Renfrewshire Council

Help and advice to boost your budgeting skills

Key info from our recent RenTalk with Multiply and Renfrewshire's Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB).

Advisors from our Multiply team and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB) recently joined colleagues on Microsoft Teams for a RenTalk session on budgeting skills.

They shared useful tips and techniques designed to help you better understand your own spending habits and stay in control of your money.

One attendee commented: "It got me thinking in a different way about how I spend money and motivated me to look through what's coming out of my bank account each month. I discovered a few subscriptions I'd totally forgotten about and saw that I was still being charged amounts like £3.99 and £7.99 for services I no longer use. It doesn't sound much but every one of those payments adds up and over the course of a year I'll now be saving over £200!"

Top tips:

Prioritise your budget

Consider your needs as opposed to your wants. Categorise each individual expense as either something you need or something you want. Use this to prioritise how you spend your money and make sure you pay for the things you need first.

Maximise your income

Some quick ways you could maximise your income include cancelling subscriptions you no longer need and getting a benefit check.

Stay on track

It's important to make a plan, keep an eye on your spending habits and set goals you can work towards. Your first goal might be to improve your confidence with numbers so you can keep track of your income and outgoings. Our Multiply service, can help you achieve this.

About Multiply

Multiply is a programme of activities that helps adults improve their numbers and maths skills. It's open to anyone over the age of 19 who does not have a National 5 Grade C qualification in maths. Find out more about the learning activities available through Multiply.

Get in touch for more help and advice

If you want to speak to someone about the activities on offer through Multiply, contact Multiply officer Sandra Brown, by email at sandra.brown@renfrewshire.gov.uk or give her a call on 07811 054565.

For confidential advice to help you manage your finances, you can email Patrycja.Dynowska@paisleycab.casonline.org.uk at RCAB.

Published on Friday 08 March 2024

Return to our Staff info page for more of the latest news and stories and to acess key info about working at the council and taking care of your wellbeing.