Thank you to everyone who entered the Paragon Bank Easter competition. We received some excellent savings tips to help look after those pennies.
Our favourite tip is the “three day rule”. If you see something that you’re tempted to buy on impulse, wait three days. Usually after the three days have passed, you won’t want the item any longer. You can then transfer the money you would have spent into a savings account.
Making small lifestyle changes like this can really help in the long run. So, next time you’re in your favourite shop deliberating over the latest fashion trend or the most up to date smart phone, just think to yourself “will I still want this in three days’ time”.
There are lots of great ways to save, and our customers all came up with their own individual tips. Here’s a selection of some of the most popular;
Spend a little save a little
p>A good way to save is to “save when you spend”. If you open an easy access savings account, then you could add to it over time. Therefore, whatever the cost of your purchase, if you try putting a certain percentage of that into a savings account, your savings will gradually mount up. If you purchase a £50 pair of trousers, then put £5 into an easy access savings account. Doing this, might also make you realise how much you are spending and question how much of it is unnecessary.
Stick to your shopping list
Make a shopping list and stick to it! It’s all the little extras that will add up when you do a food shop, so if you are trying to save money then make a meal plan for the week, work out all the ingredients you will need and use that list to do your shop. Adding just a few extras here and there can really push up the cost of the shop.
Invest in an ISA at the start of the tax year
To make the most of the annual ISA allowance, invest in your ISA at the start of the tax year to ensure you are benefitting for the entirety of the year.
Turn your clutter in to cash
If you have an attic or garage full of unused bits and bobs, you could get some extra cash by collecting all this together and taking it to a car boot sale. You may not realise how much cash you’ve had stored away all the years.
Set up standing orders every month
As the age-old saying goes - you can’t spend what you haven’t got. So, if you have an easy access account, you could set up a standing order to transfer money to this account each month as soon as you get paid, helping you save a certain amount each month. Before doing this however, it is important to work out your income and outgoings to ensure you don’t put away too much.
Save your £2 coins
By putting a certain denomination of a coin away, it could be anything from 5p to £2 coins, then you will quickly realise how much change you regularly get given. By simply putting a certain coin away, you might be able to save enough to use as spending money on a holiday.