There are tons of tips and tricks out there to help you save money. We’ve covered plenty ourselves, from the 7 best tips for first-time credit card users to how to make your holiday money go further. You’ve got yourself a budget that you follow. You watch all the pennies and all of the pounds. But have you ever tried bank skimming?
Don’t confuse this with ATM skimming – which is where fraudsters attach devices to cash machines to collect your bank details! This is a super quick and easy trick to help you save more money. All it requires is a little willpower if you’re going to stick to it, and an online banking account.
Bank skimming is a Ronseal name: Does what it says on the tin – skimming money off your primary bank account and popping it into a savings account.
So, log in to your online bank and check the balance of your account. Brilliant! You’ve got £257.89 in there (well, maybe – we’re not mind-readers). Whatever the balance, we’re going to look at shaving off some of that money. How much we ‘skim’ all depends on your current financial situation.
If times are good, then look to skim £7.89 – rounding it down to the nearest £10. However, if you’re struggling with your finances, shift the skim down to the nearest £5.
Move that money to a savings account… and forget about it. Let it stack up over time. Unlike many savings schemes, you don’t need to worry about what interest rates you’re getting with this account. Of course, the higher rate the better, but since we’re not saving hundreds and thousands and expecting huge returns, it’s less important. This is ‘rainy day’ savings.
One of the best things about bank skimming is just how quick it is. Log in, do the transfer, log out. Job done. So, you can do it pretty much any time – although if you’re intent on keeping your eye on your money, it’s worth turning this into a hard habit. Schedule a set time to perform the transfer on the same day each week or month. In doing so, it may surprise you just how much you’ll be able to save by bank skimming.
There are a couple of other ways you can skim your bank account too. Firstly, the old-fashioned manual method. Open up your wallet or your purse, and take out the change until you have even tens and fives. Pop the change into a piggy bank and you’re good to go.
A far easier method, though, is to get yourself a budgeting app that’ll do the skimming for you. Certain finance apps, designed to help you track and manage your money, can be programmed to automatically skim your account at a set time. Worth looking into finding the right app for you if you’re short on time or don’t want to log into your account regularly.
Saving money can be tough – whether it’s emergency or undisciplined spending or a case of limited income. Bank skimming is a quick trick that works regardless of your financial situation or additional saving methods that’ll help you save a little more.