How to Organise Your Household Budget, The Easy Way

It’s the last week of the month, that dress you really wanted has just gone on sale and your bank balance is beyond ‘in the red’. You’ve been playing card roulette for a couple of weeks now, the fridge looks like an edgy art installation with a solitary condiment on the middle shelf, and you are willing the hours away until it’s payday.

Sound familiar? It’s a pretty common occurrence for many of us these days. There’s always something to do, somewhere you need to be and a bill that needs to be paid. So what can we do to feel better from a personal finance perspective?

Without having to embark on an epic life-admin mission, here are five top ways you can nail personal finance life-admin in a flash:

Go old school – A decent lunch can turn a working day around but it can also break the budget. If you chuck in some charcoal bread, a smattering of avocado and a hint of any food trend you can expect to be paying the same price as a meal out. Whilst lunch deals are a lifesaver at times, the limited range can get boring. With health fans filling up Instagram with their meal-prep wins, turns out taking your own lunch isn’t so uncool these days. Whilst you may not want to pack a My Little Pony lunchbox full of Um Bongo and Dairylea Dunkers, prepping a lunch the night before or cooking double for dinner then saving a portion for the next day can keep that budget balanced.

Budget buys – There’s no shame in hunting down a bargain. Always do an internet search when buying clothes or items for the home to nab a bargain.

Bill brave – Those pesky white envelopes just keep arriving and those online bill reminders keep pinging. The first step is opening them, which can sometimes require a mini meditation session afterwards to get over the shock. Then down to the dirty, paying them. If you are feeling particularly fancy, you might even check out a couple of deals – but soon enough reality hits of how painful personal finance can be. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way anymore – hurrah! We use apps to track our health, food and fitness, so why not our finances? There are apps out there that can track everything from bill management to presenting the best switching deals out there – and only a swipe is required.

Deals, deal, deals – Whether it is dinner with a friend, or planning your next break, always search for deals. Most restaurants have daily deals or vouchers that can be used, and when you are getting 2 for 1 or a course for £5 no-one is going to argue when it comes to paying the bill. Most airlines do a sale every three-months, so plan ahead and try to book flights or trips during the sales.

Host with the most – Pub trips, dinners and weekend fun can all add up so looking closer to home can be a winner for budget boosting. Whether it is a games-night, movie-marathon or box-set binge fiesta, add some super snacks and drinks and et voila – it’s almost as if you are having the times of your life.

WonderBill is a new, free household bill management app and online offering which enables families to more efficiently manage their household bills.