You probably get there every month. There are only a few days until you get your wages and you think about it – you will budget properly this week and you will be able to save some. But then, you wake up with money in your bank account. You reach to a café, get a few sandwiches and a coffee, as well as a few magazines. Then, you move on to that shirt you wanted for ages. One thing leads to another and you end up living with £100 for the last week before your next wages kick in.

Here are a few helpful tips to manage your budgeting solutions in a better way.

Buy less things

It sounds obvious, but you have to do it. Sometimes, you have to remind yourself the basic issues of your problem. Reuse things. Recycle if you can. In fact, you should ask yourself – do you really need a new shirt? You have seven other shirts in perfect condition, so why would you buy a new one? You probably do not need it anyway, so forget about it.

Your savings become your priorities

Most people save whatever is left at the end of the month. This is one of the most common mistakes beginners make. It makes sense – you will have nothing left in this manner. You might end up saving £50 if you are lucky – not the best case scenario.

Instead, if you truly want this to work, you need to move some money to your savings account as soon as your wages come in. This way, you will spend whatever is less, rather than vice versa. Of course, you need to budget it properly or you will end up moving money back to your spending account every few days.

Come up with an online saver

Make it easy to save money or you will never do it. Get an online savings account and transfer your money there. Whenever you get paid, throw a certain percentage in there. It should not take too long – maybe half a minute. Since you do it early (ideally, during the same day), you will not even notice it is missing. It is a mental thing – it simply becomes easier to ignore that money and let it rot in your savings account.

Think about it

No matter what you are after or what your vibe is like, pause for a second and think about it. The society is not built this way though – you see something you fancy and you can see yourself wearing or using it. However, wait a little. It will not go anywhere. Give yourself a few days and you will realize that it loses its appeal. Think about your goals in the long run for a few days. By the time you are done, you will realize that a new fancy dress is completely useless.

Plan your meals

This is a classic rule and you need to do it right. Go back to the basics – get some shopping lists. Plan your cooking sessions. Takeaway every night sounds easy – spend a fiver every night. It is not that much.. Over a month, it will go up to over £150. Throw in a few drinks here and there and you will double that amount up.

Learn to say no

If kids are your biggest challenge when budgeting, you seriously have to learn no. You can buy your kids all kinds of things to get them to shut up, but your finances will suffer. Learn to say no more often and they will reduce their demands overtime. You are in charge, not them.

In conclusion, these helpful tips can help your budgeting issues. They will not get the job done for you, but they will easily help you overcome basic problems when setting up a plan.

Coming up with a financially secure aspect in life can be challenging – it looks like you would need some proper advice from a self-made millionaire to figure it out. The truth is you need to determine where you are today, as well as where you want to be 10 or 20 years from now. Once you figure these things out, you can establish the right route and avoid detours – luckily, it is doable.

Consider your goals

When it comes to goals, you need two different types of goals – first, you have the long term goals. Then, you need to consider short term goals. Financial security is not a simple one time job – it takes time. In fact, it is mostly about the journey to get there, rather than the actual result – there will always be something else to do.

Come up with a master list of all your goals. Some of them need to be achieved within weeks or perhaps a few months. Some others may take years or decades. This is the first step. Just make sure you take your time and do it right. Sit down in a quiet place and think about it – what would make you feel good from a financial point of view?

There are more things to consider and different people have different needs. For instance, short term goals could imply an emergency fund to ensure you can leave for at least three months without getting any income. Limit your credit card expenses too. In the long term, you could save for a home deposit or perhaps your child’s education.

Decide on a budget

Your budget targets all your finances. Think about all your sources of income, as well as your expenses. You need to write everything down in order to know where your money goes. One simple method is pretty classic and involves the 50/30/20 rule. Basically, 50% of your income goes on rent or mortgage, food, insurance and so on. Up to 30% of it goes on nice things to have, such as clothes and going out.

The rest of 20% should go in your savings. If you find it difficult to stick to this rule, you might consider some lifestyle adjustment. Perhaps you should dine out two times a week instead of five times a week. Maybe you can push for your side gig or ask for the promotion you deserve. Whatever it is, you need to find a way to make it work.

Build your emergency fund

You need an emergency fund that you will never touch and this includes some money to help you survive for months without an income. There are all kinds of unexpected situations and the 2020 pandemic is one of the most recent examples. But then, how do you come up with this fund? The first step is pretty clear – decide on how much protection you actually need.

The minimum should be enough for at least three months. If you can push for six or 12 months, it is even better. Finding it difficult to pull it off? Stop with the big goal and come up with an automated system that adds money to this fund month by month. It might help opening a new bank account just for emergencies. An online saving bank could be a great choice – set some automatic payments to it and watch it grow.

Bottom line, these are the first three steps in achieving financial freedom while managing your money. No matter what your goals are like, planning is critical for successful results.