Close Menu
Saving Superstar
    What's Hot

    What is a hard credit check?

    July 4, 2025

    How to start investing with little money

    July 2, 2025

    What is a soft credit check?

    June 27, 2025

    Talking to your kids about debt

    June 25, 2025

    How to tell if an AI investment tip is trustworthy

    June 23, 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    What is a hard credit check?

    July 4, 2025

    How to start investing with little money

    July 2, 2025

    What is a soft credit check?

    June 27, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Saving SuperstarSaving Superstar
    Facebook X (Twitter)
    • Home
    • Budgeting

      An honest guide to supermarket loyalty cards in the UK

      April 24, 2025

      How to stretch your grocery budget when prices keep climbing

      April 24, 2025

      Frugal living hacks: 10 Ways to save without sacrificing comfort

      April 16, 2025

      The biggest budgeting mistakes that keep you in debt

      March 26, 2025

      How to cut back on expenses without sacrificing your quality of life

      March 25, 2024
    • General finance

      20 Tricks shops use to make you spend more

      June 6, 2025

      What is lifestyle creep and how to avoid it

      May 28, 2025

      How to bleed your radiators: A step-by-step guide

      May 7, 2025

      Pay per mile road tax: What, where and when?

      September 13, 2024

      How to lower the cost of owning a dog

      April 1, 2024
    • Housing
    • Credit & debt
    • Bills and utilities
    • Saving and Investments

      How to start investing with little money

      July 2, 2025

      How to tell if an AI investment tip is trustworthy

      June 23, 2025

      What is the avalanche method and how does it work?

      June 20, 2025

      Your cash ISA is full, what next?

      June 6, 2025

      7 Sensible steps to save for retirement

      May 21, 2025
    • Seasonal savings

      10 Ways to save money on back-to-school shopping

      August 5, 2024

      10 Amazon Prime Day tips – Get the most out of Prime Day!

      July 1, 2024

      Start the new year with a new financial outlook!

      December 26, 2023

      How to get the best out of post-holiday sales

      December 21, 2023

      How to save for Christmas throughout the year

      December 18, 2023
    • Contact
    Saving Superstar
    Home » 10 simple ways to build savings
    Budgeting

    10 simple ways to build savings

    JamieBy JamieNovember 10, 2022Updated:December 7, 20237 Mins Read
    Share
    Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

    When times are tough, savings can take a hit. If people are struggling to pay for everyday expenses, it’s much, much harder to look further ahead and put money away.

    If you have any choice at all to put money away, I would urge you to do so, even if it means doing without something each week to do it.

    Savings are a lifeline and are something everyone should have if at all possible.

    I appreciate that not everyone is in a position to save, or save easily, which is the point of this post. 

    I’m going to share some simple ways to put even a little away in savings for when you need it most.

    The power of savings

    If your boiler breaks down and you don’t have savings, what do you do?

    You’ll probably either pay using a credit card, use a payday loan or go without heating and hot water.

    None of which are comfortable options.

    Two of those put you into debt and the other keeps you cold.

    If you had savings, you could use those to pay for the repairs without getting into more debt or having to go without.

    If it’s at all possible to put a little money away for emergencies, we strongly recommend it.

    10 actionable ways to save money

    10 actionable ways to save money

    That’s the what and why, now let’s cover the how.

    Here are 10 ways to save money.

    1.        Understand your outgoings

    Before you can actually save, you need to fully understand what’s coming in and what’s going out.

    I cover creating a budget elsewhere, but even a simple spreadsheet showing income and outgoings should give you a clearer idea of your current situation. Knowing this is the key to living within your means, paying down debt, saving or whatever your financial goals may be.

    2.      Automate your savings

    If you have spare cash at the end of the month, the easiest way to save it is to automate it.

    Set up a standing order for the day after payday for a set amount. Send it to an instant savings account and leave it alone until you need it.

    Sending it to savings right away removes the temptation to spend it and ensures you have the money for the standing order.

    3.      Stop unnecessary subscriptions

    Most of us have subscriptions we don’t really use. A gym membership, a streaming or magazine subscription, food delivery boxes or something else completely.

    If you don’t use it, stop it. Then send the money you would have spent to savings. Even if it’s £10 per month, that’s £120 per year.

    Combine that with other savings options here and that money will soon build up.

    4.      Share your savings goals

    There’s a lot of psychology around sharing goals and ambitions as it gives you more motivation to achieve them. Something about not wanting to be seen to fail in front of peers.

    We can use that to help save.

