Saving money can be a daunting task, especially when trying to adhere to a strict budget. Thankfully, for those unsure of where to begin, financial expert and TikToker Beth (@bethsbudgetdiary) has revealed her straightforward payday routine that simplifies the process of saving money.
Beth is a chartered accountant with a mission to assist people in saving money and “ditching their debt.” In her newsletter, she outlined easy steps to take each payday to facilitate saving, budgeting, and future planning.
The finance expert makes it a habit to sit down every payday to “run through her numbers.” She found the practice “essential” during her journey out of debt and continues to find it beneficial, reports the Mirror.
She said: “I’m so passionate about having a payday routine because…it gives you peace of mind – you know exactly where your money is going each month.
“It provides financial security – by knowing your numbers, you can prioritise what matters most while building a safety cushion for any unexpected expenses.
“It helps you stay on track of your goals – by regularly reviewing your budget, you can tweak it as you go to get a budget which suits you best.”
Beth’s go-to payday routine
- First, check your bank account as it stands, how much is in there? Beth said: “I like to move any leftover money from the prior month into savings and start from scratch each month, but that’s personal preference.”
- Check your payslip is correct and that the net pay matches the money coming into your bank account
- Review or create your budget for the month. Has anything changed from last month? Do you have big plans this weekend? Adjust as necessary.
- Pay your bills or set aside money for when they’ll occur. She added: “I have a separate current account purely for bills and I transfer in my budgeted bills amount into here on payday, which leaves me feeling satisfied everything will be paid for, no matter what happens in the next few steps.”
- Allocate savings into your different pots, treat this like a non-negotiable bill.
- Make your debt repayments, whether this is just the minimum repayments or a little extra, get yourself one step closer to debt freedom.
- Don’t forget about investing into your future, this may look like a Lifetime ISA, pension, Stocks & Savings ISA or similar.
- Set aside some guilt-free fun money and enjoy some of that hard-earned money.
- Track your progress throughout the month, celebrate all the wins (no matter how small) and adjust your budget as needed.
Beth added: “Although this may seem like a lot of steps. my payday money shuffle literally takes me less than 10 minutes now because everything is laid out in my spreadsheet ready to go.
“Not to be a teeny tiny bit dramatic, but having this routine has literally changed my life. When the 25th hits (payday for me) and I get to assign all my little pots and I plan out my month, THAT, is when I feel like I’ve got my s**t together.”