Pay yourself first. On payday, move what you plan to save before any spending starts — what is left is what you can spend.

Spending and bills

Once a year, list every payment that repeats. Subscriptions you have forgotten about are the easiest money to find.

Spending and bills

Spread yearly bills across the year. Put a twelfth aside each month and the car insurance never lands as a shock.

Spending and bills

Wait a day before any unplanned buy over an amount you choose. If you still want it tomorrow, it was probably worth it.

Spending and bills

Plan the month before it starts, not after. Ten minutes at the beginning does more than an hour looking back.

Spending and bills

Shop with a list, and not when you are hungry. Most overspending on food is on things nobody planned to buy.

Spending and bills

When a phone, broadband or energy deal ends, check the new price. Staying on an out-of-contract rate usually costs more.

Spending and bills

Compare the cost per use, not the price. Something cheap bought twice costs more than something good bought once.

Spending and bills

For a big purchase, add a fifth for the extras — delivery, fitting, insurance, fees. The price on the label is rarely the whole cost.

Spending and bills

Build a buffer of one month's costs first, then three. It turns an emergency into an inconvenience.

Saving

Give every saving a name and a date. "Car, March 2027" is easier to keep going than "savings".

Saving

When a debt is paid off, keep paying the same amount — into savings. You were already living without that money.

Saving

Save a pay rise before you get used to it. Put at least half of any increase aside from the very first month.

Saving

Keep savings somewhere you do not see every day. Money that is out of sight is less likely to be spent.

Saving

If repayments are getting hard, talk to a free debt adviser early. It is confidential, and there are more options before a missed payment than after.

Debt

Buy now, pay later is still borrowing. Count every instalment as money already spent.

Debt

Write down every debt and what it costs you each month. Seeing them together is the first step to clearing them.

Debt

Pick your zakat date and keep it. Putting a little aside each month means the amount is ready when it falls due.

Zakat and giving

Make sadaqah a regular line in the plan, however small. Giving that is planned gets given; giving that waits for spare money often waits.

Zakat and giving

Keep a note of what you give through the year, with dates. It makes working out what is still due much simpler.

Zakat and giving

Talk about money as a family once a month. Everyone spends better when they know the plan.

Family

Leave a small amount each month that needs no explaining. A plan with no room to breathe is the one that gets abandoned.

Family