Free resources and practices to manage your money effectively

Whether you’re freelancing, working a creative day job or juggling side projects, these money management resources can help you feel more in control of your finances.

Managing your finances as a creative professional can feel overwhelming – especially when income is irregular, project-based or comes from multiple sources. But getting a clear picture of your spending, saving and budgeting is key to building a sustainable creative career.

Whether you're starting a freelance journey, setting up a studio with friends, or saving up for new creative equipment, we’ve rounded up some of the best free money tools, apps and financial advice platforms to help you track your finances, reduce stress and grow your savings.

First steps for managing your money

📊 Use a spreadsheet
A good way to see an overview of your money is to use a spreadsheet that can calculate your expenses for you. Typing out all of your outgoings for the month into it means that all your spending and income will be noted in one handy document. It’s also a good point of reference for you to refer to throughout the month, and you can adjust any changes for the following month accordingly.

For those of us who aren’t whizzes in formulas and cells, free pre-made budgeting templates are widely available online; popular ones include those available on Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

🔎 Check your direct debits
Using your mobile app or online banking, have a look to make sure all of your direct debits are up-to-date and that you’re aware of exactly what you’re paying for. For example, make sure that you haven’t accidentally continued subscribing to any unwanted apps or streaming services after your free trials!

🗓 Set up calendar reminders
Which leads us to our next point. Setting up calendar alerts to notify you when you should expect to be paid – as well as when subscription payments and direct debits are coming out of your bank account – is a useful way to keep your finances in check. You can easily do this on the calendar app on your computer or phone to make sure you’re aware of when money will be coming in and out of your bank account, as well as know when you are entitled to charge clients a late payment.

💰 Get an automatic savings app
If you want to go a step further and start saving some money, consider connecting your bank account to an autosaving app, such as Moneybox or Plum. What this does is round up each spend you make on your card to the nearest pound and saves it into a separate interest-gaining account. This means that, each time you buy a £2.60 cup of coffee, it will automatically save £0.40 for you, and you can stand to earn a very small percentage of your savings while doing so. Some app-based banks such as Monzo have options for you to do this within the app.

Scroll down for some specific resources to help you track spending and budgets, as well as discover money-saving tips.