Any other great savings mantras?

[OhioOhioOhio]

Maybe this is a taat but with the festive season coming up I'm getting stressed about money. I'm usually better at saving but divorce etc has put everything a bit up in the air.

I like the 'pay yourself first' attitude and 'do I really need it?'

Any other sayings that make you focus on better spending choices?

I have worked out how much I make an hour (I'm on a salary) and it really really helps. "Is buying this item worth 3 hours of my time?" And I can guarantee most times it isn't.
Also I would really recommend multiple accounts. I have a savings goal for each and I get a real buzz when I hit a goal!
Yes and since I've had my first job I always 'pay myself first' and I've always lived off that first paychecks figures. I have went up 10 grand lately salary wise but I still spend on the same figures I had when I was on 12 grand less than I am now. I save over £1000 a month the day after my wages hit and I don't even see that money so I don't feel like its mine.
I also have a lot of money caught up in ISAs that I'm not allowed to spend and sometimes when I'm feeling particularly speedy I go back and look at how much interest I've made on that money. Its brilliant.

I meant spendy

That's a great idea. Do you ever plan on spending it?

Yes it's going on a deposit for a house!

Could you try creating a little a4 page with images of things you want to save for?
I have heard that it really helps people when they're struggling not to spend. They have a look at the paper with an image of a house/car and it takes the fun out of spending. It puts them back in the saving headspace so to speak!

Christmas isn't worth getting stressed about. Work out how much you can comfortably afford and budget accordingly. Write a list and stick to it.

Think about gifts. Who can you stop exchanging gifts with? or can you agree on small token gifts? Nice emails or texts instead of cards. If you have children these are your priority gift wise. Think about things you can do with them, rather than buying loads of stuff they will be bored with quickly. Make decorations and bake together. To pad out children's presents buy things you would have to buy anyway - clothes, pjs, art supplies, school supplies, bedding etc. Visit Home Bargains, Wilko, B&M.

Food can be done fairly cheaply. It's only a glorified roast dinner with a few trimmings. Aldi/lidl are your friends here.

Don't be sucked into Black Friday etc. Stay focused and keep to your list. Your January self will thank you for it.

I put my savings into my savings account the day I get paid - so 'pay yourself first'

'look after the pennies and the £ will look after themselves' is a good one. I will have to tell myself this a lot as they are opening a Costa 10m from my house and I'm about to go on mat leave!

Omg. Love the a4 page idea. I literally imagine the money leaving my pocket and going into there's.

Set a budget and use cash instead of your debit card.

We have bills etc on DD then a fixed amount per week for food and another amount for personal spend. We get that out as cash and when it’s gone, it’s gone - no using the debit cards.

I have a little food shop purse and any change from the groceries goes in there (keeps it separate so I can keep track). Any left at the end of the week is rolled over so I get less out the next week.

It’s amazing how all the little odd coffees, lunches etc add up when you’re just tapping the plastic. Banning cards really made me realise how much was wasted that way.

I do a sweep of the account twice a month (joint account with two different pay days) and transfer the excess to savings.

Also, I have containers in the drawer for spare change - easy to grab for small spends but really add up. And just use the self service checkouts if you feel embarrassed holding up the check out line to pay £20 in 10p pieces....

I learned this from a blogger I follow: the 1% at a time trick. Take your savings goal eg £500, divide by 100 which is £5. Every time you save £5 you’ve achieved 1%

I divide left over money (after all necessities are paid for) into number of days till the next payday- that gives me rough number of what i can afford to spend per day. Then i get to feel good on days when i spend less.
I also get to feel good when e.g. i spend £50 filling up with petrol knowing that i’m using the money i ‘saved’ by not buying shit for the past x days.

I get to feel good when i go out and fritter away some £50 knowing again that’s the money i didnt spend on lunches for the past 10 or so days.

I find that the urge to spend usually goes away after a week or so of not spending and i start enjoying saving.

Before you save, you need to know how much you're spending. For a couple of months log where your money is going so you know how much you should have to save. Then put that away that as soon as you're paid.

It can be a bit of a shock when you see how much money you waste on silly stuff.