Share your financial new year’s resolutions with other Mumsnetters - chance to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher, courtesy of Lloyds Bank NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

With a bit of luck the festive period left you with LOTS of happy memories - but we all know that Christmas can leave bank accounts looking a little worse for wear. To help you into 2016, Lloyds Bank would like to know the financial new year’s resolutions Mumsnetters are making.

Here's what they say: "January sales, unwanted presents and resolutions - the new year will bring new challenges, but plenty of opportunities for those who are shrewd with their finances. We'd love to hear Mumsnetter's tips for starting the new year in financial style‎." - Lloyds Bank

So how do you make sure your bills stay in the black? Do you make a spending plan to control your budget? Maybe opening a savings account is the best option? Perhaps you give the credit card a well-deserved rest and pay everything upfront? Or do you have some money-saving habits you force yourself to get back into once the festive season is over?

Whatever your tips, Lloyds Bank would love to hear them.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw, and one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks,

MNHQ
Standard Insight T&Cs apply

I intend to work hard on the (very!) small business that I run, with an aim of making a certain number of sales each month. I'm then going to withdraw a small salary from the business monthly to put into my savings account, so I can feel the business is helping the family finances, as I left my part time job a couple of months ago.
Holiday of a lifetime is planned for this year, so serious savings will have to implemented, coupled with selling off a few outgrown clothes, toys, books etc for spending money.

Use price comparison websites and also use cashback sites. Put money away to pay off extra interest on the mortgage. Question when buying something as to whether I really need it. Do I want it or do I need it? They are different questions.

SWITCH, SWITCH, SWITCH.

Probably the biggest financial saving/earning you can make is by having a switching period. Phone, TV, broadband, mobile, electricity, gas, bank account, mortgage, savings accounts, ISAs - check them ALL and switch where a better deal is possible. Could save you hundreds, even thousands.

My new year's financial resolution - is to systematically go through all my services as listed above and get me financially, savvy sound for the next year.

Money saved is easier to come by than money earned, and puts less stress on you.

Use cash not plastic.
Plan meals to cut down waste.
Have a shopping list.
If you use it and it doesn't go off then buy when its bogoff.
Pay off interest bearing debts first.
Use Economy 7 for the laundry.
Use a third of the washing powder for a normal wash and treat stains.
If you dont need it, Ebay it.
Have a penny jar for coins and cash them in once every 6 months.
Buy second hand when it makes sense.

We've had lots of extra unforeseen expenses recently, plus we have 2 kids currently at uni and another at home, so we will have to tighten the belts even further this year to pay off what we have spent and get back on top of saving.

We use a rewards credit card to do all of our shopping, which we always pay back in full every month and it's lovely when vouchers come through the letterbox every few months. We use these to help with our weekly shop that week and it really makes a difference.

I'm also going to try to have a clear out and get everything we don't need on Ebay!

I'm lucky not to have a problem with my finances but this year I am going to stop impulse buying. If I see something I want I'm going to sleep on it before I buy and think carefully "Do I need it", "Is it value for money" and "can I get it cheaper elsewhere".

We always budget for general monthly expenses and anything out of the ordinary we think might be coming up. I meal plan and use my freezer to bulk buy meat when it is on offer. We always pay off the credit bill every month and use it more as a cash flow thing than borrowing. Savings contributions go out of our current account at the beginning of the month automatically.

I intend to encourage my children who are now earners to look into some sort of savings scheme, plan ahead for birthdays and Christmas so I stop just spending madly

I plan to spend as little as possible, looking for food bargains, watching when pressies are cheap and find vouchers. I will stay out of shops unless I need to. Write a budget what incomes and out goings, check dd, sd ti see if all valid.

I've already paid off the credit card we used for buying Christmas presents, almost paid off this year's holiday to centerparcs, my loan will be finished in September and the remaining credit cards I have put onto a 0% card and divided the balance so I know how much to pay each month to pay it off completely this year! Phew! A lot of planning involved but by the end of this year it'll be brilliant not to have all those debts to pay every month :-)

I'm taking my own lunch to work and buying less coffee!

To stop lending my son money.. He will never learn so long as I keep bailing him out !!

This year, I hope to be more sensible with money - I got an interest-free credit card last year & the interest-free period ends in September this year, so I plan to pay off a chunk each month so this is all paid off by then. My husband & I write down on the calendar everything we spend. We have a set food shopping budget each month & shop around in our local town for the best bargains. In order to get the cheapest price on more expensive grocery items, like detergent, etc - we'll use mysupermarket.com & then bulk buy when it's on offer. I LOVE car boot sales, jumble sales & charity shops - so I'll continue to scour those for clothes, books & toys. I've also already hit the sales this year to buy cheap gifts & a stack of birthday cards for use throughout the year! Our mortgage deal is ending, so we need to look at that too - so to summarise - mine is spend less, save more, pay off credit card & get the best deal on the mortgage!!

We are going to use more price comparison website where we can and also use cashback sites as much as possible.

I've resolved to track my spending more carefully and use any spare money to overpay my mortgage so I can retire as early as possible.

• Say no to credit cards
• Cut down on wasteful expenditure by meal planning so we eat out less and throw out less food, resist impulse buying
• Be thrifty - regift , reuse
• Do more stuff with the family that's free/cheap - rather than super-expensive package holidays.

to sell all our junk so we've some spending money for our holidays this summer

To put a fifth of my weekly earnings into a uni fund for my children. Also i decided to get rid of all my credit cards and buy nothing on credit again but rather save up to buy a more expensive item.

My financial goals are to save up for that dream holiday/40th birthday/honeymoon!

I'm planning on saving £1 week 1, £2 week 2 all the way up to the beginning of December for my next Christmas shopping

I want to set up an account to save money for my daughter

My financial new year's resolution is to switch energy suppliers and figure out a way to work from home with no childcare.

hopefully I will win the lottery and my empty purse won't be an issue

I will look at my current account and savings and see if I am getting the best deal, rather than just sticking with the status quo because it's easier