Being a young person, it can be hard to save money without knowledge of where to start. 

Whether you are at high school, or are a first time or a returning tertiary student, being money savvy is always important.

To help, I have curated my 5 tips and ways to continue to be better with managing money. 

Tip 1: Firstly, being orgainised with your money is key. 

Dividing your pay into multiple accounts, which have different goals is a great place to start.

I find that this helps me know how much spending money I have, to keep aiming for my savings goals, and my bills are always paid on time. 

I understand that as a young person, your pay might differ each week, which can be hard, but no matter how much money you are splitting up, I find it beneficial.

Tip 2: Check what ‘account type’ you have. 

Depending on what the account is used for, it might be beneficial to change some to a rapid save or term deposit.

Setting your bank accounts to rapid save, an account that earns you interest while still having access to the account or term deposit, an account where your money is locked for a certain amount of time and earns a set amount of interest, means your money is essentially working for you.

Tip 3: Kiwisaver is also another way to save money.

It is a long term savings scheme to save for your future, such as retirement or first home. 

It might be odd thinking about that when you're so young, but putting a little away each week can make a huge difference in the future. Read more here from a local wealth advisor Financial: Getting the most out of your KiwiSaver

You get to choose what your Kiwisaver contribution is set to, a percentage of your salary, the minimum is 3%, but you can also put away 4, 6,8, or 10%, and your employer also has to contribute. 

I have also recently started making my own weekly contribution, on top of the percentage of my salary, which is a good way to build it up over time.

The government also has an initiative that for every dollar you put in, they add 50 cents (up to $521.43 a year). To get the full amount you need to add at least $1,042.86 during the year (1 July–30 June), which works out to around $20 a week. 

Tip 4: For those of you like me who love to shop, Facebook Marketplace is a great way to save money, as well as make money. 

You can buy, sell, and even swap items. There are general groups for areas, such as Central Otago, buy, sell and swap, or more specific groups such as designer marketplace, which is a women's clothing and accessories group.

Tip 5: Lastly, more specific to tertiary students leaving home but helpful for anyone, are two apps I use to save money. 

The first is Gaspy. The app searches your area to find the cheapest fuel. You can also search for any location in New Zealand to see the cheapest fuel in that town or city.

Another app I use is Grab a Seat. This app is run through Air New Zealand and highlights cheaper flights around New Zealand and overseas. 

You can compare dates to find cheaper flights, get alerts if your travel plans are on sale, and notifies you of last minute deals.

Both of these apps are great when planning to return to Central Otago for a tertiary break.

These tips have worked well for my savings goals, but everyone is different, so make sure to do your own research and create a good savings plan for yourself.