With the rising costs of gas, electricity, fuel and food it’s no surprise many people in the UK are struggling to make ends meet. Regardless of whatever you’re earning, and even if you’ve got into the habit of saving, an unexpected expense can disrupt your budget.

As a result of this, more and more people are looking toward no credit check loans to help keep their heads above water. As My Financial Broker works with responsible payday loan lenders, we don’t believe no credit check loans are the right option. In fact, there are other simple and effective ways to get your everyday spending under control and prepare for unexpected financial emergencies.

Write Down All of Your Expenses

Before anything else, write down all your expenses for an average day. How many times have you handed over £1 and thought, “Oh, it’s only £1,” and then repeated this same process every day for several months? Our tip is to be mindful of where you plan on spending your pennies and write down everything you spend for a whole month – you’re then able to see where you can cut costs in the future.

Drive Less, Walk or Bike More

Not everyone can cut out driving completely, but it’s good to make reasonable compromises. If your commute to work isn’t too far away, consider biking or walking – not only will you spend less on fuel but you will get more exercise too and feel much healthier.

For a longer commute, you could consider an e-bike. These have an electric motor and battery to boost you along when cycling and making those long rides a doddle even for the non-cyclist.

For those of you who still need to use your car frequently, from now until 14th October, Halfords Autocentre will pay for your MOT if you purchase anything other than a 5p carrier bag. A great little save on motoring running costs for the year.

Take Your Own Lunch to Work

A simple yet highly effective point. It may take up a few extra minutes of your evening to make your lunch for the next day, but wouldn’t you prefer to have extra money in your pocket at the end of each month instead? Buying yourself a ‘£3 meal deal’ or something similar every day from the supermarket could be costing you nearly £60 a month, a total of £720 a year. Imagine what you could spend that money on if you took your own lunch to work?

Shop Smarter

Try cutting back on your food shopping and use up what you have before purchasing anything else. When you need to make a trip to the supermarket avoid going when you’re hungry as this will result in you buying things for the sake of it. Find alternatives to those expensive brands you buy and opt for own brand items for a cheaper bill at the end.

Pay for Things With Cash

You should only allow yourself a certain amount of money each week to spend. Unless you’re constantly checking your finances on a daily basis, there’s no way you can keep up to date with when you’re actually spending if you keep paying for things with your credit card.