open a bank account for them and put regular money away!! Even though ours were insured there’s always a vet bills that are not covered.

Budgeting Tips for Saving Money:

1. If you can’t pay for it now, don’t buy it. Stay away from debt (other than a mortgage which is harder to avoid!
2. Buy a freezer or two. I have a small chest freezer and an under counter one. I can take advantage of the “yellow sticker” offers, buy three for £10 and the like. Freeze them. As I am on my own it’s an excellent money saver. An air fryer is another way to save. I have more than halved my gas bill since getting a cheap one from B&M bargains.
3. Buy yellow sticker items in the supermarket and freeze them especially staples such as bread. Also shop in charity shops for clothes particularly for occasions.
4. I use my internet banking app and prefer to use cards, I can see when and where every penny went and trends in my spending. Cash just leaves me wondering where it all went.
5. The old phrase “look after the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves” is so true. Tiny savings add up. Getting a slightly better interest rate adds up.
6. Never throw away food. Always use leftovers in any way you can.
7. Some things can be bought in bulk with big savings. I have kitchen rolls and toilet paper, I buy 48 or 72 at a time, the savings are enormous. And frozen vegetables, use just what you need, no waste.
8. Use cash all the time now. I’ve ditched anywhere that’s card only payments. I’ve saved a fortune as I can control my spending better.
9. We signed up with utility warehouse which saved us so much money each month but also simplified everything having it all in one bill. Was so impressed I signed up as a partner and have been helping my family and friends do theirs.
10. Not so much a budgeting tip, but saving tip. Buy a tin money box. Every night clear you purse of coins. Or in the case of my son, the change he left on his bedside table that eventually went under the bed.

Budgeting Advice for Debt Management

1. When shopping look for butchers that do roll up offers for a set price and meal plan around that, I did this when kids were still at home and it’s a great way to cut the shopping bill.
2. Save the change Bank rounds up my spending and put it into a separate account for me. I don’t touch it until I want something really special.
3. Have several bank accounts, one for direct debit and savings, and the other for food, fuel and entertainment.
4. Have housekeeping and when it’s gone you use what you have in your fridge to make a meal.
5. Prioritize…live within your means…shop daily (if you can) to avoid wastage…shop later in the day and buy reduced items…go without make up/new clothes.
6. If you’re desperately short, it’s going to hurt and it won’t improve overnight. Priorities…small word, big action.
7. Don’t be afraid to use charity shops for clothes and everyday items.
8. Weekly menu and shopping list. Know what you have already in the cupboard, fridge and freezer then stuck rigidly to your list.
9. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need with money you don’t have.
10. Don’t buy takeaways. Only eat out on special occasions. Have an idea of what you’re going to eat throughout the week and shop wisely. Random shopping can cost a fortune.

Personal Budgeting Ideas:

1. Avoid credit cards if you are not strict with clearing them. They are the financial devil’s work.
2. First, define ‘necessity’ because if it isn’t a necessity it can wait or be forgotten altogether second, avoid bargains unless the item is necessary.
3. When you and the family go out for the day take a flask or two of coffee and sandwiches with some fruit. For a family of four this could save pounds.
4. Use Cash when making offline purchases or non-essential goods.
5. Pick things up for Christmas and birthdays throughout the year that way you have money left over in December for wee extras!
6. Don’t get a water meter but if you have moved and have no choice and bills are high keep track and make extra payments.
7. Try to get ahead of bills rather than pay in debt.
8. Don’t go somewhere you love the products too much. That’s our worst spend and brings out the worst in us. What you need is one thing but what you want is a complete other thing. But it is blooming hard.
9. Change your insurances every year, shop around for breakdown cover, go for a monthly mobile phone tariff rather than a contract, negotiate TV and broadband, get a blue light card if eligible.

