It’s the first week of a brand new year, the holiday season is over and it’s back to work and reality. It’s also the perfect time to think about your finances! This might not sound like the most fun thing in the world but it’s necessary if you want to have more money in your savings pot this year.

Many people are unsure of where to begin when it comes to their finances and we can understand why – it can often be extremely overwhelming. The best place to start is to think about where you are now financially, where you want to be this time next time year and then think about what you need to do to get there.

January is the perfect time for a fresh start, including for your finances, so we’ve put together some money saving tips to get you on the right track to saving more in 2017…

Pay with cash – try using cash when purchasing things rather than using your credit or debit card. Tangible money often makes you spend less as you can see it there in front of you!

Create a weekly budget – sit down on a Sunday afternoon and create a realistic budget that you’ll be able to stick to for the week ahead. It will really help you to not overspend and you could even add in to the budget the amount you’d like to save each week.

Set up auto saving payments – if you set up weekly or monthly payments from your regular account to your savings account you won’t have to worry and your cash pile will just keep growing. Start off with a small amount until you know for sure the amount you’re able to save and then increase the amount as and when you can.

Use comparison sites – products are often cheap at different stores so make sure you use comparison sites and shop around before buying. This is especially important when it comes to saving money on your energy bills – use the comparison sites to find the cheapest provider.

Use a list – whenever it’s time to do your grocery shop, make a list before you go and stick to it. It’s easy to buy things you don’t need when grocery shopping but if you have a list to stick to you’re more likely not to overspend on things you don’t really need.

Set up auto bill pay – this will help you avoid late fees and higher interest rates. Get this sorted out in January and you’ll be saving money throughout the rest of the year.

These things are easy enough to do; implementing them and sticking to them is the hard bit! But if you do, you’ll reap the money saving benefits in the long run and you’ll be exactly where you want to be when 2018 comes around.

In honor of the new year, we’re hosting a New Year, New Me & Qmee contest for all of our fans. Go to our Facebook page and tell us what your financial New Year’s resolutions are using #NewYearNewMeAndQmee to be entered to win $100/£80 in your Qmee piggybank. The winner will be announced on February 1st.

Happy New Year!