21 Money Saving Tips For Beginners – How To Start Saving Big NOW!

Money saving tips for beginners? Where, oh where do you start?

How to save money isn’t taught in schools these days and so most people learn about saving money the hard way.

Often after getting into debt.

And too many years of getting used to being spendy.

If only you could learn about saving money before you got into debt.

Before you got used to spending all of your paycheck, and some.

But it’s never too late to find out about how you can save money.

Of course it would be better if you had learned a long time ago.

But today is good (it’s better than next year isn’t it)

When you are looking for money saving tips for beginners, you need some basic advice.

Advice on how you can start saving money today even if it’s only a few pennies.

Not what you should have been doing last year, last month.

Look forward to saving money, not backward with regrets.

woman with red open purse pouring coins into her hand to signify money saving tips for beginners

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21 Money Saving Tips For Beginners – How To Start Saving

(This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more here)

Know Your Why

The 1^st of my money saving tips for beginners and possibly the most important one is know your why.

Why do you want to start saving money?
What are you intending to do once you have saved up a certain amount of money?
What are your financial goals for your money?

Are you saving money because you:

want to go travelling
hope to buy a house and need a deposit
will need a new car in the future
are saving for your future/retirement
want to cover Christmas expenses without getting into debt
are saving for future university/college expenses

Quite often when you sit down and think about how to start saving money and why, you can draw up quite a list of different things you want your savings for.

This is not a bad thing!

The more you know about what you want to save money for.

The more focused you will be on taking on board all the money saving tips and tricks you pick up.

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wooden piggy bank with bank notes and coins to signify money saving tips for beginners

Personal Beliefs

Believe you can save money!

That sounds very simple but saving money is not always easy.

Believing in yourself that you can save money despite your unique circumstances really is an important money saving tip.

Because it’s so important to believe in yourself.

A positive mindset works wonders in helping you achieve your goals.

7 Simple Ways To Build A Powerful Frugal Mindset

Prioritize Your Saving Goals

In order to start saving money you need to know what you are saving for.

Having one big goal of ‘save money’ doesn’t usually work when you are new to it.

That’s why you need to know your why – my first money saving tip above.

If you had 3 savings goals you want to aim for then work out the priority order.

It might be that some months you can only save towards one of your money goals.

Other months you will have saved enough money to for all 3.

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Emergency Cash Savings

If your financial goals do not include saving money into an emergency cash account then please add it right in now.

Unless you already have this covered.

Everyone needs emergency cash as I explain in this post.

Indeed I encourage everyone to have 2 emergency cash accounts when you are starting out.

One emergency cash account for unexpected bills such as car breakdown or boiler repairs.

And a 2^nd emergency savings account for the curve balls that life can throw at you.

Such as losing your job, having an illness or medical expenses.

Emergency Fund Examples: 23 (Unexpected) Reasons Why You Need One

Why You Should Have Two Emergency Cash Accounts

Emergency cash accounts can be slowly built up over time.

Dave Ramsey is very vocal about paying down debt and building a cash account.

He encourages everyone to have $1000 in emergency cash.

My personal opinion is £1000 would not be enough for me.

That would not cover basic living expenses for 3 months, especially if you have rent or a mortgage to pay.

But £1000 is a good place to aim for initially.

I would then encourage you to aim for 3 months expenses.

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Come and follow me on Pinterest for more money saving hints and frugal tips!

pinterest image for money saving tips for beginners

Create A Budget To Start Saving

I know, I know, not everyone likes budgets but this money saving tip is crucial to your success.

Your budget needs to include how much you intend to save each month.

Just as it also needs to include how much you intend to spend on groceries or clothes or alcohol!

We all tend to live to our means which means if you want to start saving money then you need to know how much you are spending in other areas so you can see how much money you can start saving now.

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Decide How Much You Want To Start Saving

a set amount every month (e.g. £200)
a % of your net earnings
a combination of the two (e.g. £200 + X% of any bonus you receive)
Every £10 or £5 note you receive

Prioritize Saving

When you are learning how to start saving money, it’s likely your wants will need to reduce a little.

You are replacing them with a new want but a priority one – saving money.

You can have anything you want. But you can’t have everything you want.

Remember the first money saving tip – know your why.

And remember it at those times when you have savings but don’t have enough left over to have the latest gadget you are lusting after.

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woman's hands counting out coins from an open black purse to signify money saving tips for beginners

Pay Yourself First

You’ve prioritized your savings goals now you need to prioritize your savings.

Pay yourself first is often spoken about when discussing budgets.

If you’ve decided you will start saving money every month to the tune of £200, then you need to do so as soon as you get paid.

Don’t wait until the end of the month to see if you have £200 left.

You won’t!

Pay yourself and your future money goals first.

