I lived pay cheque to pay cheque but now I’m a money coach & can help anyone save cash with 3 tips that AREN’T scrimping
A WOMAN has revealed that after living paycheck to paycheck, she has now been able to totally turn her life around.
Anna, who is now a money educator from the UK, explained that thanks to her three super simple tips that don’t involve scrimping, she has managed to save an emergency fund and generate new ways of earning an income.
As a result, this savvy saver now helps thousands of people every week work towards their savings goals and has since shared her advice on social media.
In a short clip shared online, Anna shared her three tips for people who ‘want to save a lot of money this year, fast’.
She said: “I’m Anna, I’m a certified financial education instructor, but I’m also somebody who used to be stuck living paycheck to paycheck, with little savings at all and I turned that around very quickly when I learnt this stuff myself.”
Anna explained that within a year, her family were able to start earning different streams of income, meaning they were able to save an emergency fund.
She then shared the tips she swears by – and according to her, it’s important that you aren’t vague, are creative, and don’t push yourself too hard.
DON’T BE VAGUE
Anna explained that saving money involves your mindset and emotions and it’s important that you are clear with your savings goals.
She advised: “When it comes to saving money, don’t be vague about what you’re aiming for or how much you’re going to save each month.”
The money whizz stressed that if you know exactly how much you want to save and why you want to put away the cash, emotions will have less of a chance to derail you from your financial aims.
GET CREATIVE
As well as this, Anna advised people to ‘learn to think more entrepreneurially’ about earning cash.
She highlighted: “This was a massive game changer for me – getting super creative with how you can create income.”
She claimed that as a result, savings won’t feel as overwhelming, as you will be earning more, and therefore will have additional money that you can put aside.
STOP PUSHING
Not only this, but this financial expert explained that when it comes to saving cash, it’s important that you don’t ‘push yourself too hard’.
She recommended: “The mistake that I’ve made in the past, and the mistake that I see a lot of people making, is they have this wake-up moment, and then what they do is save as much as they possibly can.
How to make money online
1. Fill out online surveys
Online surveys are a quick and relatively easy way to get hold of extra cash.
You can get paid up to £6 per survey – and it’s a great way to make money, according to both Emma Drew of Emmadrew.info and Francesca Mason of From Pennies to Pounds.
There are lots of sites you can use, but these are the easiest to navigate: YouGov.co.uk and Prolific.ac.
2. Go mystery shopping
What could be better than being paid to shop for nothing?
Some brands pay you to shop free of charge, and you can even do it online in some cases.
MoneySavingExpert forum users have put together a comprehensive guide to how you can start mystery shopping.
You could make hundreds as well – we previously spoke to one dad who makes a whopping £1,500 a year from filling out online surveys and mystery shopping.
3. Complete easy tasks
Money-earning website 20Cogs gets you to complete 20 tasks over a period of a few weeks.
One savvy consumer made £180, in just a few short weeks.
They can be things like questionnaires and signing up to offers.
Conveniently, the questionnaires and offers can be cancelled at no cost.
4. Test products
Marketing companies, supermarkets and brands often send out products to consumers – either to test claims or spread influence.
Some will just send you free items, but others will even pay you extra to test products on top of getting the items for free.
We previously put together a guide to becoming a tester and the brands that offer these schemes, including some major names like Tesco and Philips.
5. Snap photos of receipts
Some apps will give you cash or Amazon vouchers just for taking photos of receipts, and it doesn’t matter what you buy.
Receipt Hog will give you points that you can redeem for a £3 voucher once you’ve earned 1,000 of them.
Each receipt is only worth a few points but it quickly adds up if you snap every receipt you get.
And it has surveys you can fill out for cash.
Shopprize is a similar app that gives you 100 coins for each receipt (and bonus coins when you level up).
When you hit 7,500 coins, you can cash out a £5 Amazon voucher.
6. Snap a photo of a derelict house
This is a good way of making money when you’re out and about, and gets your steps up.