Smart Budgeting Strategies

1. Sticking to the shopping list, and also a £10 limit per shop (BTW I’m single!)
2. Grocery delivery – only order what you really need & don’t get drawn into buying ‘specials’ etc in store that you don’t need. No browsing in the clothes etc aisles either!
3. White board on the fridge and write use by dates for meat etc. so nothing gets wasted.
4. Cooking from scratch.
5. Stick to big box washing powder. One single tablespoon for a large wash is all that is needed and both the environment and your washing machine will love you.
6. Until you are on a decent salary, always have money left at the end of the week/month even if you have to eat jam and bread.
7. We both have our credit cards set so our bank automatically takes the full amount owed every month. Our view is that if we won’t have the money in the next four weeks then we can’t afford to have it now. We save each month till we can afford it.
8. Plan your week’s meals ahead and shop for those meals only, instead of picking up bits and pieces you may or may not use.
9. Get Plum which rounds up and saves your money for you. Worked wonders for me.
10. If you don’t go out, you don’t spend any money. I rarely shop online. Works for me!
11. If you see something you like on amazon/ebay etc just ignore it then come back in a week and see if you still want it.
12. Instant coffee?
13. Always shop around for the best rates on utilities etc and don’t be afraid to switch once out of contract or minimum term. Every month work out total value of outgoings against income. Pay off as much as you can against any credit card balances you have. Every month put something into savings, no matter how small (or set up a save the change function on your debit card). Split what’s left across the number of weeks for the month to budget. Once you’ve spent that for the week – spend no more!
14. Coffee in a coffee shop is a treat not a daily essential and take your own food into work for lunch.
15. It’s only a bargain if you need it.
16. If you have savings invest in Solar Panels. Our Electricity bill is basically free for the Entire year as Export in summer pays for winter. Yes it will take about 5 years to payback but it’s such a good feeling.
17. Take a flask of water with you on days out.
18. I buy everything that I need when it’s on offer in bulk. I also bulk cook meals in individual portions. This gives me periods of time when I only need to reheat a meal and I don’t have to shop so often. I save time, energy and fuel.
19. When you go out don’t take your bank card!
20. Do a spreadsheet of incoming and outgoing. Do a bit of excel formulae on them to work out totals, sums etc, and finally how much left over.

Effective Budgeting Habits:

1. Live within your means.
2. Buy big joints when on promotion and freeze in gravy.
3. Don’t eat and don’t have the heating on during the winter!
4. Save as soon as you get paid and budget with what you have left, rather than spend what you like and save what you have left.
5. Shop for what you need around your own home, inside your own home. Chances are you already have something which will do, or is a good alternative. That works especially well in cooking, mending and cleaning. Very good for craft projects too.
6. Empty current account day before payday, even if it’s only pence, put into a savings account.
7. Save the change on bank app plus buy in bulk and never shop when hungry. If your children always leave food put smaller portions out every time. Buy full fat milk and add water to make it go further. When doing a wash which isn’t bad, just add vanish or fabric conditioner and run on a quick wash. Don’t take children shopping. Keep to a list and only go off list for bargains or children’s treats.
8. Take a basket not a trolley.
9. Draw out the week’s money and hide all cards. Keep all till receipts to review spending and choice of items purchased. Use only that which was withdrawn. At the end of the week bank any left over and check purchases for ideas for improvement.
10. Always buy what’s on offer.
11. Change your savings account. The rates go down.
12. Marry a billionaire’s daughter.
13. Cash flow is more important than assets.
14. Whenever you get a pay rise (laughable these days) put the extra into a savings account, I’ve done this for years! Nice little pot for treating!
15. Buy your bread for packed lunches at the start of the month and put in the Freezer. Also buy your Crisps and biscuits for packed lunches at the beginning of the month and try and shop weekly.
16. Not having kids.
17. Sell your boat!
18. Don’t use any gas or electricity.
19. Spend someone else’s money.
20. Leave the country!

