5. Do it Today List and a Final Thought

Do it Today List and a Final Thought

Do It Today List: 7 things you can do in 15 minutes or less

  1. Decide on your financial goals: Fill in the “Decide” table in your budget planner.
  2. Open a savings account: Either search online or go to your local bank branch and ask for assistance. For day-to-day saving you just need a basic cash savings account which rarely differ between banks, so it can be easiest to open one with whichever bank you use.
  3. Set up a direct debit to transfer money into your savings straight after each pay day: This takes all the hassle out of saving, and means what’s left in your current account is money you can budget to spend each month.
  4. Decide to not buy one item today and think about what goal you want to put the money towards: For example, instead of buying another coffee-to-go, have one at home, and imagine yourself on that holiday you’re saving up for.
  5. Review one of your regular payments and try to reduce it: For example, shop around for a better car insurance quote, or look at your mobile phone bill and see if you’re paying for more than you use.
  6. Challenge yourself to buy your weekly shop as cheaply as possible:Take your usual shopping list and try to get it all cheaper. Think about what shops you want to visit and whether there are any reductions you could take advantage of. You could turn it into a game and try to beat your previous best.
  7. Set or review your budget: Use the budget planner and follow the steps in this guide to set yourself a budget. Your needs, circumstances, and income may change over time, so it’s good to review it occasionally and make sure it’s a plan you want to stick to.

Final thought: what one thing do you want to change?

Having looked through this guide, write down the one thing you most want to do differently around managing your money. This could be a one-off task you’d like to do, a regular habit you want to start or change, or anything else that comes to mind. Research shows we’re far more likely to do something after writing it down.

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You can now take the End of Course Quiz.

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Now move to next section: Acknowledgements