Get your wallet in shape again!
We tend to think about losing pounds and getting our bodies in shape - but
what about gaining pounds to get our finances looking good? At
learndirect, we've created a reverse money diet to help
you start saving money, making money, and gaining pounds.
How does it work?
It's really easy. Just follow these simple steps to get started:
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Set yourself a goal – this is the amount of money
you'd like to save / gain (maybe to pay off debts or presents for next
Christmas)
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Set yourself a time limit with which you'd like to complete
your goal – maybe a couple of weeks or a few months depending
on how urgent it is.
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Add your goal and your time limit into our calculator tool
below - find out just how much money you'll need to save each
week to save that money up.
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Start saving - open a savings account at your bank or
create a savings jar in your home that you can safely put your money
into.
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Use the tips and tricks below - find new ways to help
you reach your savings goal.
For example, you might want to pay a credit card off by September and you
still owe £150 on it. If you had five months to go then you'd need to save
around £7.00 a week. That's not impossible if you're careful with your
money and make some changes to your shopping habits.
The reverse money diet calculator
How can I save that much money each week?
Here are a few quick and simple tips from Jasmine to help you start saving
money and gaining a few pounds in your pocket each week.
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Try going veggie for half a week every week! The cost
of meat has gone up, but the price of vegetables has stayed the same.
You could try doing a vegetable lasagne instead of a meat one – there
are loads of fab recipes around the internet. By cutting back on the
amount of meat you cook with, you'll be saving loads of money on your
shopping bill.
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The internet is your best friend! Before you buy
anything – food, clothes, birthday presents, a new phone – search
around online to compare prices. You'll often find great deals, meaning
you'll pay much less than the shops.
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Make your own lunch! If you buy a £4 portion of fish
and chips every day, that's £20 a week. If you make lunch at
home, it could cost half that or even less. Use up those leftovers if
you've cooked too much the night before; save the extra in the fridge
and eat it the next day. You'll also find it much easier to
be healthy and you'll be saving on packaging and waste. The same
goes for takeaways in the evening.
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Exercise and save! If you walk, cycle or get a lift
for a journey when you'd usually pay the bus fare, put the fare into
your savings. So if you would have paid £2 for the bus ticket, put that
money in your savings pot. Use a bike to get around for a month and you
could save £60 or even more.
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Share and swap with friends and neighbours! Instead of
a shopping on the high street for clothes, get together with your
friends and neighbours to save money. Have a swap shop every now and
then where you and your friends swap clothes, accessories and even
unwanted gifts.
You'll find even more hints, tips and advice throughout our website
on how you can save money. Or if you think we've missed something out and
you'd like to share your own amazing tips for saving money, you can talk to
us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/learndirect.
Now you’ve got a real plan to help you gain those pounds. But is
the jargon still tripping you up? If you need to learn some financial
language, on the next page we’ve put together a handy glossary of money
jargon >>
