LIFE HACK
3 ways to stick to a budget
Setting a budget is easy. Sticking to it… well, that’s the real trick. Staying on top of your finances can literally pay off, turning you from a sometime-saver into a budgeting pro. These apps aim to take the stress out managing your money better.
Pennies
Tracking your outgoings is an important step towards taking ownership of your finances. Pennies’ simple interface boils this down to setting a (weekly, monthly, annual) budget for utilities, groceries, entertainment and so on. Swipe left and right to scroll through your budgets, logging expenses as they arise. The app will let you know how much balance remains and help to build better monetary habits. Saving to buy a home? A yearly budget will allow you to track long-term spending patterns.
Monzo
The epitome of digital banking, Monzo comes with all the benefits of a banking app with some real standouts, like a debit card you can use abroad without any additional fees and the penny-saving Coin Jar feature. This function helps you top up your savings: so, if you spend €19.59 on something, that remaining 41 cents moves into your rainy day fund. You might not be able to book that trip to the Canary Islands right away, but it’s a start.
Our Expenses
Perfect for couples looking for a streamlined way to split bills. Tap the plus sign to add an expense you share with your partner. The app lets you tally up the bills that come out of your pocket and ones they take care of, then splits it all 50/50 so you know what you owe each other. Invite your partner to join the app and they’ll see the same at-a-glance breakdown of your joint expenses. The app’s annual subscription lets you log recurring expenses, so you can plan and save together.