One of the things you realise as you get older is that, if school had spent more time on budgeting and quarterly BAS statements, instead of – taking an example at random – parallelograms, the world would be a much simpler place. Money management is hard, and it only gets harder as life gets more complicated: kids, mortgage, insurance, side hustles, lucrative offshore tax havens etc.

So, with the help of our friends at Up, we’ve put together a list of totally non-boring, very important ideas to manage your money better. Trust us – Future You will be grateful.BUCKETS. BUCKETS EVERYWHERE. By now most people are familiar with the ‘Bucket Approach’ to budgeting. Every month, you divide your income up into ‘buckets’ – some money over here for rent, some over here for groceries, this much for saving etc.

Well, Up has basically taken buckets and made them sexy. Say hello to Hi—Fi – ‘Your Financially Sound System’ (geddit?). Hi—Fi takes the guesswork out of managing money. It’s an app that can automatically put away savings, bills, rent and anything else on a regular basis, so you never misplace another dollar. Hi—Fi can track savings goals and handle your subscription fees. It even lets you know exactly how much ‘fun money’ you’ve got to spend every month. Guilt-free, baby.

TURN CLOTHES INTO CASH There’s nothing wrong with a fashion habit, although we’d definitely recommend looking into sustainable alternatives. And speaking of sustainability, don’t forget clothing marketplaces like Depop. By selling your old clothes on Depop, instead of chucking them in the bin, you’re making some extra coin and contributing to the circular economy. Personal finance experts refer to that as a “win/win”. Plus, its algorithm is so good in knowing your personal taste profile you’re unlikely to ever have to buy new again (unless it’s underwear… no need for explanation).

WOULD YOU LIKE TO UNSUBSCRIBE? Yes. Yes I would. The average Australian spends about $55 on subscription services every month. That’s $660 a year flowing right out of your pocket. Some of these subscriptions are great, and you use them all the time, and they provide value. Others just sit there in case you might, possibly, sometime down the track, feel like watching an episode of Friends. You can see where we’re going with this: try and tally up all your subscriptions, then ruthlessly cut them, so you’re only spending on what you actually use. And, good news: there are subscription management apps to make this process easier.ROUND UP! ROUND UP! If you’re not using round-ups to maximise your savings, you probably should be. Most financial services, including Up, offer this feature now. Whenever you make a purchase, Up can round that purchase up to the nearest dollar and send the difference to a nominated savings account. It happens automatically, so you don’t even need to think about it. You can tweak the exact amount, and every round-up appears as a separate transaction record, for easy tracking. Using just this feature, Up has helped its customers save over $71,000,000. As the old saying goes, ‘Take care of the pennies, and pretty soon you’ll have a big pile of cash’. Don’t quote us on that one…

BEACH READ Okay, we know everyone has a finance book recommendation, but this one is actually good! The Money Diary by economist and award-winning finance expert Jessica Irvine is straight-up genius. It’s all about tracking your spending and getting it under control, because (as Jessica would say) without good spending habits, your income doesn’t actually matter. Make more money? You’ll just spend more money. And hey, we’re right back to eating ramen noodles under a halogen light bulb. The Money Diary includes worksheets, exercises, and a spending calendar that even the most credit-happy consumers (guilty) can follow. We recommend reading it at the beach (or at the very least a park) to make ingesting this knowledge more fun.

SHOP SMARTER… NOT HARDER No doubt one of your biggest monthly expenses right now is food. Specifically supermarket food. It’s expensive out here! You may not be able to do much about big, tectonic stuff like inflation and global supply chains, but you still have power as a consumer. And that power can save you money. When it comes to supermarket shopping, here’s what you do. First, shop local for fruit and veggies – you’ll save heaps at most farmers’ markets and fruit shops. Second, join the membership programs – they’re annoying, but the perks and savings really add up over time. Next, shop on special, and get alerts when your favourite stuff goes on sale. You can also add a budget tracker to the groceries category if you’re an Up member, so you can easily keep track of how much you’ve spent at the supermarket.

Lastly, and we can’t emphasize this one enough: shop with a plan. Supermarkets are literally designed to shake every last dollar out of your pockets, like casinos, so go in with a shopping list and stick to it. No matter how tempting that M&M’s Crispy packet may be…with its colourful shells and sweet, sweet chocolate inside… Where were we?

Also, remember, this stuff is just tips and ideas. You should only get financial advice from qualified professionals, accountants (and maybe your uncle at Christmas).

These ideas were brought to you in partnership with our pals at Up. Check out Up Hi—Fi which can help you manage your money in a super simple and sustainable way.