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Automate Your Savings

The easiest way to start saving money every month is to automate it.

Set up a standing payment order to leave your account either on pay day or the day after.

There is nothing to think about because you are saving money every month automatically.

glass clip lid jars with coins in and a roll of dollar bills

Money Saving Tips For Beginners And Simple Tricks

But how are you going to make these savings I hear you ask?

You want actionable money saving tips.

And you would also prefer if they were easy ways to save money because life’s hard enough as it is isn’t it?

Meal Plan

Your grocery budget is something you have control over, unlike some of your other bills such as your mortgage or rent payments.

You could just eat rice and beans every day and save a ton of money but I don’t think that is a positive step forward in learning how to start saving money.

Money saving tips only work if they are realistic and you can employ them week after week.

You still need to enjoy life and your food!

Meal planning is the best way to start saving money and is something you can control and tweak each week and month as you get better at it.

I explain here how to meal plan and the savings you can make.

Suffice to say, you could save hundreds every month.

Shop Your Meal Plan

Once you have your meal plan for each week or month, make sure you shop to that plan.

Create a shopping list that covers your meal plan.

Don’t plan on chicken for 3 dinners and then buy beef!

Stick to your meal plan and shopping list to maximize saving money.

Compare Grocery Prices

I always, always used to shop in Asda/Walmart.

For years.

Then Aldi came along and I ignored them.

Finally I got wise and compared Aldi’s prices to Asda’s. And saved £80 a month!

I have been shopping there ever since.

But I still compare prices to make sure I’m buying my groceries for the best price.

Combine comparing prices with using a cashback site and you can make money every time you shop.

13 Killer Ways to Save Money on Groceries – Save Hundreds Every Month

Buy In Bulk

Every so often stores will discount regular products that you use every week/month.

Take advantage of these discounts and buy in bulk to last you until the next discount day.

Watch for best before dates though.

Having to throw away out of date food would turn this into very much into a failed money saving tip!

How To Stockpile Food On A Budget – 10 Easy Tips

How To Build A Stockpile Quickly

Use A Slow Cooker/Crock Pot

As part of your meal plan, try to incorporate a few slow cooker meals.

These are often cheaper meals per person and you have the added benefit of being able to make a big batch of dinners in one go.

Especially if you have a large slow cooker.

This is the one I have and it enables me to make 3 dinners in one go. 1 to eat and 2 to freeze.

Pack Your Lunch

Whether you are working or out for the day. Packing your own lunch will save you money.

You can easily spend £5 a day on lunch and snacks, if not more.

£5 a day is £100 a month or £1200 a year.

Which would you rather – £1200 in savings or not packing a daily lunch?

wine glass filled with water and bubbles and overflowing

Dump Bottled Water

Water is free from the tap and in most 1^st world countries is safe to drink.

Why pay for water when you can buy a funky water bottle like these and top up for free whenever you like?

Bottled water comes in plastic bottles which we all know are not good for the environment.

Drink tap water, save money and help the environment. Double win!

Start Saving In A Money Jar

I always think being able to physically see your savings grow is a great motivator.

Problem is, most savings are now into faceless bank savings accounts or bank apps.

Save all of one type of coin into a money jar as a way to see your savings grow.

I tend to save £1 coins, but previously it has been 20p pieces. You can easily amass £200 in a year just saving coins.

open jar filled with money bills spilling out onto white background

Energy Savings

Become more conscious of your energy usage and you will be able to save money here as well.

Switch lights off when you leave the room, turn the thermostat down one degree, don’t leave technology gadgets on standby.

All are money saving tips that will add up to a reduced energy bill.

Declutter

Decluttering your home and your stuff does two things.

One, it frees up things you can sell to make money (see below).

And two, it frees up your mind and reduces stress leaving you better able to focus on saving money.

Living with less stuff gives you space to see, to think, to focus.

Sell Stuff

Money saving tips usually focus on reducing your spending. But you can save money by making money as well.

Go through your rooms and identify items you no longer use and list them for sale.

Facebook groups are a great place to sell stuff quickly and for free. Ebay, Gumtree and Craigslist are also good selling platforms.

Useful Posts:

11 Tips To Make Money Selling On Ebay

Love Preloved

If you are in need of something new, check whether you could buy it preloved, otherwise known as used or secondhand.

Many people buy used cars, so why not a used bike or television or tablet or clothes?

As soon as you have used a new item for 5 minutes it’s no longer new.

Buying things used rather than brand new can save you 50% or more.

Money Saving Tips For Beginners Today

I am sure these money saving tips will help you start your savings journey.

If you want to start saving money then do keep things simple initially.

Become a pro at these and you’ll soon find more money saving tips and tricks to help you ramp up your savings further.