September Payday Reset: 10 Ways to Stretch Your Wages Further

Payday after a summer of holiday spending doesn't stretch the way it used to. The habits that make the biggest difference happen in the first 48 hours after it lands - not through willpower later in the month.

Clear the automatic stuff first

Before anything else gets spent, let direct debits and standing orders clear as normal. Trying to "save" by moving money out of the account you pay bills from is how people end up with a bounced payment and a fee that wipes out whatever they thought they'd saved.

Do the big shop once, not four times

A single, planned grocery shop for the fortnight tends to cost less overall than the same total spent across several top-up trips - top-up trips are where impulse items creep in. Check Ocado or Waitrose for an active code before you check out; it applies to the whole basket, so it's worth more on a bigger, planned shop than a small one.

Click through before you shop, not after

Cashback only tracks if you go via the cashback link before adding anything to your basket. Doing your shopping list first, then opening the store directly through a cashback site, is the wrong order and the most common reason people miss out.

Check what's due to renew this month

September is a common renewal month for car insurance, home insurance and subscriptions taken out the previous autumn. A renewal that auto-continues at last year's price plus an increase is rarely the cheapest option available right now - it's worth ten minutes checking a comparison site before it renews, not after.

Set the float aside before you feel it

Whatever's left after bills and the planned shop, move it out of the current account and into savings on payday itself, not at the end of the month. Money that's already moved doesn't get spent by accident; money still sitting in the current account usually does.

The one thing worth skipping

Don't try to overhaul your entire budget on payday. The changes that stick are the ones you make once - the shop, the float, the renewal check - not a new system you have to remember to follow all month.