If you see a derelict house in London or outside, you could earn yourself a quick buck.
All you need to do is fill out the address and upload a picture of an abandoned home to the YouSpotProperty website.
If you’re the first to find it, then you’ll win a £20 voucher.
Even better, you get one per cent of the purchase price if YouSpotProperty helps bring the property back into use.
So it could be quite the earner.
7. Become an Avon seller
Don’t forget about Avon, just because the company’s been around since 1886.
Reps can earn up to 32% commission on orders that they place.
We spoke to one woman, who earns an extra £230 a month with her side hustle as an Avon Lady.
8. Get paid to watch TV
Theviewers.co.uk puts together research panels for broadcasters and programme makers so that they can get feedback on TV programmes before they hit the box.
You can either attend face-to-face research groups, fill in surveys online or do both.
You can earn between £40 and £70 for a discussion group and it’s usually cash in hand.
9. Clinical trials
Drugs companies are often looking for people to test new medicines on.
You could get paid to take part in clinical trials to help find treatments for ailments such as Crohns Disease.
There is obviously the risk of nasty side effects but companies like Trials4Us can pay £120 for every 24 hours you spend on a trial.
“The problem is, it’s not sustainable. After six weeks of beans on toast, you get to the point where you can’t be bothered and want to give up.”
As a result, Anna stressed that it’s important to think about how you can still enjoy your life, whilst saving as much as you can.
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS REACT
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @moneyformillennials, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 920,700 views.
Tips to boost your savings
1. Switch and earn
Some banks offer incentives for you to switch accounts and save with them instead.
For example, NatWest will offer you £200 to switch your current accounts.
If you’re looking to switch accounts, make sure your new bank is offering good overdraft and interest rates.
2. Use apps
Plum is a free chatbot app that uses Facebook Messenger to automate savings for you.
You can also use it to compare bills and switch suppliers too.
3. Get a cashback credit card
Some credit cards will give you cash for spending – but they have to be used with caution.
If you don’t repay your balance in full each month, you’ll start paying interest and that will wipe out most – if not all – of the cashback you’ve earned.
But if you can clear your balance each month, then they could be worth it.
MoneySavingExpert has rounded up the best credit card reward deals currently on the market.
4. Premium bonds
Premium bonds are just like normal savings accounts that let you take money in and out whenever you want – with one key difference.
Instead of interest being paid every month, the money you put into the account works as tickets for a monthly prize draw.
It could earn you anywhere between £25 and £1million, tax-free.
5. Reclaim cash in old bank accounts
Brits have £15billion lying forgotten in old bank accounts, pensions, life assurance and investments.
We’ve put together a guide on how to trace your old accounts and reclaim cash – because after 15 years, the Government could take it.
6. Track down lost pension pots
Save for the future by making sure you haven’t lost any money in a forgotten pension pot.
You will be auto-enrolled into a pension scheme with a new employer if you switch jobs – which means your old pension pot may have been lost.
There are around 1.6million missing pension pots with an average of £13,000 in each – one Brit managed to find his worth £121,000.
7. Activate debit card cashback
Many major banks partner with high street and online retailers to offer cashback when you spend money at certain stores.
Deals change all the time, but it’s worth checking with your bank to see what cashback offers they have.
8. Compare interest rates
Martin Lewis has previously told consumers to always keep on top of savings and mortgage rates as they can go up and down.
We’ve got a guide on how to find and compare home loans so you can get the best deal.
Social media users were incredibly thankful for Anna’s tips and advice and many took to the comments to express this.
One person said: “Wow, excellent advice, very helpful.”
Another added: “Super helpful – thanks Anna.”
This is actually smart
TikTok user
A third commented: “You’re so amazing Anna. Love this video. So motivating.”
Whilst someone else beamed: “Wow you actually read my mind – thank you.”
At the same time, another user wrote: “This is actually smart.”
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