It’s the second day of a brand new year – the festivities and holiday season are finished, and it’s back to work and reality. So, it’s the perfect time to think about your finances and saving money this year. This might not sound like much fun but it’s necessary if you’d like to have more money in your savings pot.

Think about your finances can often be extremely overwhelming – many people are unsure of where to begin and we can understand why. We believe that 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.

When it comes to your finances, January is the perfect time for a fresh start – so we’ve put together some tips to get you on the right track to saving more money in 2018…

Create monthly and weekly budgets – at the start of every month, sit down and create a realistic budget you’ll be able to stick to for the month ahead. Adding in how much you’d like to save each month will be extremely beneficial. Then, on each Sunday afternoon, create budget for the week ahead. This will really help you to not overspend, especially if you put the amount you’ve chosen to save each month away first of all!

Set up auto saving payments – if you set up monthly payments from your regular account to your savings account, you won’t have to think about saving each month 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.

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.

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.

Set up auto bill payments – 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.

Make lists when shopping – when it comes to grocery shopping, always make a list before you go and stick to it. It’s easy to buy things you don’t need but if you have a list to stick to you’re more likely not to overspend.

These things are easy to do; it’s implementing them and sticking to them that’s the hard bit! But if you do, you’ll reap the money saving benefits in the long run and you’ll be closer to where you want to be financially.