Stick to cash for non-essential spending
If you find that cash withdrawals for impulse buys are making a big dent in your bank balance, try withdrawing a set amount of cash each week. Although debit cards are quick and convenient, using cash like this gives you a lot more visibility about your cumulative spending.
Set up different accounts for different things
With a single current account, all the payments come from one place, which can make it difficult to track what you’re spending on different things. Setting up a second account that you only use for essential spending – for example council tax, utility bills, and food shopping – means you can put enough in that account each month to make sure you are covered.
Knowing your personal style can help you make better decisions about managing your money. For example, if you like to be free to make impulse buys, you could allocate yourself a ‘pocket money’ budget each month to spend on whatever you like. And if you prefer to plan things out, you can build in some time for comparison shopping each week to dig out the best deals.