{In collaboration with Chip}
I started this blog back in 2012, I launched on January 1st as I knew that this time of year is always good to think more mindfully about a few things. And for me, it was financially. Doing a little spring clean and re prioritising my goals and how I viewed my money and finances was integral to getting to the place I am now in life.
As our building work is calming down, last year we managed to pay off our credit card accumulated from the kitchen building work and we have just managed to pay back a loan we took out for our kitchen. All of these actions mean we have over £100 each extra a month and we can finally start thinking about saving and planning a bit more for the future.
It hasn’t been easy and in a world where talking finances and being careful with money isn’t exactly ‘cool’ it has been hard to stick to budgeting, but the satisfaction that comes with being debt-free and understanding my money is definitely worth it.
So, they’re not exactly ‘sexy’ but here are my new commitments to feeling a bit more financially empowered this year!
CANCEL UNUSED SUBSCRIPTIONS/DIRECT DEBITS
January is often when subscriptions start renewing so it’s always a good idea to check off some that might be gathering dust. This year we sadly cancelled our Tate membership, as much as we loved it we just haven’t been enough times to warrant the cost and plan to renew once the kids are older. It’s worth looking into whether you’d be financially better off paying some subscriptions up front instead of direct debit (if you can afford to). Try calling around and switching things like insurance or gas and electricity, you can often get a better deal simply by calling and asking.
CHECK MY BANKING DAILY
As someone who used to keep my head in the sand about my finances, this is the most important thing I do. I know where every penny goes, which direct debits come out (both personally and our joint account) and can see immediately if I’ve been overcharged or there is an anomaly. It sounds so simple but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t do this.
USE AN AUTOMATED SAVINGS APP
I started using the award-winning Chip app a few years ago and it has helped us save towards holidays and home renovations but it has also made me realise that saving any amount helps. Using its clever algorithm, you can link your bank account and the app withdraws small amounts that you can ‘afford’ without missing it (don’t worry, it analyses millions of transactions to work this out!). The idea to save ‘smarter, not harder’ (plus its savings accounts are FSCS eligible).
Chip is free, you can pause autosaves and withdraw your money at any time and you can set a minimum amount you wish to leave in your bank account (mine is always set to £100). You are totally in control and set the savings rating for you – from 1 (Take Your Time) to the highest at 5 (Serious Stuff) – and as it’s January, mine is currently set to 2!
There are also extra functions such as Payday Put Away (an automatic weekly or monthly amount), you can allocate a percentage of savings towards goals (ours is Japan!). Chip has over 400,000 users already saving with them and says that their AI and Savings goals mean that Chip savers save on average £3,000 more a year. I love that it isn’t all about a huge end goal, it’s the little saves that count. You can download the app to start saving here (and if you use the code FRUGALI22 and save £1, Chip will add £20 to your account to help you start!).
FOCUS ON MY PENSION
We only started our pension two years ago, so we’ve got a bit of catching up to do – but better late than never! We started small but this year we will review it and look to increase our payments. There is a huge Freelancer pension gap (as well as a female one!) so it is so important to try and start one if you feel able. I still don’t know a lot about how they work but Laura Whateley’s book on ‘Money: A user’s guide’ is a great place to start.
PLAN OUR MEALS
This is something we consistently do in our household (albeit a few more takeaways last year with our newborn!) but this year I will be sharing more of our meal planning journey. I have always been a bit scared of sharing too much food content as it has never looked very ‘Instagrammable’ but this year I will be doing away with preconceived ideas of how meals ‘should’ look and posting and sharing more about how we budget and plan our meals without waste. If it helps spur anyone on and continues to help us in the process, that’s always a good thing.
This post was in partnership with Chip, the app that has finally helped us save! Code FRUGALI22 gets you £20 free when you sign up (valid 7th – 31st January 2022 Terms and Conditions here).
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