“Paying off my credit cards wiped out most of my savings to begin with, but it’s made it much easier to save in the long term.

Charges you pay on overdrafts and credit cards are always likely to be more than the interest you’d earn on your savings, so it makes sense to clear the former before you focus on the latter.”

Sarah, London

“I didn’t really think about my savings account for years and then I realised my money was just sitting there, not doing very much.

I had a shop around, and recently opened an Easy Access Account with the Chip savings app, which offers me amazing interest rates – way better than I got with my old bank.

The app also uses AI to work out what I can afford every month and puts it aside for me automatically, which means I’m saving without even noticing.”

Claire, Edinburgh

“I used to be fond of a bit of a payday splurge, but now I try to practise the 30-day rule whenever I feel myself drawn to an impulse buy.

Basically, you make yourself wait 30 days before any significant purchase, to make sure you really want it and can definitely afford it.

I also use Chip’s Payday Put-Away feature, which automatically moves a custom amount of money aside on a specific day each month

It definitely makes it easier not to spend everything the minute I get it.”

Razia, Cheltenham

“I find it easier to save when I set myself small targets and try to improve on them.

My Chip app is good for helping me visualise different savings targets - I can have one savings goal set up for a holiday, maybe another for a new outfit, and the app auto-deposits a certain amount of money into them every month.

Long-term financial goals feel a bit hard to visualise for me, but trying to save a weekly amount of money or aiming for a certain number of no-spending days a month makes me feel like I’m achieving something day-to-day.”

Sinead, Falmouth

“Before I started saving, I spent an entire month making a note of every single one of my expenses, right down to takeaway coffees and Tube journeys.

It might seem like a faff, but it gives you a proper understanding of what you’re spending, and lets you know what you could potentially cut out to save more money.

I set myself a target to chop 10% off my spending, which was actually fairly easy once I realised how much I was spending on smaller, regular treats.”

Lucy, Birmingham

“I’m terrible for losing track of my spending, so I’ve found it really helps to set alerts on my mobile, every time money leaves my account.

That way, I’ve got a much clearer picture of how I’m using my money, and it also means I catch things like subscriptions I’ve forgotten to cancel.”

Ciara, Glasgow