Tips to manage your money better in 2017, with Melton and District Money Advice Centre founder Amanda Stevenson

Is this your top New Year’s resolution?

I’ve been attending Weight Watchers for the last two years and managed to loose nearly three stone!

The regular weekly meetings we attend give great, regular motivation and statistically give members the most successful weight loss, which also stays off.

Research shows those that don’t stay for the meetings tend to see weight creeping back on.

It is the same with your finances, regular meetings with your bank statement and your spending habits means you are more likely to keep your budget on target and keep the debts away.

Every week at Weight Watchers you get a little tip, a little bit of a reminder why you should make good choices with food and what you can do to keep on track.

You gain improvements in physical condition, better mental health, your stress levels are lowered and this all means your family members gain by the choices you make too.

We have created a Facebook page called Melton Money Watchers for the same concept reason as Weight Watchers - to regularly motivate each other to stay on track with our finances and loose those ‘fatty debts’ that are hanging around.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1) Regularly visit your bank statement, check it once a week at the same time. Are there any surprises on here? Have you spent money you should not have? Can you get back on track and cut down on something else?

2) Make a budget to make sure your finances balance. Write down all your income and all your regular expenses, include anything you need to save for such as school uniform, birthdays or car insurance.

3) Attend one of our free Money Management courses to help you look at how you can put a financial statement together and make things balance.

4) Work out a system of different accounts or pots of money to make sure all bills are getting paid and you’re saving for regular items that you need.

5) Motivate yourself with something you can save for, put a picture of this item on your fridge? Use it as a password so you’re reminded of it daily.

6) Make sure you have something you can look forward to each week or month, even if it’s a few pounds. Weight Watchers has weekly points you can spend on treats. Put something in your financial budget that you consider a treat.

7) Is there an item of expenditure you could do without that releases money for bills, food or something else? Sky TV? Smoking?

2017 is the year you can start to feel you are controlling your money instead of your money controlling you.

Join our Facebook page- Melton Money Watchers to gain some encouragement and motivation to make this time next year the best place you have ever been financially.

Statistically with Weight Watchers, January finds many new members but February finds the majority leaving as they don’t want to change or it becomes too hard.

Make sure you become your own best Money Watcher in 2017 and make it all the way to this time next year. You’ll be so pleased you did.

Weight Watchers has a goal weight for everyone to reach to be the most healthy and active pending your height, age and gender.

What’s your goal financially for 2017? Unless you use your budget each week, it won’t happen. Next year we will be having regular actual meetings we can meet up to encourage each other to keep going-watch this space.

See you there for a healthy 2017 with Melton Money Watchers.

Here at Melton and District Money Advice Centre we have been busy helping 67 clients either become debt free or are on the road to becoming debt free in 2016. We are actively trying to secure more funding to expand our services in 2017 www.madmacmoney.co.uk