MeetGist

But in general, I don't think my tips make too many assumptions about income so without further ado...

So the first step to saving money is, unsurprisingly, actually saving money. Decide on how much you can afford to save every week/month and stick to it; as soon as you are paid, put your savings into a separate account (if you're really savvy go for a good interest rate one) and then act like that money is gone. When you budget, do not count that money in the budget, treat it like a bill that's been taken from your account. Do not fall into the trap of "I'll just dip into my savings this once..." because it is rarely just once, and if you need to keep accessing your savings then you haven't budgeted or you're not taking it seriously. Try a fixed-access account that limits the number of withdrawals you can make in a year (see later in this post).

I can already sense some of you checking out at this point, but this cannot be stressed enough in my opinion.
I don't mean that you need to become an acclaimed chef overnight - start small, basic, and figure out which flavours you like and build from there. Good food doesn't need to be complex.
The most fundamental part of being human is food - it's how we celebrate, socialise and comfort ourselves - and as such it's a huge source of financial waste. Learning how to cook is generally associated with healthy eating and makes you less likely to:

I say "regularly" because if you work full time and have other hobbies or commitments then you're not going to be able to cook meals from scratch every night of the week, it's just not realistic and even though I love cooking I certainly don't. 

Anyone* can learn to cook; having a basic understanding of cooking means you can suss out quick and easy to make meals and buy cheaper fresh or tinned alternatives to pre-prepared sauces and ready meals (e.g. chopped tomatoes and spices vs jars of pasta or curry sauce). It also means that you find more enjoyment in food you've created than in dining out frequently, and if you master the "fakeaway" makes you less likely to splurge on takeaways.

Additionally, if you make extra for dinner then it means you can avoid buying supermarket meal deals or eating out for lunch the next day.

*Availability of equipment, energy (gas & electricity), and general level of physical and mental health are aspects that may limit an individual's ability to cook. 

Ah, and you thought you'd get through this post without any references to vegetarianism or veganism. Sorry to disappoint but contrary to the opinion that vegan food is inherently expensive, meat free dishes are typically cheaper than those with meat in them. Even if being vegetarian or vegan is not something you're willing to entertain you should normalise having meals that don't revolve around meat if you want to save money. Chilli made from beans (extra super saver points if it's canned supermarket basics range) costs very little to make per portion, and lentil or vegetable curries are as similarly cheap (using frozen veg - again, extra points if it's supermarket basic/saver range).

Long life foods with lots of nutritional value like tinned beans and vegetables, dried pulses (e.g. lentils), and frozen vegetables are often available at low cost and make great low-cost meals. A lot of this goes back to learning how to cook, as a lot of working class cooking (in my experience) is based around cooking what you know to avoid the potential for food waste which sometimes isn't actually the most cost-effective overall.

Remember when I said I was not a money saving expert? Well,  I learned the hard way that you need to constantly keep an eye on what energy tariff you're on or you might be overpaying. Even if (like me) switching energy companies leaves you a little uncertain, you should keep an eye on the available tariffs within your existing supplier. I recently switched and saved over £20 a month and I should have done it way sooner than I did.

Keep an eye on those cancellation or switching fees on the tariffs you choose too or you might get hit with a big charge if you want to change supplier or tariff later on.

Comparison websites offering 2-for-1 meals or cinema tickets for purchasing insurance (including travel insurance within the UK for £5) or free to sign up loyalty schemes are obvious ways to get discounts or save money on items or events you'd be purchasing anyway. Be mindful not to spend money on things you wouldn't normally though, it's not "15% off" if you're spending money you didn't intend to in the first place. If buying online, have a quick search about for valid voucher codes before you confirm your purchase. Say "yes" to the free points or loyalty cards, and remember to use them when you make a purchase, and use cash back sites (only use trustworthy ones that are well documented and reviewed online). You can also make money from taking part in survey sites like YouGov - have a look at all the options like this that take relatively little effort on your part.

There are lots of sites out there dedicated to reducing waste and saving money - consider these if you're looking for furniture or to look for discounted food from restaurants etc. Consider clothes swaps instead of buying new, or using sites like Depop or Ebay to sell old clothes before buying new items of clothing. These options are also eco-friendly so it's another win.

Anything you disagree with or would add that you think I've missed?  Let me know in the comments!

I long for a world where mental illness is no longer a shameful taboo, where anyone can talk about any symptom without being judged, and any step towards that is something to be celebrated earnestly. But the truth is, and I judge myself for it, I am jealous of the way people with certain illnesses can be open about them and the response society has to them. All mental illnesses are horrible, they can all be devastating and we should never try and promote one by diminishing another. I would never wish to have depression, or anorexia nervosa - anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates of all mental illness and it's a horrendously cruel disorder - but there is a part of me that longs for the response people get when they find the courage to be open about their struggles. They are (rightfully) inundated with messages about their strength, their courage, how proud people are and I long for that after years of living in suffocating shame at my aberrant symptoms. 

Of course it is a double-edged sword for people with these illnesses - people are more accepting of these disorders because they exist just outside society's norm (who hasn't felt sad, anxious, or wanted to be slimmer?) but that also means they make more assumptions, misunderstand the complexities of them and are more likely to be diminutive of them.

But oh, how I could imagine opening up to my friends and family about the fact I've battled self harm since the age of 11. How I wish I could talk about my past experiences with dissociation and the abject fear that things in the dark were coming to get me. The rage that builds up, the absolute and uncontrollable despair that being left or ignored by people can cause. The fact that I can feel suicidal one minute and then positively ecstatic the next, or the fact that some times it's a struggle to  get out of bed and then all of a sudden I feel like I can take on the world. The fact that there are multiple versions of me and I don't know how to mould them into one, whole person. The fact that sometimes it feels like my personality changes with the song I'm listening to. That I've gone days without eating because I feel empty, like there is nothing inside of me but ticking clockwork. The fact that I rip my hair  out even when I wish I could stop. The fact that the worst thing about every relapse I've ever had is the undeniable sense of how good it feels. Because that's the thing, isn't it? We tell people how awful we feel, how hopeless we feel - and it's true - but we keep that little moment to ourselves, right before the reality sets in, that moment where it brings nothing but relief and satiation. That is the ultimate taboo. That's what we can't talk about.

My anxiety is awful and I hate when people downplay it, but I don't fear rejection when I talk about it. I blame everything on "anxiety" because I know I will be judged less for that than any of my other illnesses. And I hate myself for feeling this way, because I know how tough living with mental illness is, regardless of what diagnosis you've had slapped on your file, but I just wish we weren't separated into camps by society on what is deemed "brave", "acceptable" and "unacceptable". I can't help but think my struggles might be slightly easier if I wasn't judged for talking about them, and I wish I could feel differently but I don't and it is eating away at me day by day.

I'm sorry, I know this isn't okay, that I am a bad advocate and I wish I could change it but I can't, and it is making me resentful and angry at the world. I am sick of society dictating how we should act and feel, and seeing our illness as a choice or failing, or that we are "too crazy" or "freaks". It is hard enough living with it as it is. So please do not stop your push for mental health awareness with the more palatable disorders, and push for everyone across the world of mental ill health.