Budget Advice

First steps towards a balanced budget

Budgeting can seem very daunting, but taking a few easy steps can help you get a grip of your finances and save money.

Find out exactly what your income is – including any benefit payments

Find out exactly what your outgoings are each month or week – include everything that you pay out, however minor it may seem, the little things add up

• Subtract your expenses from your income and see what you have left (surplus), it may help to use our handy budget calculator
  
  
• If you have much more  surplus left on paper than you think you should have then consider keeping a spending diary to see what you may have missed
  
  
• If you have very little, no or negative surplus then you could look at cutting down on some areas of spending, our money saving tips could help
  
  
• If you are unable to reduce your spending then consider maximising your income, there may be benefits that you are entitled to that you are not currently claiming, please click here for information on services that can help you with this
  
  
• If the level of your debts is too much to handle using the above steps then you may need help, firstly work out your level of debts in the following order:

• For more information visist our Financial Services website (click here)