When I have a bad day, I… count my money. And no, this isn’t a line borrowed from ChatGPT to open the article — it is the truth. I am not entirely sure how it started, but most likely it goes back to childhood, when my parents gave me a little leopard-print wallet with less than a dirham inside. From that moment, I began saving.

Over the years, I noticed that both friends and my husband would often come to me for advice on how to save. And while I never reveal exactly how much I have got — not because it is a lot (it isn’t), but mainly because I don’t actually know (one of my tricks is never keeping money all in one place) — they still seem convinced I know what I am talking about.

So, just in case they are right, here are a few life hacks I can share.

A big part of saving is actually planning. And no, it isn't about creating a complicated Excel sheet (unless you are going through a really tough financial patch). For me, those tables never work — they usually do more harm than good, leading to frustration and demotivation.

So what do I do instead? I set myself an average weekly budget that I simply can't exceed — and how I spend it is entirely up to me. Important note: my weekly budget isn’t just my salary divided neatly into four parts. The maths isn’t that straightforward, and anyone who skipped algebra might not enjoy my explanation. We start with the salary. Then I follow these three steps:

So, what is the formula? Time for a quick maths refresher:

Weekly budget = (Salary – expected expenses – unexpected expenses – savings) ÷ 4

And here is the fun part: if you manage to come in under budget during the week, that leftover money also goes into your savings box.

The hardest part of saving isn’t the numbers — it is motivation. Without it, your savings account will dry up fast. One day you will wake up, and realise the last three months of “savings” somehow turned into a Miu Miu bag. If that was part of a long-term plan, fair enough. But if not, you are never going to get anywhere.

That is why I always split my motivation into two equal parts:

As I said, how you use your weekly budget is entirely your choice. You might cook at home all week and then treat yourself to a new dress on Sunday. Or perhaps you would rather splash out on leisurely breakfasts in a favourite café and buy nothing else.

But let’s imagine you follow my weekly plan and, instead of choosing balance and comfort, you decide to live off instant noodles and keep the lights switched off just to save more. Bad news: extreme saving is like a crash diet — the first emotional crisis comes along and you end up splurging twice as much as you planned.

Here are a few things worth remembering:

These tips don’t fit into one category — though they help as well!