Sam and Emma, two of our Debt Heroes, speak to people every day who need help and support due to money worries and financial difficulties.

We caught up with our Debt Heroes and asked them what top tips they follow at home to help their money go further.

Emma’s top tips:

‘I budget relentlessly! At the beginning of every month, my husband and I sit down and work out what we have coming up in the following month such as events, birthdays, car MOTs, haircuts etc… and budget for how much each of them will cost us.’

‘We make sure we budget for our weekly food shops, and our regular bills too, but making a note of our plans that month really helps to stop any hidden surprises!’ ‘If there are shortfalls, we make sure we have a plan in place.’

There are plenty of free tools online to get you started with budgeting, such as the Money Advice Service’s online Budget Planner.

It’s easy to use and gives you a variety of categories in which your spending might fall under, so you don’t forget anything!

Sam’s top tips:

‘I still live by the old fashioned rule of what you can’t afford, you go without!’

‘If I see a particularly nice pair of shoes I always go away and think about it, before making any impulse purchases. I usually make a note of how much they cost in the shop that I wanted to get them from and also check online, as I find you can get a lot of things cheaper when you look around.’

‘I check my budget for that month and make a note of my bank balance to see if I can afford it. If I can’t afford it, then I go without it.’

‘One way I always make sure I know what I can afford is by putting money aside at the beginning of the month and by automatically setting direct debits to go out of my account after pay day, I make sure whatever is left is mine to spend.’

If you can afford to put money aside, we do recommend doing so – after all, every little helps!

Fancy getting even more money-saving tips?

Simply like our Facebook page, ‘Save a Fiver a Day’ for great low-cost recipes, daily hints and top tips for cheap days out.

See more of our PayPlan Debt Heroes at payplan.com/debt-heroes