Trust us – we know what we’re talking about when it comes to how to get rich. All you need to do is get a few good habits going, check your bills once a year, get a steady investment habit and be a little patient. Give it a few years and you can be rich without much effort.

• Step one: Accounts
• Step two: Essentials
• Step three: Mortgage
• Step four: Extras
• Step five: Make more money
• Step six: Make it regular
• What to do for the whole month

If you’re looking for how to make money fast, we point you towards our super-popular article 10 easy ways to make quick cash.  Otherwise, ignore those ‘get rich quick’ schemes – they’re always ‘get poor quick’ schemes when you scratch the surface. Just get the best deals you can on your bills once a year (see below for how to do that), watch your day-to-day spending, keep checking this site for more and more ways to boost your income and then invest what you have left over each month. We’ve got a lot of ideas on how you can invest safely for the future in this section too.

So, follow these easy steps and you’ll find yourself worrying less, living more and looking forward to a richer future.

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• Step one: Accounts

Check your accounts and see if you can find a better version to switch to.

Your bank account: The right bank account for you can make you money and make your life better – and it’s not hard to switch. Are you usually overdrawn, in credit, or do you swing from one to the other? We’re all different so there’s no one bank account that’s right for everyone. Some are better for people with big overdrafts, others are better if you want to make money on your balance.

However, we think that the Santander account is a good all-rounder, with a free arranged overdraft for a year and 5% interest (AER) on balances up to £2,500 for 12 months. Be warned that once these bonuses expire, the rate will drop and you’ll be charged 18.9% for being in your overdraft.

Your savings: If you’ve got money in the bank, check you’re earning the most interest on it that you can. There are new deals coming on the market all the time. Rates are down recently, but this is even more of a reason to keep vigilant and make sure you get the best deal.

For more savings account ideas, see our full article on the best savings accounts.

Your credit card(s): All your credit card debts and any loans – could you switch to cheaper and better versions? Do you remember to check your credit record before going for really cheap loans or 0% credit card deals? If your record isn’t great then you’re likely to be turned down by the better deals which could, in turn, make it harder for you to get other loans (lenders get nervous when other companies refuse you).

• Step two: Essentials

Switch your essential expenses like utilities and insurances.

Insurance: Get better deals on all your insurance and save hundreds of pounds every year. This should include your motor, home contents, life and travel insurance, as well as your medical and pet insurance. Make sure that you’re not paying more than you should by using our comparison tables now.

Bills: Check your energy providers, both gas and electricity. For cheaper offers on household utilities check out our comparison tables. Remember, you can switch to greener tariffs too.

Huge leaps in modern technology mean that your phone, internet and TV package providers offer deals to talk for free – including a video link – over the internet. Check out Skype and our article on Best Broadband Offers now.

• Step three: Mortgage

Switch your mortgage if you can.

If you’re in a position to switch your mortgage you could save serious money, although lenders can sometimes charge enormous ‘exit’ and ‘set-up’ fees so check with your current provider first – can they offer you a better deal? See our article on remortgaging for more tips. Also look at our mortgage comparison service for a cheaper quote. To find out everything you need to know, download our free mortgage guide here.

• Step four: Extras

Look at where you can cut costs in day-to-day life. Click here for other tips for cutting costs all round.

Also, have a look at cheaper ways of buying usual household goods. Check out online price comparison sites, like Kelkoo, Buy Central and PriceRunner for the best prices for everything from washing machines to a new MP3 player.

Cashback sites can also make you money by paying you to sign up and giving you money back on the products you buy. Check out our article about cashback sites.

• Step five: Make more money

It doesn’t stop with just saving money. You can turbo-charge your journey to riches by making extra cash on the side and using it to a) pay off your debts and then b) put it into savings and investments once the debts are paid off.

Look at our Make Money section for more ideas that you can use, and sign up to our free weekly newsletter so that you can get new money-making and money-saving ideas every Tuesday.

• Step six: Make it regular

Get into a habit of regular financial housekeeping. Sounds dull (and, all right, yes, it is) but honestly, if you just keep an eye on what’s going in and out each month, that on its own can help you get wealthier in the long term. So, once a month, file your payslips, bills statements and any information sent to you about tax or investments.

What to do for the whole month

For one month keep a spending diary to see where your money is really going and where it’s being wasted. You could be surprised (and shocked!).

Also, once a week or so, check your bank accounts and credit cards online, particularly if you make a lot of transactions. Checking your statements regularly will help protect you from fraud because you’ll see early on if someone is using your identity or your card. It can also mean that you can stop yourself going overdrawn and being charged through the nose for it!

Keep yourself protected – make sure no one is using your identity to take out dodgy loans. Join CreditExpert so that you can see what’s on your credit record any time of the day or night.

Useful links

• Santander
• Skype
• Kelkoo
• PriceRunner
• Moneymagpie comparison tables
• Moneymagpie mortgage comparison service

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