    Once you figure out how much you can save and put the plan into action, share it with someone you trust.

    Tell them your savings goals, tell them how you’re doing it and share your ambition to take control of savings.

    You’ll be much less likely to fail once you know someone else will know you failed too!

    5.      Use the 24 hour and 14 day rules

    The 24 hour and 14 day rules are very simple and very effective. If you want to buy something less than £25/50, wait 24 hours. If you want to buy something more expensive, wait 14 days.

    This removes some of the emotion from the purchase and can help reduce impulse buys.

    If you still want that something 24 hours later and you can afford it, buy it.

    If you still want that big ticket item after a fortnight and you can afford it, buy it.

    You can stretch these to 48 hours and 28 days if you still find yourself making impulse purchases.

    6.      DIY FTW

    Doing it yourself for the win. Do you usually PSE (Pay Someone Else) when something goes wrong or you need work done on your home?

    If so, try doing it yourself and putting the equivalent cash in savings. That won’t work for everything of course, gas, electrics and anything technical should still be done by experts.

    But for decorating, changing the oil in your car, installing a new washing machine and making basic repairs to your home or car can all be done easily.

    Check YouTube videos and the multitude of websites out there that can help and you could save a lot of money!

    7.      Sell your old stuff

    If you have clothes, books or even DVDs you don’t use, sell them on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or other online marketplace.

    You won’t make much but you’ll clear space, recycle old items, prevent more going to landfill and make a little cash on the side.

    Send that money to savings and you could quickly generate a rainy day fund to help get you out of trouble.

    8.      Compare bills to avoid overpaying

    Comparison websites can genuinely save you money. You’ll still need to perform due diligence to make sure you’re getting a good deal, but they save a lot of time.

    Compare your bills, insurances, broadband, mobile phone, savings accounts and anything else you pay out on a regular basis.

    Compare like-for-like to get the best idea of how much you could save.

    Make sure the new deal doesn’t have any unfair conditions and gives you what you need and send whatever you save each month into savings.

    9.      Low spend weeks

    Low spend weeks are a great way to live within your means or save a little money. They do create a little hardship, but with a little creativity, you can still live well for less.

    Low spend weeks means spending as little as possible for 7 days. That means no store bought coffee on the way to work, making your own lunch, cheap meals for dinner and no going out at the weekend.

    It can even be fun with a little creativity.

    Send whatever you don’t spend into savings and you could give your fund a real boost!

    10.   Free days or nights out

    Switching from going to the pub or dining out to free entertainment once or twice a month can provide an easy boost to savings without making life too dull.

    Depending on where you live, consider free TV audience tickets, museums, galleries, parks, beaches, country walks, national parks and similar activities.

    There are websites for all these things and, aside from fuel to get you there, most will be free of charge.

    Send what you would have spent on a typical night out to savings and you get another boost while still getting out and about.

    Those are 10 simple ways to save a little money. I fully appreciate that not everyone has the luxury of being able to save, but if you can, I strongly recommend it!

    save save money saving money
    Jamie
    • Website
    • Facebook

    I'm a writer and editor at Coastal Content and Brainstorm Force with a background in IT and networks. I'm passionate about helping people take more control of their lives, especially finance.I'm a copywriter by training, which is why my posts are all no-nonsense and to the point, with little fluff or filler. We're all busy people and are just looking for the information we need quickly. That's my style and the style of Saving Superstar.

    Related Posts

    20 Tricks shops use to make you spend more

    June 6, 2025

    Your cash ISA is full, what next?

    June 6, 2025

    How to bleed your radiators: A step-by-step guide

    May 7, 2025

    Save money on car repairs: A practical guide for drivers

    April 30, 2025

    An honest guide to supermarket loyalty cards in the UK

    April 24, 2025

    How to stretch your grocery budget when prices keep climbing

    April 24, 2025
    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Don't Miss
    Credit and debt

    What is a hard credit check?

    July 4, 2025

    A hard credit check, also known as a hard search or hard inquiry, is when…

    How to start investing with little money

    July 2, 2025

    What is a soft credit check?

    June 27, 2025

    Talking to your kids about debt

    June 25, 2025
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Links
    • Write for Saving Superstar
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer and affiliate information
    Categories
    • Bills and utilities
    • Budgeting
    • Credit and debt
    • General finance
    • Mortgages and housing
    • Saving and Investments
    • Seasonal savings
    Latest News
    • What is a hard credit check?
    • How to start investing with little money
    • What is a soft credit check?
    • Talking to your kids about debt

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.