At East Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau in west-central Scotland, we are here to help. If you live or work in the East Dunbartonshire area, we can give you personalised advice on money, debt, budgeting, financial issues and more. Please contact us here, chat online or call us on 0141 775 3220. If you reside outside of East Dunbartonshire, please contact your own local Citizens Advice Bureau for assistance. Find them here.
Spend less money without trying!
Do you wonder where your money goes each month after you have paid your bills? Is there always too much month left at the end of your money? If you have answered yes to either, or both of these questions, read on. We can help you learn how to spend less money the easy way.
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Where does it all go?
It’s often the little things that add up when it comes to spending money. A coffee here, a takeaway there, some new clothes. It soon mounts up. Let’s take a look at some stats.
Crazy numbers aren’t they? But, when you take a closer look at your spending, it’s easy to see how these figures happen.
A medium latte at a well-known coffee shop in the UK costs £2.45. One a day during the working week adds up to £12.25. Throw in two large ones at the weekend (one Saturday, one Sunday) and a couple of croissants and there you have it. £21.55 spent in a week just on coffee and a couple of snacks.
Add on a takeaway a week for two people costing £30 and that comes to a whopping £141.55 per month!
Now, we’re not trying to deprive anyone of their caffeine fix and an occasional takeaway but, it really is the little things. And if you do want to spend a little less to save a little more, this is where you could make some changes.
Spending diary
What on earth is a spending diary?
Well, have you ever heard of a food diary? One of the first things an expert will do when someone is trying to lose weight, is to ask then to keep a food diary. They write down absolutely everything they eat and drink over a period of time. This builds up a picture of where their calorie intake is coming from. By looking at the big picture, they can see where to make changes to get results.
A spending diary does exactly the same for your finances. You can write down everything you’ve spent in a month and then you can see where your money is really going. Then you can decide if there is anything you would be prepared to change or cut back on.
For example, if you have a takeaway once a week, could you cut back to once a fortnight? Or even once a month?
- Only having 1 takeaway a fortnight saves £60 a month
- Only having 1 takeaway a month saves £90 a month
See how it works?
You’ll still be indulging occasionally, just cutting back a little. Spending less and saving more. And just think what you could do with that money instead!
This will download an excel file to your computer for you to complete.
Single Person Spending Diary > Couples Spending Diary >How to keep a spending diary
We have put together a nifty little spending diary for you to use. It saves you from having to do all the adding and subtracting, making keeping a spending diary so much easier!
All you need to do is add all of your outgoings and incoming into the spending diary, using last month’s bank statement and it will tally it all up for you. Then save your spending diary somewhere on your computer. Do the same again next month.
Once you have a couple of spending diaries completed, you can compare and see where you might be willing to make some changes.
And if you want to save even more, take a look at our money saving tips to help you survive the cost of living crisis.
East Dunbartonshire CAB is here to help
If you need any specific advice on money, debt, budgeting and financial issues, your local Citizens Advice Bureau can help. Residents of East Dunbartonshire can contact us here, chat online or call us on 0141 775 3220. If you live outside of East Dunbartonshire, you can find your local CAB here.
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