Budgeting Tips for Long-Term Success:

1. The 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 rule.
2. Don’t eat yellow snow!
3. Leave your purse at home lol.
4. Do not subscribe to magazines use the free sources of information on the internet or ask Chatgpt.
5. Look after your broom.
6. Don’t have pets.
7. Two simple questions. 1. Can I afford it? 2. Do I need it right now? Easy.
8. Keep a record for one year off everything you spend.
9. Freeze and starve.
10. Don’t get married and don’t have kids.
11. Not exactly budgeting, but I think my biggest tip would be about how much you pay into your energy account if you are a direct debit pay. I paid £200 a month for my energy, that’s throughout the year. Even if my bill is much lower than that in the summer, it gives me a chance to build up the credit on the account for the winter when I want to have the heating on. If you can afford to do that, it takes away any pressure and worry about what the winter fuel bill is going to be. Also, make yourself a spreadsheet for your finances. If you can do a simple calculation with the spreadsheet tools, then if your bills change for any reason, you can keep an eye on what to expect on going in and out of your bank account.
12. Eat veg not meat.
13. Withdraw a set amount each Monday from the cashpoint. if you have any left by the following Monday, put it in a pot. If you need to go over, for standard everyday items, then take some money from that pot. If you need to buy one-off extras, (eg, shoe repairs, gift, clothes, etc), then pay by debit card – then, at the end of each month you can see where your “extra” money has gone. Keep/ask for receipts for your weekly cash shopping, and keep an eye on how different stores charge differently for the same or similar. After doing this for a while, you will see how much you average in your current account. You can then set up a standing order to transfer most of this to a high interest account. It works!
14. YNAB life changer!
15. Use Frozen Vegetables – Ready when you want, cook from Frozen and no waste. Keep your Fridge and Freezer (if you have one) relatively full (e.g. 75%) – An empty Fridge costs more to run! (Unless you never open the Door!)
16. Best thing I ever did was set up a direct debit from my current account into my ISA every week. Money builds up in the ISA and you then have a source of money when you need it. I set a limit on how much I will withdraw though. But it has been an enormous help. And the money you withdraw soon builds up again.
17. ONLY if you have an induction hob – put a tea towel on the pan lid and turn down heat by about 30 to 40% saves about £150 / year on electric bills.
18. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. Very old, tried and trusted tip that is still effective today and always.
19. Overpay your mortgage.
20. Say there’s an odd amount in your account, like £6.70, transfer £1.70 into savings or into your mortgage account. Little amounts soon mount up.

Advanced Budgeting Strategies:

1. Buy rice in big bag – keeps ages and so much cheaper than little bags so you can afford best quality – in fact buy big sizes of everything to save.
2. Log all payments and stick to a weekly budget. Always have emergency cash on you.
3. Shop online using a list of what you need for each nights meal so you have plenty of meal options in and don’t resort to takeaways. It also means you can track how much you are spending. It’s easy to go wild walking round the supermarket getting everything you fancy.
4. Put money away each week towards Christmas.
5. If you’re looking to build a strong pension pot, an AVC pension can be a great option. Even if your employer doesn’t offer a matched AVC pension, you can contribute as much or as little as you like every month. Quite simply, all the usual advantages of a pension apply to an AVC pension. One less drink or coffee a month can boost your income. Start ASAP.
6. Write a budget, list all your regular bills, make an allowance for weekly spend and then on pay day, rather than at the end of the month, transfer the balance into an easy access savings account.
7. Sites like Quidco which gives cash back, they’re particularly good because you get all the cash back (others you have to “pay” a fee). I regularly get £25+ back on my home contents insurance, got around £10 for my annual travel policy and others. Quidco savings paid for my ninja air fryer.
8. Delete the domino’s app.
9. Use comparison sites.
10. Take 10% of your earnings every pay day, and if you don’t touch it, and you get a reasonable amount of interest at the end of the year, put into an ISA.

I hope you found these tips helpful! My advice is; don’t delay start implementing and watch things change around your finances.

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Disclaimer

The budgeting tips provided in this article are based on individual experiences and opinions shared by real people. They are for informational purposes only and not intended as personalized financial advice. Before making significant financial decisions, consult a qualified financial advisor to determine the best course of action for your specific situation. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes liability for any financial decisions made based on the information presented herein.