Money blogger tips to manage your personal finances

Ever feel like money management is a minefield? With pension pots to add to, interest rates to keep an eye on, budgets to get on top of and debt to tackle, personal finances can be confusing and overwhelming. The Nottingham is here to help and we’ve picked the brains of some very savvy saving bloggers to deliver their ultimate money management, budgeting or savings tip.

1. Charlotte Jessop from Looking After Your Pennies.com on talking about money
“My top money management tip is to talk about your money. For example, when people want to lose weight they join a slimming group and share their journey with others. But, when we want to take control of our money we are far less open about it. I say talk.Talk about your plans to tackle debt, share your savings goals and listen to other people's money making ideas. You'll find that it is easier to look after your money when you talk about it regularly.”

2. Nicola from Mum on a budget UK on budgeting apps
“My top budgeting tip would be to get an app which lets you track all your expenditure and get in the habit of inputting each transaction you make. It's easy to lose control of your spending without realising it. By recording everything, it allows you to see where you can make savings. You might think spending £15 here or there on a takeaway isn't a big deal, but if at the end of the month you see that you have spent £100 on takeaways, then it really motivates you to cut back.”

One to try: Goodbudget is an iOS and Android app that works on an envelope system. You allocate money to each envelope for different areas of spending such as groceries and entertainment and when you spend on that area, you log it. This way, you can keep track of how much is left in each budget. 

3. Nikki: The Female Money Doctor on saving for emergencies
“My best budgeting tip is to have an emergency fund at all times. In my opinion, this should be a minimum of £1000 to cover unexpected issues like a burst tyre or a broken washing machine. This avoids the use of payday loans. 

The next aim is to build an emergency fund that would keep someone afloat for up to 6 months. The fund needs to be able to cover basic bills and outgoings so that if they chose to leave their job, or couldn't work through illness, then they are covered.”

Take a look at our full range of savings accounts. 

4. Jennifer Kempson: Mama Fur Fur on saving for the future
"Pay your future self by saving now. Make this the first thing you do every month without fail. Look to invest in your future by putting a set amount in a high interest savings account and add to your pension contributions every month as the first thing you do. Ideally you would look for a savings options that allows you to benefit from compound interest (so you earn interest on your interest). By thinking about your money smarter each month, that is when you really can change your life."

All tips and advice are solely the opinions and experience of the bloggers featured in this article. The Nottingham can provide a financial health check if you are concerned about your finances. You can also find our Savings Calculator online to find out how your savings with The Nottingham may grow*.

*The figures provided by the calculator are a guide only and are not a precise calculation. The calculator assumes the interest rate does not change throughout the calculation. The calculation assumes we pay your interest without tax taken off. Months are of equal length in this calculator. The calculator assumes the same deposit is made every month, at the same time as cleared funds. The calculator rounds to the nearest 0.1%, in some cases the calculator may underestimate interest paid. AER stands for Annual Equivalent Rate. It shows what the interest rate would be if the interest was reinvested in the account each year.