Financial Guide

• Plan your budget here

• Financial advisors can help you plan. The fee they charge is usually offset by the help they render

• Play the lottery. You might have a chance of winning. Decide on lottery budget (e.g. £2 per month) and take the money off another spend, e.g. smoking

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A long list to consider:

(1) Finance & Spending

• Create a budget: Use an app or online facility

• Don’t buy on impulse; create simple rules e.g.

   You are not to buy anything over a specified amount until:

1.     You have discussed with a trusted person

2.     You have thought about it for a particular length of days, e.g. 15 days.

3.     You have calculated hour many hours of paid work it actually costs

• Designate no-spend days, e.g. 'No spending on Thursdays'

• Sell things you don’t need; organise a garage sale

• Consolidate your debt if you can

• Cancel unnecessary direct debits

(2) Home Management

• Lower your utility bills; compare, discuss or change providers

• Cut down on premium TV and Cable, choose the next level down from your current one

• Reduce the temperature of your hot water; kettle or boiler

• Switch your lights off when not in use

• Change lightbulbs to low energy ones

• Ask your friends for their log-in access for home entertainment

• Programme your thermostats to prevent overheating of your home

• Reduce heat loss in your home, insulate windows and use blankets

• Learn some basic DIY

• Share home with a partner or lodger

(3) Accessories

• Switch to a cheaper cell-phone plan

• Don’t call premium numbers

• Buy cheap car parts, explore car scrap yards for parts

(4) Eating and Dining

• Reduce food wastage at home

• Eat in, reduce restaurant spend

• Try cheaper meat, e.g. mutton is cheaper than lamb

• ‘Bring your own bottle’ to outings when possible

• Don’t pay for bottled water

• Take doggy bags home from restaurants

• Buy a cookbook and experiment

• Rotate cooking amongst friends’ homes and enjoy diverse dining

• Conduct Bar Quizzes and social functions on teleconference

(5) Shopping

• Search online for coupons and discounts

• Buy used items when you can

• Use price comparison website

• Sign up for loyalty cards

• Haggle. Barter. Ask for discounts when you shop

• Try cheaper options, e.g. boxed wine is usually cheaper than bottled wine

• Buy in bulk

• Have ‘no-shopping’ periods where you buy only essential items

(6) Social Activities

• Review your need for Gym membership; cancel if you can

• Review your need for other social clubs

• Avoid the pub, convene online instead

• Use free wi-fi when available

• Use your friends’ log-in access for online entertainment

• Take the public transport, walk or cycle

• Stop smoking, or roll your own if you must

(7) Additional Income

• Review products on the internet and get paid for it

• Get paid for walking dogs

• Ask to house sit, or to house-sit pets

• Check online for methods of generating additional income in your locality