Moneymagpie Team
20th Jul 2025
Reading Time: 4 minutes
AI this, app that – sometimes, old school is still the best way – especially if you’re struggling with digital overwhelm. Have a digital detox and try some old budget and money-saving tips to end the month with some extra change in your pocket!
Take Out Cash
Have a Savings Jar
Keep a Ledger Notebook
Fix Before You Buy
Switch to Paper Billing
Take Out Cash
Some digital currency is needed, we can’t avoid that these days. You need to pay your mortgage or rent, and you’ll have Direct Debits for your utilities bills, for example.
However, taking out cash for your groceries, shopping and day-to-day spending can hugely help manage your budget. Work out how much your digital-first expenses will be (rent, electricity and gas, broadband, mobile phone etc) and ensure you leave enough in the bank for them! Take out what’s left over for your spending money for the month.
It can also help to divide this cash into envelopes. Some people like to split into an envelope for each week, while others like to have an envelope for a specific thing, like groceries for one and entertainment for the other. When the cash is gone at the end of the month – it’s gone! Try not to reach for your credit card to top up your spending.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
✅ Add up what automatically goes out of your account each month and leave enough to cover these expenses
✅ Take the rest of your income out in cash
✅ Split your cash between envelopes for even better budgeting
✅ Try this for at least two months to see how much you save by thinking before you hand over cold, hard cash!
Have a Savings Jar
Find an old jar, box, or tin and assign it to be your savings jar. Collect your spare change at the end of each week and dump it into the jar – you’ll be surprised how quickly this adds up!
Alternatively, use the jar as a habit builder. The classic is the ‘swear jar’ where you pay a fine for each time you swear, but it could be anything. Did you manage to get your daily walk in? Pay yourself a pound! Trying to quit smoking? Put a tenner in for each packet of cigarettes you stop yourself from buying! There are lots of ways to motivate yourself with this savings jar, so find something that you want to reward yourself with and motivate yourself to save.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
✅ Gather up your loose change each week
✅ Pay yourself for developing a positive new habit
✅ Stay motivated with a reward goal for your savings
Keep a Ledger Notebook
Most people only have a rough idea of what their monthly expenses look like. It’s easy to forget to budget when payments go out of our bank accounts and on credit cards: out of sight, out of mind.
Find a small notebook and carry it with you. You can use the notes app on your phone too, if you want – but the main point of this exercise is to spend a few mindful minutes each day writing down your daily expenses. It takes only a few seconds to log each expense, but quickly builds a picture of where you might be able to save.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
✅ Log your expenses in a notebook every day
✅ Be honest with yourself: list EVERY Casadefinance Reader spent
✅ Look at your spending trends and see where you might be able to cut back
Fix Before You Buy
If your instinct when something breaks is to open the Amazon app and buy a new one, pause. Try adopting a ‘make do and mend’ attitude for a couple of months, and you’ll be shocked at how much you save. You’ll find that either you learn a new skill fixing a broken item, or you don’t even need that item anyway!
There are so many How To video tutorials for almost anything on YouTube, for free, that making a bit of research your first step could revolutionise your monthly expenses.
If something can’t be fixed, ask around friends and family if they have a spare you can borrow, have for free, or pay a small amount for. Second-hand shops and charity shops can also be goldmines for finding things – even furniture and white goods!
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
✅ Delete shopping apps from your phone to prevent them being your go-to option if something breaks
✅ See if the item can be fixed by looking at YouTube tutorials before you write it off
✅ Ask friends and family if they have an alternative item they don’t want or need anymore
✅ Look at second-hand shops and charity stores for replacement items without having to pay full price for the latest version of something.
Switch to Paper Billing
How often do you get a bill in your email inbox that you simply delete or file without reading? We’re all guilty of ignoring emails – especially when they’re ones telling us how much money we are spending!
Where possible, try switching to paper billing even for a few months. Receiving a physical letter with your bill details listed will give you a chance to pause and consider what you’ve been spending. Paper bills can also help you identify potential billing problems, as sometimes it is easier to read information when it’s laid out on paper in front of you instead of easily skippable on a phone or laptop screen.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
✅ Paper bills help you pay attention to your expenses
✅ It’s easier to spot errors on your bill on a physical letter
✅ Set up a filing system to keep track of paper bills with ease